Heineken Cup 2005/6

Munster face an away trip to Challenge Cup champions Sale in their opening game of the 2005/6 Heineken Cup pool stages.

Munster face an away trip to Challenge Cup champions Sale in their opening game of the 2005/6 Heineken Cup pool stages.

Beaten by Biarritz in last year’s quarter-finals, Munster will travel to Edgeley Park to open their Pool 1 account in the autumn, after the ERC today confirmed the early fixture lists.

Kidney’s charges then take on Castres (home) and Newport-Gwent Dragons (away-and-home) pre-Christmas, before wrapping up their pool campaign in January with a visit to Castres and lastly, a Thomond Park tussle against Sale.

Both Leinster and Ulster will begin the 2005/06 Heineken Cup pool stages at home in October. Leinster, also beaten quarter-finalists in 2004/05, kick-off their Pool 5 charge against familiar foes Bath, whom they defeated twice last season. They then travel to Glasgow before taking on Bourgoin in home-and-away ties before the end of the year. January will see Leinster welcome Glasgow back to Dublin, and they end the pool stages with a trip to Bath’s famous Rec ground.

Ulster, meanwhile, host Italian Super 10 side Benetton Treviso in October in Ravenhill in their opening game. Tough fixtures against Biarritz (away) and Saracens (home-and-away) follow before the festive break. Mark McCall’s men, who have each year failed to make the quarter-finals since their tournament win back in 1999, then take on Biarritz at Ravenhill, and travel to Treviso for the sixth round over the weekend of January 20-22.

The precise dates and kick-off times for all the Pool matches in the early rounds will be confirmed as soon as possible with the broadcaster partners in the UK, Ireland, France and Italy.

MUNSTER FIXTURES

ROUND 1 (October 21/22/23): Sale Sharks v Munster

ROUND 2 (October 28/29/30): Munster v Castres Olympique

ROUND 3 (December 9/10/11): Newport-Gwent Dragons v Munster

ROUND 4 (December 16/17/18): Munster v Newport-Gwent Dragons

ROUND 5 (January 13/14/15): Castres Olympique v Munster

ROUND 6 (January 20/21/22): Munster v Sale Sharks

HEINEKEN CUP 2005/06 POOL FIXTURES:

ROUND 1 (October 21/22/23):

Pool 1: Sale Sharks v Munster Castres Olympique v Newport-Gwent Dragons

Pool 2: Cardiff Blues v Leeds Tykes Rugby Calvisano v Perpignan

Pool 3: Ospreys v Stade Francais Leicester Tigers v ASM Clermont Auvergne

Pool 4: Ulster Rugby v Benetton Treviso Saracens v Biarritz Olympique

Pool 5: Bourgoin v Glasgow Warriors Leinster v Bath Rugby

Pool 6: Toulouse v Llanelli Scarlets Edinburgh Rugby v London Wasps

ROUND 2 (October 28/29/30):

Pool 1: Munster v Castres Olympique Newport-Gwent Dragons v Sale Sharks

Pool 2: Leeds Tykes v Rugby Calvisano Perpignan v Cardiff Blues

Pool 3: Stade Francais v Leicester Tigers ASM Clermont Auvergne v Ospreys

Pool 4: Benetton Treviso v Saracens Biarritz Olympique v Ulster Rugby

Pool 5: Glasgow Warriors v Leinster Bath Rugby v Bourgoin

Pool 6: Llanelli Scarlets v Edinburgh Rugby London Wasps v Toulouse

ROUND 3 (December 9/10/11):

Pool 1: Castres Olympique v Sale Sharks Newport-Gwent Dragons v Munster

Pool 2: Rugby Calvisano v Cardiff Blues Leeds Tykes v Perpignan

Pool 3: Leicester Tigers v Ospreys ASM Clermont Auvergne v Stade Francais

Pool 4: Ulster Rugby v Saracens Biarritz Olympique v Benetton Treviso

Pool 5: Leinster v Bourgoin Bath Rugby v Glasgow Warriors

Pool 6: Edinburgh Rugby v Toulouse Llanelli Scarlets v London Wasps

ROUND 4 (December 16/17/18):

Pool 1: Sale Sharks v Castres Olympique Munster v Newport-Gwent Dragons

Pool 2: Cardiff Blues v Rugby Calvisano Perpignan v Leeds Tykes

Pool 3: Ospreys v Leicester Tigers Stade Francais v ASM Clermont Auvergne

Pool 4: Saracens v Ulster Rugby Benetton Treviso v Biarritz Olympique

Pool 5: Bourgoin v Leinster Glasgow Warriors v Bath Rugby

Pool 6: Toulouse v Edinburgh Rugby London Wasps v Llanelli Scarlets

ROUND 5 (January 13/14/15):

Pool 1: Sale Sharks v Newport-Gwent Dragons Castres Olympique v Munster

Pool 2: Cardiff Blues v Perpignan Rugby Calvisano v Leeds Tykes

Pool 3: Ospreys v ASM Clermont Auvergne Leicester Tigers v Stade Francais

Pool 4: Ulster Rugby v Biarritz Olympique Saracens v Benetton Treviso

Pool 5: Bourgoin v Bath Rugby Leinster v Glasgow Warriors

Pool 6: Toulouse v London Wasps Edinburgh Rugby v Llanelli Scarlets

ROUND 6 (January 20/21/22):

Pool 1: Newport-Gwent Dragons v Castres Olympique Munster v Sale Sharks

Pool 2: Perpignan Rugby v Calvisano Leeds Tykes v Cardiff Blues

Pool 3: ASM Clermont Auvergne v Leicester Tigers Stade Francais v Ospreys

Pool 4: Biarritz Olympique v Saracens Benetton Treviso v Ulster Rugby

Pool 5: Bath Rugby v Leinster Glasgow Warriors v Bourgoin

Pool 6: London Wasps v Edinburgh Rugby Llanelli Scarlets v Toulouse

Quarter-finals: April

Semi-finals: April 22/23

FINAL: Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, May 20/21

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