ERC 1/4 & 1/2 Finals Draw

[TRF_stormer2010]

No side has a home QF only that it is held in their country!

Oh, thanks for clearing that up for me, Tony!

 

[gaston le gaff]

No side has a home QF only that it is held in their country!

Clermont claimed the final home quarter-final berth by winning Pool 1, while Saracens held off Toulouse for the third best runners-up slot.

Earlier in the day there had been high drama in Pool 4. The lead changed hands eight times at the Altrad Stadium before Montpellier picked up their first win of the campaign with a sensational 27-26 triumph over Toulouse.

That defeat allowed Bath Rugby to nip in and steal top spot in the group with their 20-15 home win over Glasgow Warriors - a victory that was almost reversed when Sean Maitland went within six inches of scoring an equalising try for the Warriors two minutes for the end.

So the line-up for the inaugural Champions Cup quarterfinals has the only unbeaten team from the Pool stages, Racing Metro 92, qualifying as No 1 seeds in their first venture into the last eight.

They are one of three Top 14 teams through to the knock-out stage, all of whom will have home advantage.

The reigning champions Toulon and Clermont will join Racing while the fourth "home" team will be the Guinness PRO12 team Leinster.

The four travelling teams on the weekend of 3, 4 and 5 April, all come from the Aviva Premiership - their best representation at this stage since 1998 - and the full Champions Cup quarter-final line-up (with seedings in brackets) is:

Racing Metro 92 (1) v (8) Saracens
RC Toulon (2) v (7) Wasps
ASM Clermont Auvergne (3) v (6) Northampton saints
Leinster Rugby (4) v (5) Bath Rugby

The draw for the semi-finals was conducted after the game in Clermont and the matches on the weekend 17, 18 and 19 April will be:

RC Toulon or Wasps v Leinster Rugby or Bath Rugby
ASM Clermont Auvergne or Northampton Saints v Racing Metro 92 or Saracens

Semi-final venues will be home country.
According to this which is from the ECC site the 1/4s are at home and the semi's in home country????

 

[Feicarsinn]

Yeah, I'm not sure if that rule has been changed since the new competition started.

 

[Tony Manx]

Oh, thanks for clearing that up for me, Tony!

My mention of QF should have been SF..........as Gaston correctly states.....just a brain f@rt from me!!

Yeah, I'm not sure if that rule has been changed since the new competition started.

The SF draw on Sky was stated at the time as being for the country not the club's home tie........................but they are not always right I suppose!!

 

[gaston le gaff]

Yeah, I'm not sure if that rule has been changed since the new competition started.

This is from the site of the new competition so i more or less think they are right!!!

 

[SelimNiai]

So if I understand it Toulon can be drawn at home but the game won't be in Toulon?

So, it'll be in Nice or Marseille or somewhere nearby-but-techically-not-a-home-game

 

[Tony Manx]

So if I understand it Toulon can be drawn at home but the game won't be in Toulon?
So, it'll be in Nice or Marseille or somewhere nearby-but-techically-not-a-home-game

Not necessarily that close as remember Clermont losing to Leinster (I believe) at Bordeaux in one semi although I also remember Biarritz hosting a semi in San Sebastian which is only 25 miles away!!!

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

Not necessarily that close as remember Clermont losing to Leinster (I believe) at Bordeaux in one semi although I also remember Biarritz hosting a semi in San Sebastian which is only 25 miles away!!!

I reckon they'll beat Leinster in Stade Velodrome like they did to Munster last year, it's all down to stadium requirements, that's why Leinster get to play in the Aviva and if another Irish team ever got a home semi they'd be required to play there too.

 

[gaston le gaff]

So if I understand it Toulon can be drawn at home but the game won't be in Toulon?

So, it'll be in Nice or Marseille or somewhere nearby-but-techically-not-a-home-game

for reference the quarters are home games at home grounds, but Leinster by choice could play at Aviva, then for the semis, home country and Clermont for example could do what they did a couple of years back v Munster and play in Montpellier at the footie ground, Toulon would be Marseille 68,000 capacity and Racing would be Stade de France i would think but this is the choice of the home semi clubs. (clear i hope)

 

[Tony Manx]

for reference the quarters are home games at home grounds, but Leinster by choice could play at Aviva, then for the semis, home country and Clermont for example could do what they did a couple of years back v Munster and play in Montpellier at the footie ground, Toulon would be Marseille 68,000 capacity and Racing would be Stade de France i would think but this is the choice of the home semi clubs. (clear i hope)

I do believe that in the H Cup, it was the ERC that decided which stadia were used for the semis and final and they controlled the tickets and prices also? Not sure about who does that now though?

