Next season's Heineken Cup

Talk about the men in white, and everything Ulster!!

Moderator: Moderators

Neill_M
Lord Chancellor
Posts: 8318
Joined: Fri Sep 07, 2007 10:51 am

Re: Next season's Heineken Cup

Post by Neill_M »

waggonsroll wrote: Wed Jun 29, 2022 11:01 am Looking at La Rochelle for a trip in Dec/Jan. Flights from Belfast to Paris arrive late so would need an overnight at CDG. The onward train is also a bit convoluted with only a couple of TCVs going south that connect to La Rochelle. The others need a change of stations in Paris. Maybe a better route but not every day is Dublin to Bordeaux with Ryan air but would again need an overnight on the outward journey in Bordeaux unless hiring a car. Train journey is much shorter too. Anyone else got any bright ideas. Sale doesn't look too easy to get to without a car, looks like the team and a long walk or a bus from the Trafford Centre.

Sent from my 5001D_EEA using Tapatalk
Tram from city centre to Trafford Centre and then Sale run match day buses to the ground.
Neill_M
Lord Chancellor
Posts: 8318
Joined: Fri Sep 07, 2007 10:51 am

Re: Next season's Heineken Cup

Post by Neill_M »

solidarity wrote: Wed Jun 29, 2022 12:34 am Many thanks Neill and BR. As clear a summary and rationale as I've ever seen.

If I was in control, I'd go for 8 groups of 3 (one URC, one English, one French in each) playing home and away, no seeding (cup competitions are all about the luck of the draw), winners into the quarter finals. By all means keep same league sides apart in the qf's as well.
I suppose the top 2 in each group could go into a 'round of 16' (there must be a better name than this), if they want another clutch of cash generators but I'd have thought that a smaller competition would be in everyone's interests, heading into a World Cup.
8 pools of 3 would need 6 weekends to play 4 games with the sides having two bye weekends. English and French sides want the Heineken Cup taking up fewer weekends not more etc.
Last edited by Neill_M on Wed Jun 29, 2022 12:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Neill_M
Lord Chancellor
Posts: 8318
Joined: Fri Sep 07, 2007 10:51 am

Re: Next season's Heineken Cup

Post by Neill_M »

waggonsroll wrote: Wed Jun 29, 2022 11:01 am Looking at La Rochelle for a trip in Dec/Jan. Flights from Belfast to Paris arrive late so would need an overnight at CDG. The onward train is also a bit convoluted with only a couple of TCVs going south that connect to La Rochelle. The others need a change of stations in Paris. Maybe a better route but not every day is Dublin to Bordeaux with Ryan air but would again need an overnight on the outward journey in Bordeaux unless hiring a car. Train journey is much shorter too. Anyone else got any bright ideas. Sale doesn't look too easy to get to without a car, looks like the team and a long walk or a bus from the Trafford Centre.

Sent from my 5001D_EEA using Tapatalk
No direct La Rochelle flights in December/January. Dublin to Nantes/Bordeaux/Paris then the train/hire car is the way to go.
allezlesverres
Initiate
Posts: 338
Joined: Fri Jan 22, 2021 12:58 pm

Re: Next season's Heineken Cup

Post by allezlesverres »

waggonsroll wrote: Wed Jun 29, 2022 11:01 am Looking at La Rochelle for a trip in Dec/Jan. Flights from Belfast to Paris arrive late so would need an overnight at CDG. The onward train is also a bit convoluted with only a couple of TCVs going south that connect to La Rochelle. The others need a change of stations in Paris. Maybe a better route but not every day is Dublin to Bordeaux with Ryan air but would again need an overnight on the outward journey in Bordeaux unless hiring a car. Train journey is much shorter too. Anyone else got any bright ideas. Sale doesn't look too easy to get to without a car, looks like the team and a long walk or a bus from the Trafford Centre.

