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Jonny Wilkinson (Toulon) has been named ERC European Player of the Year 2013. The prestigious award crowns an outstanding season for the out-half who led the French club to a dramatic Heineken Cup final victory over ASM Clermont Auvergne at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.

It's down to the wire now for the five contenders who have been shortlisted for the ultimate individual accolade in northern hemisphere rugby, ERC European Player of the Year 2013.

With the build-up to the Dublin 2013 European club rugby finals intensifying by the day, the four elite clubs of ASM Clermont Auvergne, Toulon, Leinster Rugby and Stade Francais Paris, who are focused on their quest for Heineken Cup and Amlin Challenge Cup silverware respectively, won't be the only clubs with Europe on their mind over the weekend of 17 and 18 May.

Llewellyn and Going were team mates at Narbonne last season before moving to the Memorial Ground this summer to link-up with last season's Division One champions in England.

The two clubs met in the Pool stages of the inaugural European Challenge Cup tournament in 1996/97 when the Frenchmen triumphed 18-16 in Bristol. Having missed the last two seasons of European action, the Shoguns will be looking to make a major impact on their return. They have a good record against French opposition in their five seasons in the European Challenge Cup and one stint in the Heineken Cup, having won 10 and drawn once in 20 outings. They can also point to notable victories at Montferrand, Bourgoin, Biarritz and Dax as they seek inspiration for an opening day victory in Pool 1.
Former All Black outside half Carlos Spencer's first taste of European action for Northampton Saints will be at Franklin's Gardens when they host Viadana in the other Pool 1 fixture in round one. The Saints, Heineken Cup champions in 2000, return to the Challenge Cup for the first time in eight seasons and meet Italian opposition in European competition for only the second time in 54 games in both tournaments.
Last season's beaten finalists, Pau, will have home advantage over old rivals London Irish in the first round of Pool 2 as the two sides clash for the fourth time in the Challenge Cup. The English side were convincing 38-9 winners at Stade Municipal du Hameau in the 2002 quarter-finals, but were beaten 25-19 on their return visit in last season's second round, first leg. London Irish won their home leg 19-16, but couldn't prevent Pau from marching on in the tournament. In the other opening game in Pool 2, Agen will face Rugby Parma for the first time.
Bayonne's new French international recruits Richard Dourthe and Stephen Hall will face a testing opener in Pool 3 when Gloucester travel to Stade Jean Dauger. The Basque outfit got their first taste of European action last season and were pipped at the semi-final stages of the European Shield by eventual winners Auch.
Newly promoted Toulon, winners of the Second Division title in France last season, face a trip to Romania on their return to European action after a five season break. Their opening Pool 3 fixture will be against Bucuresti.
Jonny Wilkinson's Newcastle Falcons will host Brive in Pool 4 in the opening round, while L'Aquila will also line-up against new opponents when they entertain The Borders in the same Pool.
Irish stalwarts Connacht will start their 10th European Challenge Cup campaign with a new experience when they host Amatori Catania. The Italians will be the 28th team Connacht have come up against in what will be their 60th match in the tournament on the opening weekend in Pool 5. The other fixture sees last season's beaten European Shield finalists Worcester host Montpellier.
EUROPEAN CHALLENGE CUP FIXTURES 2005/06
ROUND 1 - October 21/22/23
Pool 1
Narbonne Bristol Shoguns Northampton Saints Viadana
Pool 2
Rugby Parma SU Agen Section Paloise London Irish
Pool 3
Aviron Bayonnais Gloucester Bucuresti RC Toulon
Pool 4
Newcastle Falcons CA Brive-Correze L'Aquila The Borders
Pool 5
Connacht Amatori Catania Worcester Montpellier
ROUND 2 - October 28/29/30
Pool 1
Bristol Shoguns Northampton Saints Viadana Narbonne
Pool 2
SU Agen Section Paloise London Irish Rugby Parma
Pool 3
