Perpignan and Barcelona join forces

"For a long time now, Perpignan's supporters have dreamt of the club staging a match in Barcelona," said Perpignan chairman, Paul Goze, during a press conference at the Nou Camp. "This season, the dream comes true, and we want both to deliver a great event and to demonstrate that we are a club that represents all of Catalonia. We want to make the game against Toulon an important date in Perpignan's history."

Perpignan aim to sell out all 55,000 places at Montjuic for the first ever Heineken Cup game to be played in Barcelona and with that in mind, the club has created a dedicated internet site which includes images of Barcelona FC stars such as Lionel Messi, Carlos Puyol and Xavi playing with a rugby ball.

"Saturday, 9 April will be a celebration of Catalan rugby," said Goze of the eagerly-awaited clast between Perpignan and their French rivals, Toulon.

The other all-French Heineken Cup quarter-final also takes place in Spain with Biarritz Olympique hosting champions Toulouse at the Estadio Anoeta in San Sebastian on Sunday, 10 April.