Sent from my 5001D_EEA using Tapatalk
For La Rochelle, Bordeaux is probably the best option. We went with aer lingus and stayed in Bordeaux for the Toulouse game and it worked out brilliantly. The train connection between Bordeaux and La Rochelle is shorter than from Paris but it is the intercity rather than the TGV (or inOui nowadays) so it's only marginally faster than the direct TGV from Paris. There wont be much between it so it will probably be a case of seeing which flights suit you best. It is worth bearing in mind that even if the TGV was a bit longer, it is by far and away the most civilised way to travel so its a nice way to get from A to B (also, on our last one the price difference for 1st class was only an extra Euro which made it even better). You'd really be hoping the game is on Saturday then you could fly to Paris or Bordeaux on the Friday, travel to the match early Saturday, stay over in La Rochelle, then travel back to the airport on Sunday.

I don't think there will be Dublin - Nantes flights at that time of year Neill - those are summer schedule only usually.
Neill_M
Lord Chancellor
Posts: 8318
Joined: Fri Sep 07, 2007 10:51 am

Re: Next season's Heineken Cup

Post by Neill_M »

allezlesverres wrote: Wed Jun 29, 2022 12:18 pm
waggonsroll wrote: Wed Jun 29, 2022 11:01 am Looking at La Rochelle for a trip in Dec/Jan. Flights from Belfast to Paris arrive late so would need an overnight at CDG. The onward train is also a bit convoluted with only a couple of TCVs going south that connect to La Rochelle. The others need a change of stations in Paris. Maybe a better route but not every day is Dublin to Bordeaux with Ryan air but would again need an overnight on the outward journey in Bordeaux unless hiring a car. Train journey is much shorter too. Anyone else got any bright ideas. Sale doesn't look too easy to get to without a car, looks like the team and a long walk or a bus from the Trafford Centre.

Sent from my 5001D_EEA using Tapatalk
For La Rochelle, Bordeaux is probably the best option. We went with aer lingus and stayed in Bordeaux for the Toulouse game and it worked out brilliantly. The train connection between Bordeaux and La Rochelle is shorter than from Paris but it is the intercity rather than the TGV (or inOui nowadays) so it's only marginally faster than the direct TGV from Paris. There wont be much between it so it will probably be a case of seeing which flights suit you best. It is worth bearing in mind that even if the TGV was a bit longer, it is by far and away the most civilised way to travel so its a nice way to get from A to B (also, on our last one the price difference for 1st class was only an extra Euro which made it even better). You'd really be hoping the game is on Saturday then you could fly to Paris or Bordeaux on the Friday, travel to the match early Saturday, stay over in La Rochelle, then travel back to the airport on Sunday.

I don't think there will be Dublin - Nantes flights at that time of year Neill - those are summer schedule only usually.
Seeing Ryanair flights for December for Dublin - Nantes (Thursday, Saturday, Monday). Times not great mind.
rumncoke
Lord Chancellor
Posts: 7872
Joined: Wed Jun 08, 2011 3:39 pm

Re: Next season's Heineken Cup

Post by rumncoke »

"Round of 16 "

Play-offs round 1 then round 2 and semi final and final
Within this carapace of skepticism there lives an optimist
User avatar
UlsterNo9
Lord Chancellor
Posts: 5708
Joined: Wed Oct 10, 2012 10:02 pm

Re: Next season's Heineken Cup

Post by UlsterNo9 »

We flew in to Nantes and out of Bordeux for La Rochelle game in 2017, that was an end of October fixture.
BRING OUR BOYS HOME #BOBH
THROWN UNDER THE BUS AND EXILED 14/04/18
TopPoster
Initiate
Posts: 579
Joined: Wed Feb 14, 2018 4:44 pm

Re: Next season's Heineken Cup

Post by TopPoster »

Chaps. It’s easy. Just do what Jono did and book a flight to Auckland and you’ll magically find yourself in La Rochelle no probs, simples.
Neill_M
Lord Chancellor
Posts: 8318
Joined: Fri Sep 07, 2007 10:51 am

Re: Next season's Heineken Cup

Post by Neill_M »

Weekends confirmed, no days or times yet.

