Rugby College: EXCLUSIVE: Twickenham chosen to host inaugural European Rugby ...

Tuesday, 12 August 2014

EXCLUSIVE: Twickenham chosen to host inaugural European Rugby ...

Twickenham will host the continent’s new showpiece final on May 2, 2015

Heineken Cup has been reformed into the European Rugby Champions Cup

Formation of new competition means San Siro will no longer be hosts

It will be the first time in three seasons England has hosted European final

ERCC final is just four months before England’s World Cup opener with Fiji

ERCC pools already drawn but fixtures will be released on ThursdayÂ

By

Chris Foy

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Published:

08:29, 12 August 2014

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Updated:

08:29, 12 August 2014

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Twickenham will stage the inaugural European Rugby Champions Cup Final on May 2 next year â€“ three years after it last hosted the continent’s showpiece fixture in its previous guise.

The formation of new competitions in the wake of a revolt by English and French clubs has led to plans for Italy to stage the match to be abandoned. Amid a turbulent spell of political unrest last season, it was announced that the 2015 final would take place at the iconic San Siro Stadium in Milan, if the Heineken Cup survived.

Instead, the competition – which had taken place for 19 seasons – was replaced by the new, streamlined Champions Cup, with clubs assuming greater control over that and the secondary Challenge Cup tournament. Since that historic development, a pool draw has taken place, but there has been a logistical delay in revealing fixture details.

Glory: The European Rugby Champions Cup has replaced the Heineken Cup, which Toulon won in 2014

Hosts: Twickenham will be the venue for the inaugural European Rugby Champions Cup final on May 2, 2015

International: The ERCC final will take place four months before England face Fiji in their World Cup opener

Looking on: England head coach Stuart Lancaster will hope to see some of his players in the ERCC final

An announcement is due to be made on Tuesday that London will host the finals on May 1 and 2, with Twickenham securing the Champions Cup decider just four months before the World Cup begins at HQ with England v Fiji. The major final was held there as recently as May, 2012, when Leinster crushed Ulster 42-14 in a one-sided, all-Irish encounter.

The decision to stage the game at one of the worldâ€™s leading venues makes sense in terms of capacity – 82,000 – and potential revenue. It is sure to be a lucrative sell-out, but doubtless organisers will be encouraged to consider the merits of taking a final to Italy in the near-future, to drive further development of the sport in that country.

During the 19 seasons of the Heineken Cup, Cardiff staged seven finals, with four taking place in London and three in Dublin. The remaining finals were held in Edinburgh (two), Paris (two) and Bordeaux.

European fixtures will be announced on Thursday.