Champions Cup Fixtures confirmed

By Mark Stevens
17/8/18

Rob Baxter believes it’s an ‘exciting mix’ of fixtures for his Exeter Chiefs side after the Pool 2 fixtures of this season’s Heineken Champions Cup were today confirmed by European Professional Rugby officials.

Pitted against rivals Castres, Gloucester and Munster, it’s the Irish province who provide the first opposition to the Chiefs at Sandy Park on Saturday, October 13 (3:15pm).

A week later, the Chiefs will head across the English Channel to France to face last season’s Top 14 champions Castres at the Stade Pierre Fabre with a 2pm kick-off.

The competition then takes a break until December when Baxter’s side will face fellow Gallagher Premiership rivals Gloucester on successive weekends. The first meeting at Sandy Park takes place on Saturday, December 8 (1pm) before they face one another again on Friday, December 14 at Kingsholm (7:45pm).

The final two rounds take place in January when Castres pay their first-ever visit to Devon on Sunday, January 13 (1pm), after which it’s over to Limerick and Munster’s Thomond Park on Saturday, January 19 (5:30pm).

All games in the competition will be screened live by BT Sport.

Commenting on the fixtures, Baxter said: “In a lot of ways it’s a good set of fixtures for us. Playing Munster first up is a great start. It’s a game we have probably waited a while to play simply because we’ve played all the other Irish sides in Europe before.

“We know Munster have huge tradition within the competition, so to start off at home against them is fantastic, not just for us as a squad, but also for the supporters of both sides as well. I’m sure it will attract a full-house here, so in a lot of ways it’s the ideal start.”

After such a mouth-watering opener, Baxter knows the task gets no easier against Castres. He added: “Having them second up kind of reflects last season in a way, where we had to do the same type of test by going over to Montpellier. We know it will be a big challenge, but anyone who went to Montpellier knows what a competitive game that was and just how tough it was for us to break them down in the end.

“If we can do well in those two games, get ourselves a good start and a few points on the board, I think it will set us nicely for that double-header against Gloucester. I think that’s a great draw for both of us. Not only will it be two great local derbies that will excite the supporters, but it will be in the lead-up to Christmas and we know that period always generates more excitement.”

Tickets for the home games against Munster and Gloucester are now available, click here to visit the Ticket Hub

EUROPEAN CHAMPIONS CUP POOL 2 FIXTURES 2018/19

Round 1

Saturday, October 13: Exeter Chiefs v Munster (3:15pm)

Sunday, October 14: Gloucester v Castres (1pm)

Round 2

Saturday, October 20: Munster v Gloucester (1pm), Castres v Exeter Chiefs (2pm)

Round 3

Saturday, December 8: Exeter Chiefs v Gloucester (1pm)

Sunday, December 9: Munster v Castres (1pm)

Round 4

Friday, December 14: Gloucester v Exeter Chiefs (7:45pm)

Saturday, December 15: Castres v Munster (6:30pm)

Round 5

Friday, January 11: Gloucester v Munster (7:45pm)

Sunday, January 13: Exeter Chiefs v Castres (1pm)

Round 6

Saturday, January 19: Munster v Exeter Chiefs (5:30pm), Castres v Gloucester (6:30pm)