BBC Grandstand will break new ground when they show the potentially decisive Heineken Cup Pool Two clash between Munster and Gloucester from Thomond Park on January 18th.
It will be the first time the BBC have gone outside Britain for a pool match in the competition, and with RTÉ also screening the game it is bound to be the biggest televised audience for a game in Limerick. It is already a 13,500 sell-out.
The fixtures for the last two rounds of the competition's pool stages have been confirmed, and all told seven of the penultimate round of pool games will be televised live. RTÉ will televise Leinster's game at home to Swansea on Friday, January 10th and Munster's trip to Perpignan the next afternoon, while BBC Northern Ireland will screen Ulster's game the same day.
The concluding Pool Six showdown between Ulster and Northampton on Friday, January 17th, will also be shown live on BBC Northern Ireland as well as British Eurosport.
Pat Younge, the BBC head of programmes and planning, said: "We're delighted to be showing both the Northampton (v Biarritz) and Munster games. This now means that Grandstand has covered five out of the six Heineken Cup pools this season, but we are particularly excited about the Munster game in Limerick as it will be the first time in this competition that we've broadcast from Ireland.
"The Heineken Cup gives fans a chance to see players from several countries in action, and I'm sure these matches will be great appetisers for the Six Nations in February."
Viewed in that light, it's a shame the Sunday BBC Grandstand slot for their highlights package of the European Cup is a moveable slot, the timing for which is not even publicised in advance schedules.
The confirmed fixture schedule for rounds five and six is:
ROUND 5
(All kick-offs local time) Friday, 10th January, 2003 Pool 3: Sale Sharks v Glasgow Rugby 19.45 Llanelli v Bourgoin 19.30 BBC Wales/B Euro Pool 4: Leinster Lions v Swansea 19.35 RTÉ/B Euro Pool 5: Edinburgh Rugby v London Irish 19.30 Saturday, 11 January, 2003 Pool 1: Amatori & Calvisano v Leicester Tigers 14.30 Tele + Neath v Beziers 14.30 Pool 2: Perpignan v Munster 15.00 FR3/RTÉ Gloucester v Viadana 15.00 Pool 5: Toulouse v Newport 15.00 FR2/B Euro Pool 6: Cardiff v Ulster 14.45 BBC NIre Northampton Saints v Biarritz Olympique 14.45 BBC Sunday, 12th January, Pool 4: Montferrand v Bristol Shoguns 15.00
ROUND 6
(All kick-offs local time) Friday, 17th January Pool 3: Glasgow Rugby v Llanelli 19.30 BBC Wales Pool 6: Ulster v Northampton Saints 19.05 BBC N Ireland B Euro Saturday, 18th January Pool 1: Leicester Tigers v Neath 15.00 Beziers v Amatori & Calvisano 15.00 Pool 2: Viadana v Perpignan 15.00 Tele + Munster v Gloucester 14.45 RTÉ/BBC Pool 3: Bourgoin v Sale Sharks 15.00 Pool 4: Swansea v Montferrand 15.00 Pool 5: Newport v Edinburgh Rugby 14.30 Pool 6: Biarritz Olympique v Cardiff 15.00 Sunday, 19th January Pool 4: Bristol Shoguns v Leinster Lions 13.45 Pool 5: London Irish v Toulouse 13.45 Quarter-finals: 11th/12th/13th April.
Semi-finals: 26th/27th April.
Heineken Cup Final: 24th May, 2003 - Dublin