Edit....
2.5 The semi-finals will be played at venues designated by EPCR, with the opponents in each match determined by a draw conducted by EPCR. The final will be played at a venue designated by EPCR.
http://www.epcrugby.com/europeanrugbychampionscup/rules.php

 

[gaston le gaff]

Having looked at the rules which you linked in your thread i presume that although they say they decide, and it does say home country for the semis, if Toulon qualify they are hardly going to send them to Lille, hopefully commen sense will prevail and the home supporters will not be travelling hundreds of Kms to see their home country semi. It"s a little like yesterday, Montpellier v Toulouse they send an English ref who speaks hardly any French and ECC officials who are also in the same boat, Refs and wives on a jolly when a French ref would have been ok and cost wise far less, but them why am i not surprised its about the norm. I even had a said Official coast into my office yesterday and demand 12 team sheets, which i refused to give to him as they were for the press, he had forgotten to order his!!!!! we printed more but he did not want to wait but in the end he had too. Far too many officals on super weekends away, in the TOP 14 you have none of this, citing officer plus refs and video ref plus maybe a LNR rep and that's it. You think its commen sense to have French in France etc etc and not ECC officials stacking expenses on hotels and flights.as they always arrive Fri and leave Sunday!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Tony Manx]

They will decide by the usual method of these things.......corruption!!!!

 

[Every Time Ref]

Does anyone know when the exact dates / kick off times of the quarter finals are expected to be confirmed by? I'm hoping to book flights for a trip to Dublin soon if possible, is it likely to be the next couple of weeks or nearer the time?

 

[gaston le gaff]

Does anyone know when the exact dates / kick off times of the quarter finals are expected to be confirmed by? I'm hoping to book flights for a trip to Dublin soon if possible, is it likely to be the next couple of weeks or nearer the time?

Quarters are 4/5th April and semis 18/19 April........ Finals are 1st May for the Challenge and 2nd May for the Champions Cup.look on the ECC site for exact ko times.

 

[Every Time Ref]

Quarters are 4/5th April and semis 18/19 April........ Finals are 1st May for the Challenge and 2nd May for the Champions Cup.look on the ECC site for exact ko times.

But they aren't up yet, that's my point - all quarter finals are listed as 3/4/5 April (no kick off time) and even venues are listed as TBA. My question is, when are the precise locations, dates and KO times going to be confirmed?

 

[gaston le gaff]

Why do you not go straight to source if that's the case I was only trying to help!!!

 

[munstermuffin]

But they aren't up yet, that's my point - all quarter finals are listed as 3/4/5 April (no kick off time) and even venues are listed as TBA. My question is, when are the precise locations, dates and KO times going to be confirmed?

It's usually in next week or 2 as TV and media have to decide also what games

 

[Every Time Ref]

Cheers

 

[tituslechmakus]

I do believe that in the H Cup, it was the ERC that decided which stadia were used for the semis and final and they controlled the tickets and prices also? Not sure about who does that now though?

Edit....
2.5 The semi-finals will be played at venues designated by EPCR, with the opponents in each match determined by a draw conducted by EPCR. The final will be played at a venue designated by EPCR.
http://www.epcrugby.com/europeanrugbychampionscup/rules.php

Isn't it more a problem of stadium capacity at certain stages of the competition ? I remember last year (or was it 2 years ago?) Toulon was not allowed to host their 1/4 at Mayol, because the stadium was too small. There is a limit of capacity in which a 1/4 or semi cannot be held. Of course, all major football stadiums in France/England, can have a Champs cup 1/4 or 1/2 as they are all over 30 000 seats.
And on another point of view, I understand when clubs want to go to a big stadium (like stade Velodrome or stade Chaban Delmas), because of money ! Not hard to fill a stadium with an European 1/2 of one of the major sports !

 

[TheSaffycen]

Saracens have gone for a 6/2 split on the bench, can't link yet as phone won't work.


Line Ups
Saracens
15 Alex Goode; 14 Chris Ashton, 13 Marcelo Bosch, 12 Chris Wyles, 11 David Strettle; 10 Charlie Hodgson, Richard Wigglesworth ©; 1 Mako Vunipola, 2 Jamie George, 3 Petrus Du Plessis; 4 George Kruis, 5 Jim Hamilton; 6 Jackson Wray, 7 Jacques Burger, 8 Billy Vunipola; 9 ;
Replacements: 16 Schalk Brits, 17 Richard Barrington, 18 James Johnston, 19 Maro Itoje, 20 Kelly Brown, 21 Matt Hankin, 22 Neil De Kock, 23 Nick Tompkins.
Racing Metro 92
15 Brice Dulin; 14 Juan Imhoff, 13 Henry Chavancy, 12 Jamie Roberts, 11 Teddy Thomas; 10 Jonny Sexton, 9 Maxime Machenaud; 1 Eddy Ben Arous, 2 Dimitri Szarzewski (c), 3 Luc Ducalcon, 4 Luke Charteris, 5 Francois van der Merwe; 6 Wenceslas Lauret, 7. Camille Gerondeau, 8 Antonie Claassen.
Replacements: 16 Virgile Lacombe, 17 Julien Brugnaut, 18 Brian Mujati, 19 Fabrice Metz, 20 Thibault Dubarry, 21 Mike Phillips, 22 Johannes Goosen, 23 Alexandre Dumoulin.