H Cup Away fixtures 2018/19

[footrush]

Surely Bath away tickets will be sold by Leinster from their away fans allocation?

I see general public tickets only go on sale from Bath website on 13 November.

Still two tickets left on the Bath web site !.

Ticket arrived today fair play to the Bath ticket office !.

[footrush]

Just picked up my Wasps ticket in my usual seat in front of their support £19 great value !.

[footrush]

Re. the Wasps game - we should know by late December if there is an OLSC transport option from Ricoh to Birmingham Airport. If not, I'm happy to get numbers in early January for a minibus and make a booking - shouldn't be too late at that stage.
The price of the flight is still fairly low at €47 so I don't think that there are too many booked on it, at this stage. Ryanair prices shoot up well beyond that level once the plane starts to fill up.

Wonder if the OLSC are planning on running a bus from the Wasps game to the Airport it would be fantastic and take a lot of the stress out of getting there , the one from Bath to Bristol airport was fantastic !.

[footrush]

If we get through and Racing beat Toulouse then the semi final could be anywhere in France , what’s the likelihood of them staying in Paris Parc Des Princes ?, might they go with Bordeaux like last year ? or is Nice on the cards ?. Opinions please ?.

[Ruckedtobits]

If we get through and Racing beat Toulouse then the semi final could be anywhere in France , what’s the likelihood of them staying in Paris Parc Des Princes ?, might they go with Bordeaux like last year ? or is Nice on the cards ?. Opinions please ?.

Given that there is no financial benefit to the Club hosting a semi-final, I suspect that Racing 92 will be reviwing the pitch options available to them. Playing and training on an artificial pitch is very different than the best grass pitch. Thus I suspect that Racing may be seeking an artificial / mixed surface in a football stadium.

Should they do so Nancy and Lorient are two football Clubs with artifical surfaces but both are distant from Paris. Alternatively, Racing might move to Stade Delmais in Bordeaux as they did last year for their semi-final against Munster.

[footrush]

If we get through and Racing beat Toulouse then the semi final could be anywhere in France , what’s the likelihood of them staying in Paris Parc Des Princes ?, might they go with Bordeaux like last year ? or is Nice on the cards ?. Opinions please ?.

Given that there is no financial benefit to the Club hosting a semi-final, I suspect that Racing 92 will be reviwing the pitch options available to them. Playing and training on an artificial pitch is very different than the best grass pitch. Thus I suspect that Racing may be seeking an artificial / mixed surface in a football stadium.

Should they do so Nancy and Lorient are two football Clubs with artifical surfaces but both are distant from Paris. Alternatively, Racing might move to Stade Delmais in Bordeaux as they did last year for their semi-final against Munster.

Was thinking the same, fancy a trip to Bordeaux at Easter !.

[colinmtn]

If we get through and Racing beat Toulouse then the semi final could be anywhere in France , what’s the likelihood of them staying in Paris Parc Des Princes ?, might they go with Bordeaux like last year ? or is Nice on the cards ?. Opinions please ?.

All the big stadiums in France are owned by the local government so local politics gets involved in where games are held.

Some prefectures (namely Bordeaux and Lyon) have a policy of little or no stadium rent as they feel the economics of many fans coming to the city is worth not charging for the stadium use.

Some have a policy of no charge if a local team is playing (e.g the soccer stadium in Toulouse, The Velodrome in Marseilles for Toulon).

Then you have cities where a team has annoyed the local government before (e.g Racing pulling out of the redevelopment of the Stade Yves-du-Manoir) where they demand a lot of rent to host a game.

Unless European rugby can do a deal for one of the soccer stadiums somewhere closer to Paris any Racing semi final will be played in Bordeaux or Lyon.

[footrush]

If we get through and Racing beat Toulouse then the semi final could be anywhere in France , what’s the likelihood of them staying in Paris Parc Des Princes ?, might they go with Bordeaux like last year ? or is Nice on the cards ?. Opinions please ?.

