Edinburgh Rugby given new date for Bordeaux European Challenge Cup tie

Details of next season's Euro competitions also announced
By Graham Bean
Published 25th Jun 2020, 10:34 BST
Updated 25th Jun 2020, 10:35 BST
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Blair Kinghorn n action for Edinburgh against Bordeaux Begles during the Challenge Cup match at BT Murrayfield in November last year.Blair Kinghorn n action for Edinburgh against Bordeaux Begles during the Challenge Cup match at BT Murrayfield in November last year.
Blair Kinghorn n action for Edinburgh against Bordeaux Begles during the Challenge Cup match at BT Murrayfield in November last year.

New dates have been announced for the postponed knockout stage matches in the 2019/20 Heineken Champions Cup and Challenge Cup.

Subject to government guidelines, it is now planned that the quarter-finals of both tournaments will be played on the weekend of 18/19/20 September, with the semi-finals scheduled for the weekend of 25/26/27 September.

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Edinburgh Rugby are due to play Bordeaux away in the last eight of the Challenge Cup.

The sides have already met in the pool stage, with Bordeaux winning 32-17 in France after a 16-16 draw at BT Murrayfield.

Exact fixture dates, venues, kick-off times and TV coverage will be announced in the near future.

Dates for the finals were also agreed at an EPCR board meeting on Wednesday. The Challenge Cup final will take place on Friday 16 October, with the Heineken Champions Cup final the following day.

EPCR, the body that runs the tournaments, said it remained committed to staging the matches in Marseille, but added in a statement: “The situation is under review in light of public gathering and international travel restrictions which might be in place at the time of the finals.”

The statement added: “As previously communicated, new Heineken Champions Cup and Challenge Cup tournament formats for the 2020/21 season are being considered as a consequence of widespread fixture disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. A 24-club Heineken Champions Cup with eight representatives from each of Europe’s leading league competitions is one of the options under discussion.”

Such a scenario would see likely both Edinburgh and Glasgow Warriors qualify for next year’s elite competition.

The 2020/21 tournaments are scheduled to start on the weekend of 11/12/13 December.New EPCR dates for 2019/20 tournaments

Quarter-finals: weekend of 18/19/20 September

Semi-finals: weekend of 25/26/27 September

Challenge Cup final: Friday, 16 October

Heineken Champions Cup final: Saturday, 17 October

Start of 2020/21 season: weekend of 11/12/13 December

Related topics:Edinburgh RugbyBT MurrayfieldFranceEdinburgh
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