18 May, 15:44
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.
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ERC
Latest ERC News
14 May, 15:49
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.
2 May, 18:59
Benoit August of Biarritz Olympique and Perpignan's Daniel Leo have been suspended for four weeks and two weeks respectively following citing complaints arising from last weekend's Amlin Challenge Cup semi-finals.
Heineken Cup
Heineken Cup
Latest Heineken Cup News
18 May, 21:07
No sooner had he lifted the Heineken Cup than Jonny Wilkinson switched his focus on to the next task - trying to keep Toulon on course for a European Cup and Top 14 double.
18 May, 20:59
Bernard Laporte celebrated Toulon's 21-year wait for another trophy - but admitted he had had his doubts they would go on and lift the Heineken Cup when ASM Clermont Auvergne went nine points clear with over half an hour to play.
18 May, 19:33
Delon Armitage scored Toulon's match-winning try - but never had a doubt that Jonny Wilkinson would kick the conversion that would give them the lead for the first time with just minutes to spare.
Heineken Cup Teams
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Amlin Challenge Cup
Amlin Challenge Cup
Latest Amlin Challenge Cup News
18 May, 10:54
This one is for Joe and Isa - that was the tribute Amlin Man of the Match Jonny Sexton paid to his coach and team-mate in the wake of their 34-13 Amlin Challenge Cup final triumph over Stade Francais Paris at the RDS.
17 May, 23:37
There was another dose of European disappointment for Sergio Parisse and his team but the Stade Francais Paris captain paid handsome tribute to Leinster following their 34-13 victory at the RDS.
17 May, 23:15
Now for the elusive double - that was the defiant message from Joe Schmidt after they had lifted the third European title of his reign.
Amlin Challenge Cup Teams
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News
Semi-final Venues
10 April 2003 16:37pm
By
ERC have secured Lansdowne Road, Villa Park and Le Stadium de Toulouse as the potential venues for the Heineken Cup semi-finals.
'We have examined all the possible permutations and have come up with these three major venues to cover off any eventuality,' said Derek McGrath, ERC Chief Executive.
'We have examined all the possible permutations and have come up with these three major venues to cover off any eventuality,' said Derek McGrath, ERC Chief Executive.
'We have chosen three prestigious stadiums for the semi-finals and we have set out to do this well in advance of the actual matches because we have so little planning time - just two weeks - between the quarter-finals and the semis,'
Lansdowne Road and Le Stadium de Toulouse have both staged hugely successful semi-finals in the past. Cardiff beat Leinster in Dublin in 1996 while in 1998 Brive knocked out Toulouse and in 1999 Colomiers beat Perpignan at Toulouse's municipal stadium.
The semi-final draw is:
Toulouse or Northampton Saints
v Leicester Tigers or Munster
Leinster Lions or Biarritz Olympique v
Llanelli or Perpignan
The possible semi-final fixtures at the three venues would be:
Lansdowne Road - Leinster Lions v Llanelli or Perpignan
Villa Park - Northampton Saints v Leicester Tigers or Munster
Le Stadium de Toulouse - Toulouse v Leicester Tigers or Munster; Biarritz Olympique v Llanelli or Perpignan
The Heineken Cup quarter-finals (all kick-offs LOCAL time) are:
Friday, 11 April: Llanelli v Perpignan (19.30 - BBC Wales and British Europsort)
Saturday, 12 April: Toulouse v Northampton Saints (14.45 - FR2, British Eurosport); Leinster Lions v Biarritz Olympique (15.35 - RTE, FR2, British Eurosport)
Sunday, 13 April: Leicester Tigers v Munster (16.00 - BBC Grandstand, RTE)
THE VENUES
LANSDOWNE ROAD
Capacity - 49,500
History - The venue for the 2003 Heineken Cup final on 24 May, the famous Lansdowne Road Stadium, originally built in 1872 and the oldest international rugby ground in the world, is home to the Irish Rugby Football Union. It is the venue for Ireland's rugby and soccer home matches. The stadium has hosted some of the finest games in rugby history - including the gripping 1999 final when Ulster beat Colomiers - and has been the venue for Rugby World Cup games.
LE STADIUM DE TOULOUSE
Capacity - 36,500
History - The original 1936 stadium - which has seen bullfighting, cycling, athletics, top flight football and rugby - was modernised in 1993 in preparation for being a 1998 World Cup venue. During the revamp, the 1998 Heineken Cup semi-final against Brive attracted a then full house of 26,000 and the 1999/2000 quarter-final against Montferrand a 20,000 crowd. Le Stadium required major repairs after being damaged in a chemical explosion in 2001 but is now fully operational.
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