European Rugby Cup : Blues Move to Millennium for Heineken Clash

Millennium to host Heineken Pool action

Blues Move to Millennium for Heineken Clash

17 July 2008, 1:48 pm

Cardiff Blues have confirmed that their Heineken Cup Round 2 match against English giants Gloucester will be played at the Millennium Stadium on Sunday, 19 October at 3.00pm.

The Blues start this season’s Heineken Cup campaign with an away trip to Italian champions Calvisano on Saturday 11 October. It will be the Blues’ second visit to Calvisano following their 10 – 25 victory over the Italians in 2005 in a match that saw Jonah Lomu make his debut for the Welsh region.

Cardiff Blues then face Gloucester RFC at the Millennium Stadium. Having set a Welsh Heineken Cup record crowd of 26,645 in October 2006 when they took on the Leicester Tigers at the national stadium, the Blues will be anticipating a large crowd for this season’s match.

The Round 3 and 4 matches will be played against former Heineken Cup finalists Biarritz Olympique, with the home match to be played on Friday 5 October at 8.00pm and the away fixture on Saturday 13 December at 2.35pm.
Speaking of the fixtures, David Young said, “Gloucester are a quality side as they have shown over recent seasons finishing top of their league twice and we know they are one of the best teams in England. I’m sure it will be a tough match but we look forward to playing them at the Millennium Stadium. The fans generated a superb atmosphere when we played Leinster and Leicester in the National Stadium in recent years.”

“Calvisano are familiar to us having played them in the Heineken Cup, and they proved to be a difficult team to beat, so it will be a tricky start for us. It’s obviously very important to get a good start and be in a strong position after Rounds 3 and 4 to make sure we are still in with a shout of qualifying.”

All three home Heineken Cup pool matches are included in the Cardiff Blues season ticket packages that are on sale now. As well as the Heineken Cup pool matches season ticket holders will also be able to watch both EDF Energy Cup home pool matches, as well as all home Magners League matches as part of their package.

The Blues have experienced tremendous growth in support since their first season.

Average crowds of 9,032 watched the Blues last season almost double the attendances of 2003/04 when the average attendance was 4,518.

The Cardiff Blues will be aiming to increase their attendances even more in 2008/09 in what will be their last season at the Arms Park.