Challenge Cup Draw details...

By Maverick
June 24 2005

You can almost start planning your European trips for the 2005/6 season after the draw was made on Wednesday for the European Challenge Cup! I say almost because, whilst we know our opponents, we do not yet know when we will be playing them. Hey ho, patience, good people…

The full draw was,

Pool 1: Viadana (seed), Narbonne, Northampton Saints, Bristol
Pool 2: Agen (seed), London Irish, Rugby Parma, Pau
Pool 3: Gloucester (seed), Bayonne, Toulon, Bucuresti
Pool 4: The Borders (seed), Brive, Newcastle Falcons, L’Aquila
Pool 5: Connacht (seed), Montpellier, Worcester, Amatori Catania

So, Saints find themselves in a group with Viadana (the No.1 Italian seeds), Narbonne (10th in the French 16 last time out) and Bristol, returning to the top flight of Premiership Rugby.

The weekends earmarked for Challenge Cup rugby are these…

Round 1: 21 / 22 / 23 October
Round 2: 28 / 29 / 30 October
Round 3: 9 / 10 / 11 December
Round 4: 16 / 17 / 18 December
Round 5: 13 / 14 / 15 January, 2006
Round 6: 20 / 21 / 22 January

Quarter-finals and the semis are earmarked for April with the final in May.

Once the actual venues and dates are confirmed I’m sure our experienced European travellers will be on hand on the message-boards to give our virgin explorers the benefit of their knowledge. It may not be the Heineken Cup but it’s a new adventure all the same. The change of format from previous years (now groups, not straight knockout in the early stages) will give the competition an extra edge.

I would have thought that Budge and Grays would have this compy high on their “win list” for next season and trips to France and Italy (at last!) can only excite Saints supporters as they look to a new season with new hope.




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