Montauban first up for Munster at Thomond fortress

EUROPEAN CUP:IT IS entirely appropriate that the defending champions, Munster, will open the 2008-2009 Heineken Cup with their Pool One fixture against French side Montauban at the revamped Thomond Park on Friday, October 10th.

The match will be televised on Sky Sports, one of 10 live matches on each of the opening two weekends of the tournament: it's an increase of two live matches per weekend on last year's schedule.

Munster's memorable victory over Toulouse in last season's final at the Millennium Stadium, their second success, marks them as the team to beat in this competition.

Australian Tony McGahan, the defensive coach last season, takes over at the helm from the new Ireland coach Declan Kidney. He anticipates a tough defence right from the opening match.

"Montauban will be a very interesting - and difficult - start for us and, at the moment, we don't know that much about them. However, they have done superbly well in the Top 14 in order to qualify for the Heineken Cup for the first time and there is absolutely no way we will be underestimating them."

All first four of Munster's European matches - the dates and television schedules for the tournament's final two rounds of matches in January will be finalised at a later date - will be shown live on Sky Sports, while RTÉ will broadcast delayed highlights.

Munster travel to Edgeley Park in the second round of matches and will then face familiar foes in French side ASM Clermont Auvergne in back-to-back matches in December, travelling to France for the first game. The two sides met at the pool stages last season, managing one victory apiece.

After Christmas, McGahan's side entertain Sale at Thomond Park before travelling to Montauban on the final weekend of the pool stages at Stade Sapiac.

Leinster open their campaign in the Scottish capital on Saturday, October 11th, against an Edinburgh side that has proved something of a bête noire for them in Europe. Twice Leinster have lost at Murrayfield in the Heineken Cup in recent seasons, a record they'll be keen to address, especially if they're to progress from what is a difficult pool.

Wasps visit the RDS on the second weekend before Leinster host and then travel to Jeremy Davidson's Castres Olympique.

It's been confirmed the Irish side's January clash with Wasps will be played at Twickenham and they'll conclude against Edinburgh at the RDS.

Michael Cheika's side will also have their first four matches broadcast live on Sky Sports, with RTÉ showing delayed highlights.

Ulster, in Pool Four alongside Stade Français, Llanelli Scarlets and Harlequins, start their campaign at Ravenhill on Saturday, October 11th, where they will face the Parisian aristocrats. Matt Williams's charges then travel to London to face Harlequins before facing successive matches against the Llanelli Scarlets, the first at Ravenhill, the following week in December at the Scarlets' new €23 million stadium, Parc y Scarlets.

In January they'll welcome Harlequins to Belfast before making the journey to Paris on the final weekend of the pool stages.