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News: First Champions Cup Fixtures Confirmed


By ComeOnYouSaints.com
August 14 2014

Today, European Professional Club Rugby released the first round of confirmed dates for the 2014/15 European Rugby Champions Cup.

 

 

 

 

 

 

FIRST EURO DATES CONFIRMED FOR SAINTS

 

 

ROUND 1

Saturday 18th October 2014 - 18:15 Racing Métro 92 v Northampton Saints Stade Yves-du-Manoir Sky Sports

 

ROUND 2

Saturday 25th October 2014 - 17:15 Northampton Saints v Ospreys Franklin's Gardens Sky Sports

 

ROUND 3

5/6/7 December 2014 - Benetton Treviso v Northampton Saints date still to be confirmed

 

ROUND 4

12/13/14 December 2014 - Northampton Saints v Benetton Treviso date still to be confirmed

 

ROUND 5

16/17/18 January 2015 - Ospreys v Northampton Saints date still to be confirmed

 

ROUND 6

23/24/25 January 2015 - Northampton Saints v Racing Métro 92 date still to be confirmed

 

 

 

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News: First Champions Cup Fixtures Confirmed
Discussion started by ComeOnYouSaints.com , 14/08/2014 14:11
ComeOnYouSaints.com
14/08/2014 14:11
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Stockers
14/08/2014 14:21
Cool! En Paris for The Lady Helen ' birthday!

Phil.
14/08/2014 14:52
forgot to put a link in the article...


Full List Here! (EPCR link)

Casual Saint
14/08/2014 16:36
Looks to fall quite nicely, although the opener in Paris will be a test. The return game in January could be very exciting.

Once a scrum half .... always a scrum half

St. Andy
14/08/2014 17:26
I hate to complain at this exciting moment but even after all this time, apart from the first two games we only know matches will take place sometime over a certain weekend.

I have the same issues in domestic games, I work weekends and I use up some of my annual leave to take the Saturdays off I need to get to the match. For example I booked a Saturday off last year only for the match to be moved to Friday night when I was still due to work.

Now I know the 1200 pounds I spent on 3 season tickets pales into insignificance compared to the riches beyond the dreams of avarice that the TV companies bring. But I really wouldn't mind if they would sort out a fixture list, in good time, with actual dates and times and stick to the damn thing.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2014:08:14:17:27:17 by St. Andy.

None
14/08/2014 18:03
Andy

I have the same issues with regard to work.

I have been going on about this for years but repeatedly get shot down for 'not understanding' the importance of Sky and BT to our sport. Even if the clubs are frustrated by the situation, their corporate position is not to criticise in public. Even if a case could be put forward for not confirming the dates of the final round of European Pool fixtures for fear of screening a 'dead rubber' at peak time, there is no excuse for not confirming the December fixtures.

As far as the Premiership is concerned, each club must host the cameras for a minimum number of games, whilst other constraints centre around primacy of tenure for those clubs who ground share ( Irish, Wasps, Welsh, Sale etc) or who are in direct competition to other clubs - Tiggers and LCFC would be an example. Add to those issues the fact that most clubs have preferential days and times for fixtures should mean that a definitive fixture list should be published before the beginning of the season. After all, its not rocket science to work out that Tigers against Saints on the final weekend of the season is probably a juicy fixture !

However, to the Rugby authorities we are not worthy and thus the status quo will remain although thinking about it, its actually got worse as the European fixtures were published even later than usual !



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2014:08:14:18:05:06 by Mobbs.

saintian
14/08/2014 19:00
That's sorted Mrs saintian's late birthday present then; a trip to gay Paree in October. :-)

JohnI
14/08/2014 20:50
Andy / Mobbs

Fully agree with your comments. There is No excuse for not giving out the December dates by now and all this does is to make me think this new group are no more competent than the last lot running the show who I always considered to be money grabbing individual who were only out to feather their own nests and sod the fans and their needs.

The chance to make this a well run and exciting competition just got blown away in my opinion but I'm sure the new ER team don't really care what individual fans say and the likes of sky and BT sport are there for one thing only - customers and a bigger share of the market!

DorsetSaint
14/08/2014 23:07
First two matches on Sky Sports? Thought BT Sport were showing matches involving English teams?

St Marlowe
14/08/2014 23:58
Unfortunately (and I am not an apologist for the TV companies) the process was so late this year, due to the removal of ERC taking some time) there was no French contract in place in time to produce the Schedules.

Still, never mind we can go back to the position we had in March with No European Rugby at all. With great respect this is not done to P1ss off supporters, or mess them around.

David L

What if there were no hypothetical questions?

- Live wrong and preposterously

None
15/08/2014 07:35
Marlowe

Again, with respect, the net effect is to annoy many people who pay their dues through the turnstiles. Not intended may be but the result is unacceptable in my view. Even if there are 'reasons' for the late publication of fixtures, what excuse for no firm dates for December ?

