RUGBY HEINEKEN CUP: HEINEKEN CUP champions Leinster will begin the defence of their title against London Irish at the RDS on Friday, October 9th (8.0), in a game that will be televised live on Sky Sports.

Coincidentally, the two teams will meet next month in a pre-season friendly at Donnybrook, a fixture agreed before they were drawn to meet each other in the European tournament.

Leinster then enjoy successive away fixtures, travelling first to Stade Municipal in Brive before crossing the Irish Sea to take on the Scarlets on December 12th. The Welsh franchise then head for the RDS seven days later: all four Leinster matches will be broadcast live on Sky Sports.

Brive, champions of Europe in 1997, have added eight players to their roster in the close season, including New Zealand-born, England international and Lion Riki Flutey.

There is a sizeable English presence at the club, with centre Jamie Noon, scrumhalf Shaun Perry and South African-born, English qualified prop Pat Barnard arriving to join Steve Thompson and Andy Goode. Two Welsh players, scrumhalf Liam Davies and fullback Barry Davies, have left the French club.

Ireland’s Frankie Sheahan would have joined the large contingent of non-French players but unfortunately the 32-year-old hooker was recently forced to retire from rugby due to a recurrence of a pectoral problem.

Simon Easterby will be combining a forwards coaching role with his playing duties for the Scarlets. The former Ireland flanker recently passed on the captaincy to winger Mark Jones.

The 2008 European champions Munster begin their campaign with a trip to Franklin’s Gardens where they take on Northampton, the club that beat the Irish province 9-8 in the 2000 Heineken Cup final at Twickenham.

The Saints’ director of rugby Jim Mallinder enthused: “Playing Munster at home is a superb way to open our Heineken Cup pool campaign. They have been one of the most successful teams in Europe over the past decade and it will be a magnificent occasion here at Franklin’s Gardens.

“Perpignan away will be as tough. They have a vocal support at the Stade Aimé Giral and the atmosphere will be intense. And we will not be taking the back-to-back matches against Treviso lightly. They have plenty of European experience and will be challenging opponents.”

Northampton won the European Challenge Cup last season, beating Bourgoin in the final and lost just one match at home last season in the Guinness Premiership. Munster host Italian side Benetton Treviso seven days later but arguably the two most mouth- watering ties in this pool take place in December when the Irish province clash with Perpignan in back-to-back clashes.

Munster will entertain the French champions on Friday, December 11th (8pm) at Thomond Park but nine days later must make the trip to the notoriously raucous Stade Aimé Giral. The schedule will once again test the loyalty of the Munster faithful in trying to make their way to the south of France for a Sunday kick-off (4pm, local time) five days before Christmas. Munster, like Leinster, will have all four fixtures broadcast live on Sky Sports.

Ulster haven’t been afforded the same status as they open their campaign under new coach Brian McLaughlin against Bath at Ravenhill on Friday, October 9th. After making the short trip to Edinburgh, Ulster face successive matches against perennial European opponents Stade Français in December, the first of which takes place in Belfast.

Given that Stade Jean Bouin is unavailable to the Parisian club because of redevelopment, Stade Français will host the Irish province at Stade du Roi Baudouin in Brussels, on the December 19th. McLaughlin admitted: “I am really pleased we have our first Heineken Cup match at home, against Bath. They are a somewhat unknown side to us, so to meet them first at Ravenhill, will be to our advantage.

“A good performance will then set us up for the rest of the competition. We will travel away to Edinburgh with confidence. Both sides know each other very well, and we know we can win at Murrayfield.

“Last season was disappointing against Stade, but by the time we meet in December, we will have been playing competitive rugby for a number of months, so will have ironed out any issues and be at our best heading into the back to back rounds with Stade.

“Edinburgh at Ravenhill is a must win game, before heading away to Bath to finish up.”