Gloucester Bucuresti RC Toulon Aviron Bayonnais
Pool 4
CA Brive-Correze L'Aquila The Borders Newcastle Falcons
Pool 5
Amatori Catania Worcester Montpellier Connacht
ROUND 3 - December 9/10/11
Pool 1
Northampton Saints Narbonne Viadana Bristol Shoguns
Pool 2
Section Paloise Rugby Parma London Irish SU Agen
Pool 3
Bucuresti Aviron Bayonnais RC Toulon Gloucester
Pool 4
L'Aquila Newcastle Falcons The Borders CA Brive-Correze
Pool 5
Worcester Connacht Montpellier Amatori Catania
ROUND 4 - December 16/17/18
Pool 1
Narbonne Northampton Saints Bristol Shoguns Viadana
Pool 2
Rugby Parma Section Paloise SU Agen London Irish
Pool 3
Aviron Bayonnais Bucuresti Gloucester RC Toulon
Pool 4
Newcastle Falcons L'Aquila CA Brive-Correze The Borders
Pool 5
Connacht Worcester Amatori Catania Montpellier
ROUND 5 - January 13/14/15
Pool 1
Narbonne Viadana Northampton Saints Bristol Shoguns
Pool 2
Rugby Parma London Irish Section Paloise SU Agen
Pool 3
Aviron Bayonnais RC Toulon Bucuresti Gloucester
Pool 4
Newcastle Falcons The Borders L'Aquila CA Brive-Correze
Pool 5
Connacht Montpellier Worcester Amatori Catania
ROUND 6 - January 20/21/22
Pool 1
Viadana Northampton Saints Bristol Shoguns Narbonne
Pool 2
London Irish Section Paloise SU Agen Rugby Parma
Pool 3
RC Toulon Bucuresti Gloucester Aviron Bayonnais
Pool 4
The Borders L'Aquila CA Brive-Correze Newcastle Falcons
Pool 5
Montpellier Worcester Amatori Catania Connacht
POOL BY POOL GUIDE
Pool 1 October 21/22/23 Narbonne Bristol Shoguns Northampton Saints Viadana October 28/29/30 Bristol Shoguns Northampton Saints Viadana Narbonne December 9/10/11 Northampton Saints Narbonne Viadana Bristol Shoguns December 16/17/18 Narbonne Northampton Saints Bristol Shoguns Viadana January 13/14/15 Narbonne Viadana Northampton Saints Bristol Shoguns January 20/21/22 Viadana Northampton Saints Bristol Shoguns Narbonne
Pool 2 October 21/22/23 Rugby Parma SU Agen Section Paloise London Irish October 28/29/30 SU Agen Section Paloise London Irish Rugby Parma December 9/10/11 Section Paloise Rugby Parma London Irish SU Agen December 16/17/18 Rugby Parma Section Paloise SU Agen London Irish January 13/14/15 Rugby Parma London Irish Section Paloise SU Agen January 20/21/22 London Irish Section Paloise SU Agen Rugby Parma
Pool 3 October 21/22/23 Aviron Bayonnais Gloucester Bucuresti RC Toulon October 28/29/30 Gloucester Bucuresti RC Toulon Aviron Bayonnais December 9/10/11 Bucuresti Aviron Bayonnais RC Toulon Gloucester December 16/17/18 Aviron Bayonnais Bucuresti Gloucester RC Toulon January 13/14/15 Aviron Bayonnais RC Toulon Bucuresti Gloucester January 20/21/22 RC Toulon Bucuresti Gloucester Aviron Bayonnais
Pool 4 October 21/22/23 Newcastle Falcons CA Brive-Correze L'Aquila The Borders October 28/29/30 CA Brive-Correze L'Aquila The Borders Newcastle Falcons December 9/10/11 L'Aquila Newcastle Falcons The Borders CA Brive-Correze December 16/17/18 Newcastle Falcons L'Aquila CA Brive-Correze The Borders January 13/14/15 Newcastle Falcons The Borders L'Aquila CA Brive-Correze January 20/21/22 The Borders L'Aquila CA Brive-Correze Newcastle Falcons
Pool 5 October 21/22/23 Connacht Amatori Catania Worcester Montpellier October 28/29/30 Amatori Catania Worcester Montpellier Connacht December 9/10/11 Worcester Connacht Montpellier Amatori Catania December 16/17/18 Connacht Worcester Amatori Catania Montpellier January 13/14/15 Connacht Montpellier Worcester Amatori Catania January 20/21/22 Montpellier Worcester Amatori Catania Connacht

ASM Clermont Auvergne	Benetton Treviso	Biarritz Olympique Pays Basque	Cardiff Blues	Castres Olympique	Connacht Rugby
Edinburgh Rugby	Exeter Chiefs	Glasgow Warriors	Harlequins	Leicester Tigers	Leinster Rugby
Montpellier	Munster Rugby	Northampton Saints	Ospreys	Racing Métro 92	Sale Sharks
Saracens	Scarlets	Toulon	Toulouse	Ulster Rugby	Zebre

Agen	Bath Rugby	Bayonne	Biarritz Olympique Pays Basque	Bizkaia Gernika RT	Bordeaux-Begles
Bucharest Wolves	Cammi Rugby Calvisano	Femi-CZ VEA Rovigo	Gloucester Rugby	Grenoble	I Cavalieri Prato
Leinster Rugby	London Irish	London Wasps	London Welsh	Mont de Marsan	Newport Gwent Dragons
Perpignan	Rugby Mogliano	Stade Francais Paris	Toulouse	Worcester Warriors

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