EUROPEAN CUP matches could be played on a Monday for only the fifth time in the competition's history, The Rugby Paper can reveal.
The draw for the Heineken Champions Cup Round of 16 will take place on Tuesday March 9, with Racing 92, Leinster, Wasps, Bordeaux-Begles and Munster guaranteed to have home advantage, as first revealed in this publication, while the fate of the other 11 clubs will be in the hands of an open draw.
Matches are scheduled for the Easter Bank Holiday weekend, April 2-4, with a couple of fixtures reserved for the Monday slot depending on the geographical spread of games.
All of the games in the Champions Cup and Challenge Cup will be broadcast live by BT Sport with Channel 4 covering one of the Saturday fixtures from the top tier competition.
The last time the European Cup was played on a Monday was in December 2017 when heavy snow in north London forced the Saracens v Clermont match to be rescheduled.
Two other Monday fixtures were brought about because of bad weather – Edinburgh v Castres (2010/11) and Neath v Beziers (2002/03) – and the death of Princess Diana saw the Ulster v Glasgow match rescheduled to Monday in September 1997.
Regarding the draw for the Heineken Champions Cup Round of 16, clubs from the same league cannot be drawn against one another, however, clubs from the same pool can be drawn against one another.
For the purposes of the Challenge Cup Round of 16 draw, once again clubs from the same league cannot be drawn against one another, however, Challenge Cup clubs and qualifiers from the Heineken Champions Cup can be drawn against one another.
As London Irish, Leicester Tigers and Ospreys won both preliminary stage matches on the pitch – where results were not impacted by Covid-19 – they will each be guaranteed a home fixture.
The draws for the quarter-finals in both tournaments will be open, allowing for the possibility of matches between clubs from the same league.
Meanwhile, Premiership bosses will meet tomorrow to decide whether or not the proposed Premiership Cup goes ahead.
Some Premiership DoRs have expressed concerns about staging the competition, set for midweek slots in April and May, because of the pressure it would put on their squads.
By JON NEWCOMBE
QUALIFIERS
Champions Cup – Racing 92, Leinster Rugby, Wasps, Bordeaux-Bègles, Munster Rugby, Lyon, Toulouse, La Rochelle, Scarlets, ASM Clermont Auvergne, Bristol Bears, Exeter Chiefs, Edinburgh Rugby, Gloucester Rugby, RC Toulon, Sale Sharks
NB: Racing 92, Leinster, Wasps, Bordeaux-Bègles and Munster are guaranteed home matches in the Round of 16.
Challenge Cup – London Irish, Ospreys, Leicester Tigers, Cardiff Blues, Zebre Rugby Club, Agen, Benetton Rugby, Newcastle Falcons, Ulster Rugby, Connacht Rugby, Northampton Saints, Bath Rugby, Montpellier, Dragons, Harlequins, Glasgow Warriors
NB: London Irish, Ospreys and Leicester Tigers are guaranteed home matches in the Round of 16.
