Ulster Rugby vs Oyonnax

EPCR WELCOME

WELCOME MESSAGE FROM EPCR

The pool stages are now reaching a tension- packed conclusion with prized quarter-final places on the line, and the streamlined format of both tournaments, which was introduced last season, has once again produced a series of compelling qualification matches. The clubs who manage to book places in the knockout stages will hope to continue their European journey towards the 2016 Lyon finals at the 59,000-capacity Grand Stade de Lyon in May. The state-of-the-art Grand Stade, which is situated in the Parc Olympique Lyonnais to the east of the city of Lyon, was officially opened earlier this month, and with close to 50,000 tickets already sold or allocated, the Champions Cup final is well on course for a sell-out attendance. Tickets are still selling for both the Challenge Cup and Champions Cup finals via epcrugby.com and we would encourage fans who want to experience a unique weekend festival of elite rugby in one of France’s finest cities to book their seats as soon as possible. EPCR’s tournaments are built on the rich heritage of 20 years of outstanding European competition and as we look forward to more great occasions this season and in the future, I particularly want to acknowledge the commitment of fans across Europe – your support is greatly appreciated. The clubs competing in the Champions Cup and the Challenge Cup have qualified on merit from their respective domestic leagues – the PRO12, the Aviva Premiership Rugby and the TOP 14 – or via a play-off. At the conclusion of this season, there will be no play-offs for the 20th place in the Champions Cup On behalf of tournament organiser, EPCR, I am delighted to welcome you to today’s Round 6 match in the European Rugby Champions Cup.

with the winner of the Challenge Cup qualifying automatically for the 2016/17 tournament. In addition, the Challenge Cup Qualifying Competition continues to provide important opportunities for emerging and more established clubs alike. Clubs from Belgium, Germany, Portugal, Romania and Spain, along with three representatives from Italy, are competing this season, and two will eventually qualify for the 2016/17 Challenge Cup. With EPCR’s Executive fully operational from its base in Neuchatel, Switzerland, the organisation’s commercial programme continues to gain further momentum. Turkish Airlines were announced as an Official Partner of the tournaments at the start of the current season, and Tissot are now the Official Timekeeper and Watch of the tournaments. These key new agreements with world-renowned brands complement the long-standing relationship with Official Partner, Heineken, while Canterbury supply match officials kit, and Gilbert provide match balls. With first-class broadcast coverage from our TV and radio partners – BT Sport, Sky Sports, beIN Sports, France Televisions, Sky Italia, BBC 5Live, Newstalk and RTE – the tournaments are in a strong position. Finally, I would like to wish today’s teams and their supporters every success as the pool stage reaches its conclusion. Yours in rugby, Simon Halliday // Chairman EPCR

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