The draw for the Pools will be made at a date yet to be decided in the week beginning June 8th and Munster will be one of six sides in Tier 1 along with Bath, Biarritz Olympique, Leinster, Leicester Tigers and Toulouse. The advantage of being in Tier 1 is that the sides cannot meet until the knock-out phase of the competition.

Heineken Cup Designated Weekends

ROUND 1 - 9/10/11 October 2009
ROUND 2 - 16/17/18 October 2009
ROUND 3 -11/12/13 December 2009
ROUND 4 -18/19/20 December 2009

2010

ROUND 5 - 15/16/17 January
ROUND 6 - 22/23/24 January

At this stage, 23 of the 24 sides that will compete in the 09/10 Heineken Cup are known with the final place up for grabs next  Friday when Newport Gwent Dragons travel to Italy to take on Calvisano.

Northampton earned their place with the Challenge Cup win over Bourgoin whose defeat meant that Brive, winners of the competition in 97 and beaten finalists in 98, get a Heinken Cup place instead of the beaten Challenge Cup side..

The qualifiers besides Leinster Munster and Ulster for next season are;
England (7): Bath, Gloucester, Harlequins, Leicester Tigers, London Irish, Northampton, Sale Sharks.
France (6): ASM Clermont Auvergne, Biarritz Olympique, Brive, Perpignan, Stade Francias, Toulouse,
Wales: (3) Cardiff Blues, Ospreys, Scarlets, (and Newport Gwent Dragons ?)
Scotland: (2) Edinburgh, Glasgow Warriors.
Italy: (2) Benneton Treviso, Viadana, (and Calvisano ?)