HEC: Rounds 5 and 6

kensutz

FRIDAY 16 JANUARY, 2009
Pool 1 Munster v Sale Sharks 20.00 Sky Sports/Canal + Sport
Pool 1 ASM Clermont Auvergne v Montauban 21.00 Canal+ Sport
Pool 2 Edinburgh v Castres Olympique 19.30

SATURDAY 17 JANUARY, 2009
Pool 2 London Wasps v Leinster 17.35 Sky Sports/Canal+ Sport
Pool 3 Perpignan v Ospreys 16.35 France 2
Pool 3 Leicester Tigers v Benetton Treviso 15.00
Pool 4 Ulster Rugby v Harlequins 13.35 Sky Sports
Pool 5 Toulouse v Glasgow Warriors 14.35 Canal+
Pool 6 Rugby Calvisano v Biarritz Olympique 14.35 Sky Italia

SUNDAY 18 JANUARY, 2009
Pool 4 Scarlets v Stade Français Paris 15.00 S4C*/France 2
Pool 5 Newport Gwent Dragons v Bath Rugby 13.00 Sky Sports
Pool 6 Gloucester Rugby v Cardiff Blues 15.00 Sky Sports

ROUND 6

FRIDAY 23 JANUARY, 2009
Pool 6 Cardiff Blues v Rugby Calvisano 20.00 S4C*/Sky Sports
Pool 6 Biarritz Olympique v Gloucester Rugby 21.00 Canal+ Sport/Sky Sports

SATURDAY 24 JANUARY, 2009
Pool 1 Sale Sharks v ASM Clermont Auvergne 15.35
Pool 1 Montauban v Munster 16.35 Canal +/Sky Sports
Pool 3 Ospreys v Leicester Tigers 17.35 Sky Sports
Pool 3 Benetton Treviso v Perpignan 18.35 Sky Italia/Canal+ Sport
Pool 4 Stade Français Paris v Ulster Rugby 14.35 France 2/Sky Sports
Pool 4 Harlequins v Scarlets 13.35 Sky Sports

SUNDAY 25 JANUARY, 2009

Pool 2 Leinster v Edinburgh 13.00 Sky Sports
Pool 2 Castres Olympique v London Wasps 14.00
Pool 5 Bath Rugby v Toulouse 15.00 Sky Sports/France 2
Pool 5 Glasgow Warriors v Newport Gwent Dragons 15.00

premierstone

More Friday night mayhem for commuters in Limerick nice :mad:

kensutz

Yeah a right kick in the stones. Hopefully it won't take me 4 and a half hours this time.

premierstone

Dont count on it and from the word around here anyway there will be alot more heading in for this match than the montabaun game, alot of people probably myself included, hopefully not though, will be travelling without tickets

sm.org

As always Sky sports tell us when and where we can play.

Coverage is better since they bought the rights though.

Erin Go Brath

Two tasty looking games there involving Munster and Leinster. Its a pity those games are a month away. Heres hoping for an Irish double against the saxon foe, and 2 provinces into the Quarter Final!

kensutz

In a way, the Munster/Sale match being on the Friday is dead handy for me. Means I can get an early flight to London for the Wasps/Leinster game.

Erin Go Brath

kensutz wrote: »

In a way, the Munster/Sale match being on the Friday is dead handy for me. Means I can get an early flight to London for the Wasps/Leinster game.

Sounds like the perfect weekend

kensutz

Busy working weekend.

Pshan

From examiner.ie

Munster plea to ERC chiefs - no Sale on a Friday

By Colm O’Connor
MUNSTER have asked European rugby chiefs not to fix their Round Five Heineken Cup Pool One clash against Sale Sharks on a Friday night.


European Rugby Cup (ERC) bosses will today finalise dates, times and venues for the remaining pool games next month.

However the Heineken Cup champions are anxious not to play at Thomond Park on a Friday night due to traffic congestion which caused chaos prior to the first round clash against Montauban on Friday, October 10. Munster are due to play Sale on the weekend of January 16-19 and are away to Montauban on January 23.

ERC spokesman John Corcoran last night said that they were considering Munster’s request.

He explained: “The ERC would consult with all the clubs to check if they had any specific venue restrictions for the Heineken Cup pool weekends.

“Munster have indicated that a Friday evening would not be their preferred option.

ERC endeavours to work with the clubs but due to broadcast slots and differing requests from 24 clubs, it is not always possible to meet all the requests which we receive.”

He said that the details of the January games will be announced this afternoon shortly after 2pm.

He continued: “The objective is to ensure that the tournament gets the best possible exposure in terms of live television coverage of the decisive pool matches across the full European weekend.
In Round 6, games from the same pool are scheduled to kick-off at the same time.”

If this article is true the ERC must think more of Sky than of the clubs or their supporters.

Aidric

I'd like to have a word with the mongo who fixed Munster's game with Sale for a Friday night. What dimwitted logic was used to justify this decision?

crisco10

Aidric wrote: »

What dimwitted logic was used to justify this decision?

Me suspects money/sky (kind of the same thing). Friday is slightly the grave yard slot. Put a big team like Munster playing a good team like Sale there. Problem solved.
Also leaves Sat 17.35 free for the hypefest that will be Wasps Leinster. And sunday 1500 free for hype for the Gloucester-Glasgow game.

Podge_irl

That time suits me for the Wasps game. Leaves me time to go to lectures on Saturday ( ) and still make the game

Digifriendly

Pshan wrote: »

From examiner.ie

Munster plea to ERC chiefs - no Sale on a Friday

By Colm O’Connor
MUNSTER have asked European rugby chiefs not to fix their Round Five Heineken Cup Pool One clash against Sale Sharks on a Friday night.


European Rugby Cup (ERC) bosses will today finalise dates, times and venues for the remaining pool games next month.

However the Heineken Cup champions are anxious not to play at Thomond Park on a Friday night due to traffic congestion which caused chaos prior to the first round clash against Montauban on Friday, October 10. Munster are due to play Sale on the weekend of January 16-19 and are away to Montauban on January 23.

ERC spokesman John Corcoran last night said that they were considering Munster’s request.

He explained: “The ERC would consult with all the clubs to check if they had any specific venue restrictions for the Heineken Cup pool weekends.

“Munster have indicated that a Friday evening would not be their preferred option.

ERC endeavours to work with the clubs but due to broadcast slots and differing requests from 24 clubs, it is not always possible to meet all the requests which we receive.”

He said that the details of the January games will be announced this afternoon shortly after 2pm.

He continued: “The objective is to ensure that the tournament gets the best possible exposure in terms of live television coverage of the decisive pool matches across the full European weekend.
In Round 6, games from the same pool are scheduled to kick-off at the same time.”

If this article is true the ERC must think more of Sky than of the clubs or their supporters.

This situation is similar to Ulster vs Leicester Heineken Cup pool match some 4-5 years ago when Sky decided on a 1.00pm Sunday KO time. There were numerous letters/e mails to Ulster Branch who themselves were opposed to this date and time and made their feelings clear to both ERC and Sky but all to no avail. Sky prevailed but such was the fuss kicked up that since then, Sky have not tried to impose a Sunday match on Ulster.
BTW think the Perpigian vs Ospreys match should be on Sky Sports as its 15.35 KO (UK/Irish time) and would fill the mid afternoon slot on the first Saturday.