Ulster Rugby v Leicester Tigers

THE HEINEKEN CUP IS BACK! Between Friday 12th October and Saturday 11th May, 20 of the best teams from across Europe will battle it out to be crowned European Champions. Here’s all you need to know... …

Who’s in it? From Ireland - Leinster, Munster & Ulster From England - Bath, Exeter Chiefs, Gloucester, Leicester Tigers, Newcastle Falcons, Saracens & Wasps From France - Castres, Lyon, Montpellier, Racing 92, Toulon &Toulouse From Scotland - Edinburgh & Glasgow Warriors From Wales - Cardiff Blues & Scarlets No Italians you ask? This is the first season where it hasn’t been a prerequisite for there to be an Italian side in the competition, with the seven PRO14 representatives all being decided on merit. What are the Pools? Pool 1 - Bath, Leinster, Toulouse, Wasps Pool 2 - Castres, Exeter Chiefs, Gloucester, Munster Pool 3 - Cardiff Blues, Glasgow Warriors, Lyon, Saracens Pool 4 - Leicester Tigers, Racing 92, Scarlets, Ulster Pool 5 - Edinburgh, Montpellier, Newcastle Falcons, Toulon Who are the defending champions? Leinster. Who has won it the most? Leinster’s victory last term put them level on four titles with Toulouse. Munster have won it twice, while Ulster have lifted the trophy once, back in 1999. How can I watch it? Every fixture is being televised by BT Sport.

What is it? 20 teams from Ireland, England, Scotland, Wales, and France - bidding to be named European champions. When did it start? This is the 24th instalment of the competition, after its inception in the 1995/96 season. How does it work? The teams are split into five pools of four. Each team play one another home and away, with the top team in each pool progressing into the quarter-finals. They are then joined by three highest ranking second-placed sides across the three pools. The quarter-finals are seeded - meaning the four pool winners with the most points will earn potentially vital home advantage in the last eight. Semi-finals follow before the final at Newcastle’s St James’ Park. Why is it called the Heineken Champions Cup? This season, Heineken returned as chief sponsors, resulting in a rebrand. The European Rugby Champions Cup is now known as the Heineken Champions Cup. When does it start? The second weekend in October. And what happens after that? The dates for each round are as follows:

Round 1 : October 12th/13th/14th Round 2: October 19th/20th/21st Round 3: December 7th/8th/9th Round 4: December 14th/15th/16th Round 5: January 11th/12th/13th Round 6 : January 18th/19th/20th Quarter-finals: March 29th/30th/31st Semi-finals: April 19th/20th/21st Final: May 11th 2019

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