Dec 9-11 Sale away
Dec 16-18 La Rochelle home
Jan 13-15 La Rochelle away
Jan 20-22 Sale home
tigerburnie
Warrior
Posts: 1158
Joined: Wed Jun 08, 2011 6:49 pm

Re: Next season's Heineken Cup

Post by tigerburnie »

Sale will be a rather different animal next season, no Faff de Klerk and maybe George Ford will be fit for your home game, he's having surgery on an ankle seemingly and may miss the rest of this year.
User avatar
rocky
Red Hand Ambassador
Posts: 2546
Joined: Fri Jun 17, 2005 9:50 am
Location: Dundonald

Re: Next season's Heineken Cup

Post by rocky »

Did I not see something about FdeK going to Japan?
Bo***cks to Brexit
Neill_M
Lord Chancellor
Posts: 8318
Joined: Fri Sep 07, 2007 10:51 am

Re: Next season's Heineken Cup

Post by Neill_M »

rocky wrote: Thu Jul 21, 2022 11:48 am Did I not see something about FdeK going to Japan?
Yeah he is playing his rugby in Japan next season, their ins and outs from last season:

Signed Ewan Ashman (Glasgow), Johnny Hill & Tom O'Flaherty (Exeter), Joe Simpson (Wasps), George Ford (Tigers)

Lost Lood de Jager (Saitama Wild Knights), JP du Preez (Glasgow), Faf De Klerk (Canon Eagles), AJ MacGinty (Bristol), Rohan Janse Van Rensburg (Sharks).
jean valjean
Chancellor to the King
Posts: 3093
Joined: Fri Oct 07, 2016 10:03 pm

Re: Next season's Heineken Cup

Post by jean valjean »

Neill_M wrote:Weekends confirmed, no days or times yet.

Dec 9-11 Sale away
Dec 16-18 La Rochelle home
Jan 13-15 La Rochelle away
Jan 20-22 Sale home
Not a bad run of fixtures. Get a win in the first 2 games takes the pressure off for the away LR game, with a chance to rotate the squad a bit. Sale first up won't be easy but we should be capable of winning that.

Sent from my SM-F711B using Tapatalk

allezlesverres
Initiate
Posts: 338
Joined: Fri Jan 22, 2021 12:58 pm

Re: Next season's Heineken Cup

Post by allezlesverres »

Neill_M wrote: Thu Jul 21, 2022 10:17 am Weekends confirmed, no days or times yet.

Dec 9-11 Sale away
Dec 16-18 La Rochelle home
Jan 13-15 La Rochelle away
Jan 20-22 Sale home
Is there any way of guessing which day the La Rochelle v Ulster game will be on? Presumably it would be one of the broadcaster's key games of the weekend as it will feature the champions v a popular Irish team? Is it a fair guess then that they'd (and La Rochelle presumably from the perspective of their fans) be pushing for it to be a saturday game? Just wondering if there's any way to get ahead on travel plans.
Neill_M
Lord Chancellor
Posts: 8318
Joined: Fri Sep 07, 2007 10:51 am

Re: Next season's Heineken Cup

Post by Neill_M »

allezlesverres wrote: Tue Aug 02, 2022 12:03 pm
Neill_M wrote: Thu Jul 21, 2022 10:17 am Weekends confirmed, no days or times yet.

Dec 9-11 Sale away
Dec 16-18 La Rochelle home
Jan 13-15 La Rochelle away
Jan 20-22 Sale home
Is there any way of guessing which day the La Rochelle v Ulster game will be on? Presumably it would be one of the broadcaster's key games of the weekend as it will feature the champions v a popular Irish team? Is it a fair guess then that they'd (and La Rochelle presumably from the perspective of their fans) be pushing for it to be a saturday game? Just wondering if there's any way to get ahead on travel plans.
Last season they split their home pool games on Saturday/Sunday with two home knockout games in R16 and QF on a Saturday.
Post Reply