HEINEKEN CUP DATES:NOT UNEXPECTEDLY, the two Irish provinces will host their Heineken Cup quarter-finals on prime Friday night and Saturday evening slots. The holders, Leinster, will be at home to Clermont Auvergne on Friday, April 9th – almost certainly at the RDS – at 8pm while Munster will renew their group rivalry with Northampton at Thomond Park the following evening at Thomond Park, kick-off 5.30pm.

The first of the two French quarter-finals will, also as expected, actually take place in Spain, with Biarritz entertaining the Ospreys at the 32,000 Estadio Anoeta in San Sebastian. It will be the fourth knock-out match Biarritz have played at their alternate Basque home and sixth game overall.

Three-times champions Toulouse, who meet Stade Français Paris in an all-French affair on Sunday, April 11th, will host their eighth quarter-final at the 37,000 Stade Municipal, where they have won all bar one of their previous ties at this stage – Leinster winning there four seasons ago. Toulouse have already beaten Sale Sharks and Cardiff Blues there this season. All four ties will be live on Sky Sports.

Connacht will launch the Amlin Challenge Cup quarter-finals that same weekend when they host Bourgoin at the Sportsground on Saturday, April 10th, at 1pm, in a game which will be shown live on Eurosport.

HEINEKEN CUP

QUARTER FINALS

(All Kick-Offs Local time)

FRIDAY, APRIL 9th, 8.0 Leinster Rugby v ASM Clermont Auvergne – Sky Sports/Canal+Sport.

SATURDAY, APRIL 10th. 4.0 Biarritz Olympique v Ospreys – France 2/Sky Sports 5.30; Munster v Northampton Saints – Sky Sports/Sport +.

SUNDAY, APRIL 11th, 5.30 Toulouse v Stade Francais Paris – France 2/Sky Sports.

SEMI-FINALS: MAY 1st and 2nd.

FINAL

SATURDAY, MAY 22nd, 6.0 – Stade De France.

AMLIN CHALLENGE CUP

QUARTER-FINALS

(All kick-offs local time)

SATURDAY: APRIL 10th. 1.0 Connacht v Bourgoin – Eurosport; 9.0 Toulon v Scarlets – FR4

SUNDAY: APRIL 11th. 2.0 London Wasps v Gloucester Rugby – Sky Sports; 3.0 Newcastle Falcons v Cardiff Blues.