All the big stadiums in France are owned by the local government so local politics gets involved in where games are held.

Some prefectures (namely Bordeaux and Lyon) have a policy of little or no stadium rent as they feel the economics of many fans coming to the city is worth not charging for the stadium use.

Some have a policy of no charge if a local team is playing (e.g the soccer stadium in Toulouse, The Velodrome in Marseilles for Toulon).

Then you have cities where a team has annoyed the local government before (e.g Racing pulling out of the redevelopment of the Stade Yves-du-Manoir) where they demand a lot of rent to host a game.

Unless European rugby can do a deal for one of the soccer stadiums somewhere closer to Paris any Racing semi final will be played in Bordeaux or Lyon.

Hope it’s Bordeaux much better memories than Lyon !.

[kermischocolate]

If we get through and Racing beat Toulouse then the semi final could be anywhere in France , what’s the likelihood of them staying in Paris Parc Des Princes ?, might they go with Bordeaux like last year ? or is Nice on the cards ?. Opinions please ?.

All the big stadiums in France are owned by the local government so local politics gets involved in where games are held.

Some prefectures (namely Bordeaux and Lyon) have a policy of little or no stadium rent as they feel the economics of many fans coming to the city is worth not charging for the stadium use.

Some have a policy of no charge if a local team is playing (e.g the soccer stadium in Toulouse, The Velodrome in Marseilles for Toulon).

Then you have cities where a team has annoyed the local government before (e.g Racing pulling out of the redevelopment of the Stade Yves-du-Manoir) where they demand a lot of rent to host a game.

Unless European rugby can do a deal for one of the soccer stadiums somewhere closer to Paris any Racing semi final will be played in Bordeaux or Lyon.

I always wondered why there didn't seem to be much logic in where big games are held.
Cheers for info.

[colinmtn]

If we get through and Racing beat Toulouse then the semi final could be anywhere in France , what’s the likelihood of them staying in Paris Parc Des Princes ?, might they go with Bordeaux like last year ? or is Nice on the cards ?. Opinions please ?.

All the big stadiums in France are owned by the local government so local politics gets involved in where games are held.

Some prefectures (namely Bordeaux and Lyon) have a policy of little or no stadium rent as they feel the economics of many fans coming to the city is worth not charging for the stadium use.

Some have a policy of no charge if a local team is playing (e.g the soccer stadium in Toulouse, The Velodrome in Marseilles for Toulon).

Then you have cities where a team has annoyed the local government before (e.g Racing pulling out of the redevelopment of the Stade Yves-du-Manoir) where they demand a lot of rent to host a game.

Unless European rugby can do a deal for one of the soccer stadiums somewhere closer to Paris any Racing semi final will be played in Bordeaux or Lyon.

I always wondered why there didn't seem to be much logic in where big games are held.
Cheers for info.

The French politics around Club/Stadium ownership by local government is a minefield.

In 2016 when the new soccer stadium opened in Lyon for Euro2016 the local government commissioned a report on what to do with the old stadium. This came back saying if you gave the stadium to Lyon Rugby for free and it allowed them to become a mid table Top14 team the economic benefits were better than knocking the stadium and building something else there.

Eventually they agreed to let the rugby team use the stadium for a certain % of the shares in the rugby club (was reported at 45%) and now Lyon are one of the top 6 team in France.

This is happening a lot in the top 14. 10 years ago many teams were privately owned and based in smaller towns (Biarritz, Bayonne, Brive, Dax) while 10 years later they have been replaced by big city teams (Bordeaux, Grenoble, La Rochelle, Lyon) all of whom have local government support.

[colinmtn]

If we get through and Racing beat Toulouse then the semi final could be anywhere in France , what’s the likelihood of them staying in Paris Parc Des Princes ?, might they go with Bordeaux like last year ? or is Nice on the cards ?. Opinions please ?.

