Next season's Heineken Cup will burst into life just three weeks after the conclusion of the Rugby World Cup.
The opening rounds of the tournament will be played on the weekends of November 12 and November 19, with the World Cup final slated for October 23 in Auckland.
Following the opening action, the Heineken Cup will revert to its traditional format, with further rounds of Pool matches in December and January, before the quarter-finals and last four in April.
The final will be staged at Twickenham on the weekend of May 19, 2012.
The Amlin Challenge Cup will follow the same format, with midweek games preceding the opening Heineken Cup clashes in mid-November.
Heineken Cup/Amlin Challenge Cup 2011-12
Round One: 10 / 11 / 12 / 13 November, 2011
Round Two: 17 / 18 / 19 / 20 November, 2011
Round Three: 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 December, 2011
Round Four: 15 / 16 / 17 / 18 December, 2011
Round Five: 12 / 13 / 14 / 15 January, 2012
Round Six: 19 / 20 / 21 / 22 January, 2012
Quarter Finals: 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 April, 2012
Semi-Finals: 27 / 28 / 29 April, 2012
Finals: 18 / 19 / 20 May, 2012
