Fixtures Announced For This Season’s Champions Cup

The 2015/16 European Champions Cup will kick off in style when Leicester Tigers host Stade Francais in a mouthwatering round 1 clash at Welford Road on Friday, November 13. The Pool 4 meeting of the two-time winners and the reigning Top 14 champions – live on BT Sport – is just one of a number of heavyweight confrontations scheduled for the opening weekend of Europe’s elite club tournament.

Click here for the full list 2015/16 European Champions Cup pool fixtures.

Toulon, who completed an historic hat-trick of titles last season, begin their defence when they take on Bath at Stade Félix Mayol in the ultra-competitive Pool 5 on Sunday, November 15, while in Pool 1, Aviva Premiership champions Saracens host Toulouse in another seismic Anglo-French fixture at Allianz Park on Saturday, November 14.

First-time Guinness PRO12 champions Glasgow Warriors have a tough task on their hands when they travel to Racing 92 in Pool 3 also on Saturday, November 14.

All 40 matches in rounds 1 to 4 of the Champions Cup will be broadcast live in Ireland and the UK on either BT Sport or Sky Sports, and TV coverage of the journey to the Lyon 2016 finals will get under way on Sky Sports when Harlequins host Montpellier in Pool 3 of the Challenge Cup at the Twickenham Stoop on Thursday, November 12.

Last season’s Challenge Cup winners Gloucester open their campaign against Zebre at Kingsholm Stadium on Saturday, November 14.

The fixtures for Pool 1 of the Challenge Cup involving Connacht, Brive, Newcastle Falcons and Russian newcomers Enisei-STM, who are based in Krasnoyarsk, Siberia, will be announced shortly. EPCR is currently working with all four clubs to determine the most suitable venues for Enisei-STM’s home matches as well as the travel logistics for the games.

On Saturday, November 14, Champions Cup debutants Oyonnax will play their first game in Europe’s top flight at Stade Charles Mathon where Ulster will provide the opposition.

The December back-to-back fixtures in rounds 3 and 4, which traditionally guarantee sell-out attendances across the pools, have also thrown up some fascinating clashes with Toulon and Leinster renewing rivalries. The venue for the round 3 game between the three-time champions on Sunday, December 13 is yet to be confirmed, but the return will go ahead at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium on Saturday, December 19.

The clashes of Munster and Leicester Tigers, Racing 92 and Northampton Saints, Ulster and Toulouse, as well as Wasps v Bath will also feature prominently in the key back-to-back series.

The dates and kick-off times for the round 5 and 6 fixtures in both the Champions Cup and the Challenge Cup will be announced following the completion of the round 4 games.

2015/16 EUROPEAN CUP SEASON: KEY POINTS –

– The Champions Cup and the Challenge Cup consist of five pools of four teams with the five pool winners and the three best runners-up qualifying for the knockout stages

– The teams in both tournaments have qualified on merit from Europe’s three main professional leagues – the Aviva Premiership, GUINNESS PRO12 and Top 14 – or via a play-off and the Challenge Cup qualifying competition

– The 20th place in the 2016/17 Champions Cup will be awarded to the winners of this season’s Challenge Cup. If the winners of the Challenge Cup are already qualified, the 20th place will go to the highest-ranked team (which has not qualified for the Champions Cup) from the same league as the Challenge Cup winners

– The 2016 Challenge Cup and Champions Cup finals will be staged at the Grand Stade de Lyon on May 13 and 14 respectively next

– 2015/16 will be the 21st season of European professional club rugby

2015/16 EUROPEAN CUP SEASON: TOURNAMENT WEEKENDS –

Round 1: November 12/13/14/15
Round 2: November 19/20/21/22
Round 3: December 10/11/12/13
Round 4: December 17/18/19/20
Round 5: January 14/15/16/17
Round 6: January 21/22/23/24
Quarter-Finals: April 7/8/9/10
Semi-Finals: April 22/23/24

LYON 2016 FINALS

Challenge Cup – Friday, May 13; Grand Stade de Lyon (9pm local time/8pm Irish time)
Champions Cup – Saturday, May 14; Grand Stade de Lyon (5.45pm local time/4.45pm Irish time)