Champions Cup 2023

Eod100 · 05-10-2022 10:53am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119703523#Comment_119703523

Just saw. Sums up the communications of fixtures this season.

lawrencesummers · 05-10-2022 10:55am

Just in case it gets taken down because there is nothing the ERC hates more than fans knowing fixtures apparently

Sunday 11 December: Munster Rugby vs. Stade Toulousain, 1515 kick-off
Friday 16 December: Leinster Rugby vs. Gloucester Rugby, 2000 KO
Saturday 14 January: Munster Rugby vs. Northampton Saints, 1515 KO
Saturday 21 January: Leinster Rugby vs. Racing 92, 1515 KO

icdg · 05-10-2022 11:36am

It’s a much better deal than VMTV got. Better kick off times, a prime time game (albeit on one of the worst nights of the whole year to have a prime time game), and Irish teams in every round.

Wonder why it’s only two years. Another format change contemplated perhaps, maybe the mooted World Club Challenge?

another interesting facet, as the only Welsh team in the Heineken Cup, the Ospreys will have guaranteed FTA coverage of all pool stage games this season on S4C. S4C also get one Welsh game in the European Challenge Cup bringing that tournament back to FTA for the first time in a good many years.

lawrencesummers · 05-10-2022 11:42am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119703725#Comment_119703725

Or in other words, people wont pay to watch the ospreys

icdg · 05-10-2022 12:15pm

Well more like S4C are a Welsh broadcaster, and want to show Welsh teams, and the Ospreys are the only Welsh team in the competition.

ITV will show English teams, Scottish fans are unfortunately shafted (again) with only pay tv coverage, same as the URC.

lawrencesummers · 05-10-2022 12:17pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119703895#Comment_119703895

Or people wont even watch scottish teams even if its free!!!

Eod100 · 05-10-2022 12:21pm

Wonder what impact if any the home games being on RTE will have on attendances? Guess the people who go to games anyway will go anyway so maybe marginal. Might reduce people having to go to the pub if they don't have BT say :)

lawrencesummers · 05-10-2022 12:40pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119703925#Comment_119703925

Thats a fair point because saturdays for people with kids tends to be activities, sports, parties etc etc

Easier put on the telly for two hours than 5/6 hours going to a game.

Former Former Former · 05-10-2022 1:31pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119703925#Comment_119703925

There's an argument that FTA coverage means greater exposure which brings people in the gates, but sure who knows?

Anyway, this deal is a big step up from the Virgin coverage.

lawrencesummers · 05-10-2022 2:34pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119704275#Comment_119704275

The League of Ireland would argue that its not good, but LOI is a different puppy

Eod100 · 05-10-2022 2:52pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119704275#Comment_119704275

Yeah was thinking it could have that effect too. Also hard to measure impact tbh, if there is a dip in attendance could be down to other factors like cost of living etc. Hopefully attendances will be decent either way anyway.

Red Silurian · 05-10-2022 2:57pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119704275#Comment_119704275

I would argue that having the away games on FTA would be better as a season ticket holder. Also 3:15 on a Sunday and a Saturday are disaster times for Munster attendance

Eod100 · 05-10-2022 3:37pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119704808#Comment_119704808

I'd take them over the 7.35 Saturday evening ones last season with coming from Cork. 5.30 on Saturday might have been a happy medium but probably still messes up afternoon for anyone coming from Cork.

phog · 05-10-2022 3:50pm

We really can't complain too much about a Saturday kick-off of 15:15, it allows people to travel and get home early enough that they can make a family day our of it. It's against Saints which I think will get a few more bums on seats.

Eod100 · 07-10-2022 10:24am

Saracens have tweet that the fixtures will be out at 11am today. Nothing from Champions Cup social media about it though so who knows.

Eod100 · 07-10-2022 11:02am

Fixtures out there: https://www.epcrugby.com/champions-cup/matches/

Red Silurian · 07-10-2022 11:58am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119705067#Comment_119705067

Sunday games should be banned outright though, shame on EPCR bowing to the french broadcaster

Red Silurian · 07-10-2022 12:09pm

https://epcrugby.com/challenge-cup/matches/fixtures-and-results/?dm_i=4BJH,1F7W6,4UCQLG,6KZHD,1

On a slightly separate note it looks like EPCR will be bringing in another team to replace Worcester Warriors

errlloyd · 07-10-2022 12:10pm

Huge result getting the Saturday late late kick-off back. First game on the first Saturday is going to kick off at 1pm Irish time, and the last game won't finish till 10pm Irish time. A Veritable festival of rugby.

Eod100 · 08-10-2022 11:38am

With the football world cup in December looks like there will be a few clashes on the Saturday of the first round with the football quarter finals.

There's 3 games on the Sunday the world cup final is on too on 18th December. Final is on at 3 and games are on at 1pm (2 games) and 5.30.

icdg · 08-12-2022 2:23pm

Connacht fans maybe interested to know that Premier Sports have picked up rights to the European Challenge Cup and will be showing five live games this weekend (at least four each round).

FTA Heineken Cup picks this weekend are Munster v Toulouse (Sun 3:15pm RTE2), Saracens v Edinburgh (same time, ITV1) and Ospreys v Leicester (Sun 5:30pm S4C).

Thrashssacre · 09-12-2022 8:59pm

Pathetic crowd from London Irish in a stadium smaller then the RDS and a city of near enough 10 million.

Dave_The_Sheep · 09-12-2022 9:43pm

Interesting red there, given the recent discussions on here about yellows/reds for head contact.

Can't have many arguments though.

Pity, given Irish were going very well during that yellow card period.

phog · 09-12-2022 10:34pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119977100#Comment_119977100

He made no attempt to wrap and led with his shoulder.

Neil3030 · 10-12-2022 2:48am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119976905#Comment_119976905

And their first game in the Heineken for ages, and against the French champions.

Digifriendly · 10-12-2022 6:41am

WC soccer obviously had an impact on attendance. Interesting that there are no 3.00pm KOs on afternoon of WC final.

OldRio · 10-12-2022 9:00am

Shocking crowd. BT decide the fixtures times and its not exactly the best look for the tournament.

icdg · 10-12-2022 9:58am

But what can they do? World Cup clashing with the Heineken Cup has never happened before and probably never will again. The demand is that every game is televised. The solutions aren’t pretty:

(1) Move the opening two rounds of the tournament so it doesn’t clash with the World Cup (but something else would have, PRL/URC games etc)

(2) Have games in unorthodox kick off times like 10am or late night so it doesn’t clash with WC games at 3pm and 7pm.

(3) Schedule games without regard for TV and accept the consequences that some games won’t be on TV, because there will be more games kicking off simultaneously than BT have slots to cover, or that in that event some simultaneously kicking off games will be downgraded to red button and only available to Sky and U.K. BT customers only (sorry Virgin/Vodafone/Now customers). Think about in this scenario that BT will understandably prioritise English teams for coverage over others.

No solution will make everyone happy. The current solution is probably the least worst.

OldRio · 10-12-2022 11:14am

Well last night wasn't exactly a riveting success was it. Not exactly Friday night lights was it?

phog · 10-12-2022 11:23am

The ERC in their wisdom played 3 of the 4 QFs at the same time last year. They had no WC to schedule around then and still fecked up.

Champions Cup 2023

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