MoANjAm
15/08/2014 09:24
I dont really understand the point that the 3rd 4th rounds are not easy to attend based upon the unannounced kick off time.

If you want to make the trip to Treviso you have to fly on the Thursday as there isnt a Friday flight.

You be mad to wait until the Sat to fly out as you will miss the match UNLESS the kick off is late Sat evening or Sun. And thats pushng things for the Sat kick off anyway.

So your only real decision is stay till Sunday or stay till Monday.
but how many times do you get to fly to Italy for a weekend in Treviso/Venice and have a Saints game thrown in?

Not many. Its going to be a great weekend.

"sup·port·er"

Noun:
1.A person who approves of and encourages someone or something (typically a public figure, a movement or party, or a policy).
2.A person who is actively interested in and wishes success for a particular sports team.



http://www.smurfomatic.plus.com/mo.gif

Christy
15/08/2014 10:12
... and Venice out of the tourist season is far more enjoyable. Although the snow last time was a bit unusual.

St Marlowe
15/08/2014 10:29
Quote:
Mobbs
excuse for no firm dates for December ?

Tell you what - You organise a TV company's schedules and logistics once their plans for the year are in place. I'll listen to your excuses then. I am sure there are people on here in the industry who will tell you how that works. Using the word "unacceptable" is rather unrealistic.

You'll not get to Treviso and back in a day anyway - and 2 days is pushing it.

David L

What if there were no hypothetical questions?

- Live wrong and preposterously

St. Andy
15/08/2014 11:09
St. Marlowe,

I agree with the vast majority of things you say on this site and the time you spend running it, but I don't understand why you are taking such an aggressive and yes argumentative stance on this.As far as I am concerned it is a perfectly reasonable question to ask and for friendly debate.

God forbid we should take any lessons from football but I have checked the Premier League football fixture list and they all seem to be set with dates and times for the season up until next May. So if they can do it, why cant rugby? I never suggested and nor did anybody else, as far as I am aware, that it was being done deliberately. Why would they do that?

I appreciate that this years arrangements were more complicated as far as the European competition was concerned but not for the premiership. I am under no illusion that if TV decided that the most advantageous time for them to play was 3am Tuesday morning then that is when we would play.


All I ask is for the interested parties to sit down and decide amongst themselves and thrash out which games are going to be played, where and when, and just let me know so I can make the arrangements I need to make. I don't ask to be consulted just to get it sorted and tell me. As I said, football do it.

In answer to Moanjam we intend to drive down, but that is academic we will leave on the same day whatever, but coming back, as you say Sunday or Monday. Some have limited holiday entitlement and don't want to waste them unnecessarily, now I appreciate that will not figure high on the things to be taken into account but surely it is not that difficult to look at the Euro fixtures on that weekend and decide which game needs to be played when to meet the broadcasters needs. What is going to change between now and then that requires the delay?

Hadders.
15/08/2014 12:25
Football fixtures aren't fixed till May. Talk to any Premier League supporter and they'll tell you tales of matches being rescheduled with only a few weeks notice because of TV requirements.

St. Andy
15/08/2014 12:45
Have checked the premier league website again and you are correct they appear to be fixed up to the beginning of December.Probably not a great analogy but they do have a lot more games to arrange and seem to have dates when decisions will be made. I do accept that they dont worry about fans particularly travelling fans. Hence Monday on a work night Burnley v. Chelsea.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2014:08:15:13:15:26 by St. Andy.

St Marlowe
15/08/2014 13:48
They had a contract against which to fix much earlier.

My point is that until last month there was no contract with a French Broadcaster in place due to the change of ERC as the organiser.

I believe that it is unrealistic to expect everything be the same or better than previous years when the contract are not inlace until some 3-4 months later than before.

I do not believe the use off the word "unacceptable" is reasonable.

David L

What if there were no hypothetical questions?

- Live wrong and preposterously

Rooster15
17/08/2014 18:17
Quote:
St Marlowe
They had a contract against which to fix much earlier.
My point is that until last month there was no contract with a French Broadcaster in place due to the change of ERC as the organiser.

I believe that it is unrealistic to expect everything be the same or better than previous years when the contract are not inlace until some 3-4 months later than before.

I do not believe the use off the word "unacceptable" is reasonable.
There still is no French broadcaster contract so if they could announce 2 no reason why they could not announce 4, both BT and Sky say the problem is not of their making which suggests they have agreed matches and dates.

By the way Easyjet have 2 flights a day to Venice from Gatwick every day except Saturday when they just have 1 and it is far more reliable than flying to Treviso in the winter with Ryanair as there is no auto landing in Treviso or Ryanair planes for that matter so it frequently lands you in Milan and then you get bussed across, October to February can be pretty bad for fog in the Treviso/Venice region so if you are going with Ryanair allow plenty of time each way or you could well miss the weekend !

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