Champions/Challenge Cup Playoffs

[TRF_Olyy]

To start back up in mid September

The quarter-finals of both tournaments will be played on the weekend of 18/19/20 September with the semi-finals scheduled for the weekend of 25/26/27 September.

The European season will conclude with the Challenge Cup final on Friday, 16 October followed by the Heineken Champions Cup final on Saturday, 17 October.

Next seasons championship starts in Early september, so Saracens will be playing the Champions Cup playoffs and the Championship.

Dumb as ****.

https://www.premiershiprugby.com/news/dates-confirmed-for-european-rugby-season-2019-20

 

[munstermuffin]

To start back up in mid September



Next seasons championship starts in Early september, so Saracens will be playing the Champions Cup playoffs and the Championship.

Dumb as ****.

https://www.premiershiprugby.com/news/dates-confirmed-for-european-rugby-season-2019-20

To be fair it is not a worthy competition inning Europe next year in my eyes.
Leinster had great momentum but will have lost that and have some guys a year older but it is not the same beating a half depleted Sarries team.

If Racing win it I presume they will have all their new signings and again this means their original run is tainted.

Sarries are a team that won't care to much.

Clermont f they finally do get their I wont be the same.

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

It definitely suits the French sides better. I reckon Leinster and Sarries have both lost as much as the other when momentum, departures and age is factored in but both are good enough to win.

I'm still hoping for a Leinster v Toulouse final, and if that were to happen I reckon you'd have the least talk of a "tainted" championship (not that I think there should be any of that) as they were the form sides going in.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Sarries have lost:
Goode, Lozowski, Kruis, Isiekwe, Earl, Spencer, Skelton, Singleton

That's a fair chunk of their first choice side.

 

[munstermuffin]

Even at that it is still tainted. Sarries could go and take a half hearted view to Dublin be hammered and it is bad for all if there is a 1 sided game. Fair enough if a team is better on the day.

Like I will put it in same bracket as Pro14. We play Leinster in August and will be much more stronger. Some may say we have best chance of winning Pro 14 especially now since Leinster are a bit distracted wity HEC again.
But it will still be 100% not off as we got all our new guys in for tail end of season.

Also next year in Europe looking like 8 groups of 3.

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

Sarries have lost:
Goode, Lozowski, Kruis, Isiekwe, Earl, Spencer, Skelton, Singleton

That's a fair chunk of their first choice side.

Fair, didn't realise it was that many. Our bench should be far better anyway.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Next seasons championship starts in Early september, so Saracens will be playing the Champions Cup playoffs and the Championship.

I just realised they'll also be playing in the Premiership as well, because they're planning on restarting that mid-late August
What a car crash

 

[munstermuffin]

I just realised they'll also be playing in the Premiership as well, because they're planning on restarting that mid-late August
What a car crash

Like Europe and Pro14 it will be less meaningful. If we won Pro14 it would be wrong as we would have our new guys

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Games no longer in Marseilles,
Marseilles will get the 20/21 finals - 19/20 will be moved to a different location.

Marseille will not host 2020 Heineken Champions Cup & Challenge Cup finals

Marseille will no longer stage the 2020 Heineken Champions Cup and Challenge Cup finals, but will host the events in 2021.

www.bbc.co.uk

I'm guessing Ireland? Seem to have their **** together the most - that said maybe that's why they won't, it'll be a big risk having so many people flying in.

 

[big ginger 8]

We're not really restricting travel from abroad in any meaningful way, unless I've missed something in the last few days. Would hope there are some really strict measures if we do host.

I believe 3 of the last four days haven't had a reported death and we're trending pretty well. As much as I'd love to have a European final here under normal circumstances I'd hate to see a lot of hard work eroded for it.

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

Yeah, if the want it here I hope we tell them where to go. Two finals in France, two in London and one in Spain before Ireland, I don't want us to bail them out now.

 

[Groundhog]

I know it's spitballing, but I would be extremely against hosting any international events for the foreseeable. I have no idea what the story with crowds would be but while we realistically can't meaningfully constrain foreign travel what with the North of Ireland, we shouldn't invite big crowds onto ourselves.
Then from the selfish point of view, I would rather host the tournament in a normal year where we can fully enjoy it.

 

[munstermuffin]

We're not really restricting travel from abroad in any meaningful way, unless I've missed something in the last few days. Would hope there are some really strict measures if we do host.

I believe 3 of the last four days haven't had a reported death and we're trending pretty well. As much as I'd love to have a European final here under normal circumstances I'd hate to see a lot of hard work eroded for it.

You have to quarantine for 14 days on arrival. Expect that will change by then but no certainty.

Rumours are it will be played in home venue by higher seeded team.

As I said before it is a kind of irrelevant ending regardless to both and even winning it looks likely to be behind closed doors. So more so just fulfilling the competition.

For example all jokes aside would Leinster really think it's great beating a Sarries team they know have been depleted.
Equally for us. If we won Pro14 with our new signings it takes the gloss off it as the goalposts moved midseason.