EPCR have announced a change in the rules allowing them to chose a teams home stadium to host a semi-final.

https://www.independent.ie/sport/rugby/ ... 13654.html

Mainly aimed at Edinburgh/Murrayfield but means Racing could now have a semi-final in their home stadium.

[footrush]

If we get through and Racing beat Toulouse then the semi final could be anywhere in France , what’s the likelihood of them staying in Paris Parc Des Princes ?, might they go with Bordeaux like last year ? or is Nice on the cards ?. Opinions please ?.

EPCR have announced a change in the rules allowing them to chose a teams home stadium to host a semi-final.

https://www.independent.ie/sport/rugby/ ... 13654.html

Mainly aimed at Edinburgh/Murrayfield but means Racing could now have a semi-final in their home stadium.

Provisionally booked Paris for Easter weekend just in case.

[DaveMr]

https://www.leinsterrugby.ie/epcr-confi ... al-venues/

Looks like we're going to paris..

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

[Ruckedtobits]

Saracens showing Premiership frailty and Toulouse stay top in France. Lots of interesting sidelines in European rugby this weekend.

[FLIP]

Saracens showing Premiership frailty and Toulouse stay top in France. Lots of interesting sidelines in European rugby this weekend.

Sarries lost in the Premiership Rugby Cup final, where a team of mostly academy players played against a Saints side with far more front line players. Not really indicative of form.

[bails]

Given current form, Toulouse and Edinburgh must be fancied to win the European Champions Cup.

Yes Edinburgh, when they have a full side, they are a serious team, with a huge pack who can put themselves about. Since Christmas, they have won away in France in the Pool stages and beaten Glasgow twice in the 1872 Cup.
Watch out for Fijian No 8 Bill Mata, who is going to be a superstar.
Only thing might hinder them is Cockerill and his mouth - he just can't help himself at times in the press, which can put huge pressure on his players.

Toulouse are making all the running in France this year and seem to have got their mojo back. On Sunday, minus international players they put 45 points on a relatively full Lyon side, in the first half of the TOP14 clash in Toulouse.
I would expect them to beat Racing in their quarter final, in Paris.

[footrush]

Given current form, Toulouse and Edinburgh must be fancied to win the European Champions Cup.

Yes Edinburgh, when they have a full side, they are a serious team, with a huge pack who can put themselves about. Since Christmas, they have won away in France in the Pool stages and beaten Glasgow twice in the 1872 Cup.
Watch out for Fijian No 8 Bill Mata, who is going to be a superstar.
Only thing might hinder them is Cockerill and his mouth - he just can't help himself at times in the press, which can put huge pressure on his players.

Toulouse are making all the running in France this year and seem to have got their mojo back. On Sunday, minus international players they put 45 points on a relatively full Lyon side, in the first half of the TOP14 clash in Toulouse.
I would expect them to beat Racing in their quarter final, in Paris.

Hope not Bails would really fancy a long weekend in Paris if we manage to beat Ulster. Have my favorite Hotel provisionally booked already !,

[footrush]

Given current form, Toulouse and Edinburgh must be fancied to win the European Champions Cup.

Yes Edinburgh, when they have a full side, they are a serious team, with a huge pack who can put themselves about. Since Christmas, they have won away in France in the Pool stages and beaten Glasgow twice in the 1872 Cup.
Watch out for Fijian No 8 Bill Mata, who is going to be a superstar.
Only thing might hinder them is Cockerill and his mouth - he just can't help himself at times in the press, which can put huge pressure on his players.

Toulouse are making all the running in France this year and seem to have got their mojo back. On Sunday, minus international players they put 45 points on a relatively full Lyon side, in the first half of the TOP14 clash in Toulouse.
I would expect them to beat Racing in their quarter final, in Paris.

Hope not Bails would really fancy a long weekend in Paris if we manage to beat Ulster. Have my favorite Hotel provisionally booked already !,

Delighted to have been proved wrong !.