MAGNERS LEAGUE:LEINSTER AND Munster will both be obliged to play their concluding games in the Magners League on Sunday week, May 9th, at home to Edinburgh and away to Cardiff respectively after Celtic Rugby, following discussions with BBC Wales, S4/C and Setanta Sports, belatedly finalised the round 18 fixtures yesterday.
Leinster, Ospreys and Glasgow have all qualified for the top-four play-offs, although all are still vying for home advantage, while Munster, Cardiff Blues and Edinburgh are competing for the remaining semi-final place – hence the latter three must kick off simultaneously. The games at the RDS and in Cardiff Arms Park will thus both start at 6.15pm.
Sky and the English Premiership have long since agreed to their last round of fixtures all kicking off simultaneously at 3pm on Saturday, May 8th, with both of their ensuing semi-final play-offs the following Sunday week.
Perhaps the broadcasters and Cardiff Blues are also mindful that Cardiff City and possibly Swansea City could be involved in the English Championship play-offs on Saturday and Sunday, May 8th and 9th, though they are scheduled to kick-off at 12.45 and 1.15 respectively and Cardiff City will almost certainly be away. That probably also explains why the Ospreys-Dragons game, which will have an impact on the make-up of the play-offs, has yet to be finalised.
The broadcasters and Celtic Rugby may also have been mindful of not clashing with the final round of English Premiership fixtures on the afternoon of May 9th, though quite why the Leinster-Edinburgh and Cardiff-Munster games couldn’t have been accommodated at Saturday tea-time is unclear. Neither Leinster nor Munster will be especially pleased with Celtic Rugby for having Sunday evening kick-offs foisted upon them at 11 days’ notice, all the more so as the following weekend’s semi-finals could be scheduled for five or six days later.
Depending on how both perform in this weekend’s Heineken Cup semi-finals, they could have another three potential knock-out matches including a Heineken Cup final on May 22nd. Hence, both Michael Cheika and Tony McGahan could have some delicate selection decisions to make, and maybe less inclined to risk some of their frontliners.
Meanwhile, the ERC yesterday confirmed the date, kick-off times and alternate venues for the Amlin Challenge Cup final. Should Toulon beat Connacht on Friday the final will be in the Stade Velodrome in Marseilles on Sunday, May 23rd, at 3pm local time, as the organisers want to stage the final in France for the first time.
But should Connacht prevail on Friday in the Sportsground, and face either London Wasps or Cardiff Blues, the final will be staged in Gloucester’s ground, Kingsholm, on the same date at 2pm local time.
Round 18 fixtures
TBC: Ospreys v Newport Gwent Dragons at Liberty Stadium.
Friday, May 7th
Scarlets v Glasgow Warriors at Parc y Scarlets, 7.05pm.
Ulster v Connacht at Ravenhill, live on Setanta Ireland, 7.30 pm.
Sunday, May 9th
Cardiff Blues v Munster at Cardiff City Stadium, live on S4C and Setanta 1, 6.15pm.
Leinster v Edinburgh at RDS Dublin, live on Setanta Ireland, 6.15pm.
Play-Off semi-finals
May 14th, 15th, 16th.
Final: Saturday, May 29th, 6.30pm.
AMLIN CHALLENGE CUP
Semi-finals
Friday, April 30th
Connacht Rugby v Toulon, Sportsground, TV: Sky Sports, 7.45
Saturday, May 1st
London Wasps v Cardiff Blues, Adams Park, TV: Sky Sports, Eurosport France, 6pm
