| And London Wasps will launch their defence of the Heineken Cup crown with a home showdown against Munster – the 13th season of European club rugby's premier tournament kicking-off with an absorbing contest between the reigning champions and the 2006 champions.
The clash of the immediate past and present Heineken Cup winners should provide an exciting start to the tournament on the weekend of November 9/10/11 which will see nine matches broadcast live on television with a wealth of Heineken Cup action for fans to savour.
Click Here for full fixture list
The first four rounds of the tournament will see increased television coverage with at least 33 Heineken Cup matches being shown live on television by ERC's broadcast partners.
The fixtures for Round 1 of the competition will also see Friday night action at Ravenhill, where 1999 winners Ulster Rugby will host Gloucester Rugby, and at Stade Aime Giral, where Perpignan take on Newport Gwent Dragons.
The beaten 2007 finalists and former double champions Leicester Tigers will travel to Dublin to face Leinster, the Irish top seeds, on Saturday.
The fixtures, dates, kick-off times and host TV broadcasters for the opening Rounds, released by ERC today (Monday July 30th), also sees Magners League champions the Ospreys launch their bid to make the knock-out stages for the first time with a home tie against Bourgoin.
Harlequins, back in the tournament after a two-year absence, mark their return with a trip to France to face French champions Stade Français Paris while Glasgow Warriors, the Scottish top seeds, travel to Saracens and Italian champions Benetton Treviso will also be on the road when they go to London Irish.
Details of the additional TV coverage of Rounds 1 to 4 by ERC's broadcast partners, Sky Sports, France Televisions, Canal Groupe, S4C and RTE, including all live, delayed and highlights broadcasts, will be announced shortly.
The fixture dates and kick-off times for Rounds 5 and 6 will be announced at a later date.
|
