Heineken Cup Dates 2022/23

[Blue not red blood]

Just a quick thought on the seedings for next year and as I understand it we would get LI / Exeter and a top French team, should we get to final.
Thats going to make a home quarter / semi very difficult especially when you think the top French and eNGLISH TEAMS will play Ospreys and Edinburgh.
Mind you their teams ranked 3-6 will have to play the saffers.
Plenty to ponder

[paddyor]

Just a quick thought on the seedings for next year and as I understand it we would get LI / Exeter and a top French team, should we get to final.
Thats going to make a home quarter / semi very difficult especially when you think the top French and eNGLISH TEAMS will play Ospreys and Edinburgh.
Mind you their teams ranked 3-6 will have to play the saffers.
Plenty to ponder

No, the French teams are Clermont and Lyon. Either Exeter or clermont are the teams they were

[neill_m]

URC (Tier 1 is the Winner and Runner Up, Tier 2 losing semi finalists)

Tier TBC - Leinster, Stormers, Ulster, Bulls
Tier 3 - Sharks, Munster
Tier 4 - Edinburgh, Ospreys

Premiership (Tier 1 is the Winner and Runner Up, Tier 2 losing semi finalists)

Tier TBC - Tigers, Saracens, Harlequins, Saints
Tier 3 - Gloucester, Sale
Tier 4 - Exeter, London Irish

Tigers v Saints & Saracens v Harlequins on Saturday

Top 14 (Tier 1 is the Winner and Runner Up, Tier 2 losing semi finalists, Tier 3 losing teams in barrage round)

Tier TBC - Castres, Montpellier (both worst case Tier 2), Bordeaux, Toulouse, La Rochelle, Racing 92
Tier 4 - Clermont, Lyon

Castres v winner of Toulouse/La Rochelle this weekend
Montpellier v winner of Bordeaux/Racing 92 this weekend.

[Ray Donovan]

Am I correct in saying we have 50% chance of having Toulouse/La Rochelle in our group next season?

[cormac]

We'll have one of the losers from the Toulouse/La Rochelle and Bordeaux/Racing 92 games in our group next season. Plus one of Gloucester or Sale.

[D4surfer]

We'll have one of the losers from the Toulouse/La Rochelle and Bordeaux/Racing 92 games in our group next season. Plus one of Gloucester or Sale.

We now have a 50% chance of getting La Rochelle as they lost to Toulouse.

[Blue not red blood]

Well at least that should draw a decent crowd from Mordor

[neill_m]

Bordeaux 36-16 Racing 92 in Top 14 playoffs. So La Rochelle/Racing 92 then.

[Ray Donovan]

Not really gonna have a Castres or Montpellier situation with either of them.

Both La Rochelle and Racing take the Heineken Cup pretty seriously. As we know!

[Oldschoolsocks]

Not really gonna have a Castres or Montpellier situation with either of them.

Both La Rochelle and Racing take the Heineken Cup pretty seriously. As we know!

That’s the price of losing in a semi final

[desperado]

Sure is. Saying that; Sale/Gloucester v LI or Exeter much of a muchness. LAR/Racing vs Clermont/Lyon - slightly bigger challenge if we get LAR. However Clermont who are recruiting heavily wouldn't have been easy; I'm never convinced by Racing; and at this stage surely we owe LAR one (or two). I'd love to get them in the draw. Right now there's a period of pondering 'what might have been''; come next Sept it will be a case of reload and go again. The coaching ticket have a big job on their hands; alot of it IMHO to do with mental preparation (including their own!). Tour of NZ is now as important for Leinster I'd say as Ireland.

[paddyor]

Options are
Gloucester/racing
Sale / LA‪R

Think I’d prefer the former. Gloucester are soft as and think racing are weaker than LAR. Either way I suspect we’ll kick off our campaign and the comp with a final replay on the Friday night.

[cormac]

Options are
Gloucester/racing
Sale / LA‪R

Think I’d prefer the former. Gloucester are soft as and think racing are weaker than LAR. Either way I suspect we’ll kick off our campaign and the comp with a final replay on the Friday night.

Doesn't work like that. We could also get Gloucester/LAR and Sale/Racing. Whichever ones we get, Ulster get the other two.

[paddyor]

Options are
Gloucester/racing
Sale / LA‪R

Think I’d prefer the former. Gloucester are soft as and think racing are weaker than LAR. Either way I suspect we’ll kick off our campaign and the comp with a final replay on the Friday night.

Doesn't work like that. We could also get Gloucester/LAR and Sale/Racing. Whichever ones we get, Ulster get the other two.

Yeah you're right. I thought it split 5th and 6th seed but Connacht got 2 6th seeds.

[cormac]

Draw will be on Tuesday June 28th. Format of pool stages the same as last season.

https://www.epcrugby.com/2022/06/13/202 ... confirmed/

[Keith]

Draw will be on Tuesday June 28th. Format of pool stages the same as last season.

https://www.epcrugby.com/2022/06/13/202 ... confirmed/

The lack of outrage over this format has shocked me. They've made the group stage obsolete, I really think this is going to continue to have a negative effect on attendances.

[Ray Donovan]

Draw will be on Tuesday June 28th. Format of pool stages the same as last season.

https://www.epcrugby.com/2022/06/13/202 ... confirmed/

The lack of outrage over this format has shocked me. They've made the group stage obsolete, I really think this is going to continue to have a negative effect on attendances.

True that!!

[cormac]

Draw will be on Tuesday June 28th. Format of pool stages the same as last season.

https://www.epcrugby.com/2022/06/13/202 ... confirmed/

The lack of outrage over this format has shocked me. They've made the group stage obsolete, I really think this is going to continue to have a negative effect on attendances.

French teams love it and I suspect the English sides do too. Fewer games, probably only need two wins to qualify for last 16.

[riocard911]

If I remember correctly, the claim was made on here, that this new qualification routine disadvantaged Leinster and the provinces in comparison to the old format of four team groups. Would anyone be so kind as to explain, how this disadvantage plays out, as I haven't understood it?

[Ray Donovan]

I hust find it ridiculous that teams can finish ahead of you in your own group even though they have had a totally different set of fixtures.

You are not in control of your own destiny and are at the whim of other team’s fortunes.