Titanic Tussles To Launch Heineken Champions Cup Season
A view of the Heineken Champions Cup during the recent pool draws which were made at the Aviva Stadium ©INPHO/Dan Sheridan
Irish provinces will be involved in some heavyweight clashes to launch next season’s Heineken Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup in December.
The 2022/23 European campaign kicks off on the weekend of December 9/10/11, with Leinster, beaten Champions Cup finalists in May, travelling to face Racing 92 in a repeat of the 2018 decider, before hosting Gloucester the following week.
Munster’s first round assignment will see them hosting Toulouse at Thomond Park as the teams meet for the first time since May’s epic quarter-final. Graham Rowntree’s side are off to Northampton Saints in round 2.
Dan McFarland’s Ulster begin the tournament with their first ever Champions Cup trip to Sale Sharks, ahead of a mouth-watering match against reigning champions La Rochelle at Kingspan Stadium.
Meanwhile, in the Challenge Cup, Connacht are set to entertain Newcastle Falcons in their Galway opener. The westerners will visit Brive in the second round, facing former team-mates Sam Arnold and Abraham Papali’i.
At this stage, EPCR are only announcing the fixtures by round for the pool stages, with exact dates, kick-off times and TV coverage in both the Champions Cup and Challenge Cup to be announced as soon as possible following the conclusion of negotiations with broadcasters for the new cycle across each market.
Next year’s two tournament finals, representing the pinnacle of elite European club rugby, will take place at the Aviva Stadium on Friday, May 19 (Challenge Cup) and Saturday, May 20 (Champions Cup). Click here for ticket information.
The European finals weekend returns to Dublin, and the home of Irish Rugby, a decade on from when Toulon defeated Clermont Auvergne to lift the famous silverware for the first time in 2013.
Heineken Champions Cup Fixtures
HEINEKEN CHAMPIONS CUP
– 24 elite teams (nine tournament winners with 36 EPCR titles between them)
– Two pools of 12
– Four pool stage rounds
– Eight highest-ranked teams from each pool qualify for the knockout stages
– Knockout stages: Round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals and final
– Ninth and 10th ranked teams from each pool qualify for the Challenge Cup
Click here for the Heineken Champions Cup pools
EPCR CHALLENGE CUP
– 20 teams (seven tournament winners with 14 EPCR titles between them)
– Two pools of 10
– Four pool stage rounds
– Six highest-ranked teams from each pool qualify for the knockout stages
– Knockout stages: Round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals and final
Click here for the EPCR Challenge Cup pools
HEINEKEN CHAMPIONS CUP & EPCR CHALLENGE CUP WEEKENDS – 2022/23 SEASON:
Round 1 – December 9/10/11, 2022
Round 2 – December 16/17/18, 2022
Round 3 – January 13/14/15, 2023
Round 4 – January 20/21/22, 2023
Round of 16 – March 31-April 1/2, 2023
Quarter-Finals – April 7/8/9, 2023
Semi-Finals – April 28/29/30, 2023
EPCR Challenge Cup Final – Friday, May 19, 2023, Aviva Stadium
Heineken Champions Cup Final – Saturday, May 20, 2023, Aviva Stadium