Northampton Saints will kick off this season’s Heineken Champions Cup campaign against Stade Rochelais, with EPCR today confirming the schedule for the pool stage of the 2022/23 competition.
Phil Dowson’s side will travel to the western coast of France to face the defending champions on the weekend of 9/10/11 December, having been drawn into Pool B last month. Saints will then lock horns with Munster Rugby at home on the weekend of 16/17/18 December.
It will be the first time the men in Black, Green and Gold will face Stade Rochelais in the Club’s history. Meanwhile it is over a decade since Northampton met Munster in any competitive fixture – the clash will be a repeat of the 2000 Heineken Cup final, when Saints prevailed 9-8 at Twickenham in what remains the Club’s only triumph to date in Europe’s top tier competition.
The return matches will be held on the weekends of 13/14/15 and 20/21/22 January, with Northampton first travelling to Limerick before welcoming Stade Rochelais to cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens.
✈️ Get those flights booked!
— Northampton Saints 😇 (@SaintsRugby) July 21, 2022
🇫🇷 LRH
🇮🇪 SNN
The fixture schedule has been confirmed for our 2022/23 @ChampionsCup campaign.
➡️ https://t.co/lfqnSQSlX3 pic.twitter.com/XcHC7cv425
If you have purchased or renewed your Season Ticket for the 2022/23 campaign, all 16 of Saints’ regular season home clashes are included in your package. To view or download the full list of Northampton Saints’ fixtures for the 2022/23 season, please CLICK HERE.
The 2022/23 EPCR season will be played over eight weekends, with four rounds of matches in the pool stage starting in December. These will be followed by a knockout stage consisting of a Round of 16, Quarter-finals, Semi-finals, and culminating in the Heineken Champions Cup Final in Dublin at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday 20 May 2023.
At this stage, EPCR are only announcing the fixtures by round for the pool stages – exact dates, kick-off times and TV coverage will be announced in the coming weeks. To view all Heineken Champions Cup fixtures for the 2022/23 season, please CLICK HERE.
Heineken Champions Cup key dates 2022/23
- Round 1 – 9/10/11 December 2022
- Round 2 – 16/17/18 December 2022
- Round 3 – 13/14/15 January 2023
- Round 4 – 20/21/22 January 2023
- Round of 16 – 31 March to 1/2 April 2023
- Quarter-finals – 7/8/9 April 2023
- Semi-finals – 28/29/30 April 2023
- EPCR Challenge Cup final – Friday 19 May 2023; Aviva Stadium, Dublin
- Heineken Champions Cup final – Saturday 20 May 2023; Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Heineken Champions Cup format 2022/23
- 24 elite clubs (nine tournament winners with 36 EPCR titles between them)
- Two pools of 12 – CLICK HERE to view tables
- Four pool stage rounds
- Eight highest-ranked clubs from each pool qualify for the knockout stage
- Knockout stage: Round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals and final
- Ninth and 10th ranked clubs from each pool qualify for the EPCR Challenge Cup
