The decision by the Leinster Professional Board to play the fixture in the Aviva Stadium was taken in consultation with the Leinster team management and squad. Having won two matches so far this season in the Aviva Stadium against Munster (Magners League) and ASM Clermont Auvergne (Heineken Cup), the Board is confident that this decision will give the opportunity to the greatest number of Leinster supporters to see the game.

Full ticket details for the Heineken Cup quarter final will be available in the coming days once the kick off time and date have been confirmed by ERC.

Leinster Chief Executive Mick Dawson commented: “I would firstly congratulate the entire team and management on reaching the quarter finals in what was, arguably, the toughest pool that the province has ever faced.

“To reach the knock-out stages – and achieve a home quarter final draw in the process – is an impressive achievement and due reward, not only for the team, but also for our loyal supporters who have followed the team across Europe at great expense and also established their own reputation as a significant element in the Leinster quest to regain the Heineken Cup. They once again added to this reputation last Friday night when over 1,000 supporters made the trip to Paris and gave wonderful vocal support throughout the game.

“We will continue the increasingly popular ‘One Province’ scheme as we do for all of our home matches, a community ticketing initiative designed specifically for underage groups travelling to matches at discount prices.

“We remain committed to our home in the RDS, but given the manner in which our Leinster supporter base has grown in recent years, we believe that we have a duty to cater for as large an audience as possible for special one off matches such as this, which will be a local and international event.

“I would like to thank Martin Murphy and his team for facilitating our plans to play in the Aviva Stadium, a venue which is fast becoming one of the leading arenas in Europe.

“Over the coming days we will finalise competitive ticket prices, mindful of the difficult economic climate and the great commitment of our supporters, both at home and abroad, over recent seasons.”

The Premiership has provided eight of the last 10 winners of the Amlin Challenge Cup – including Dallaglio’s own London Wasps side in 2003 – and the English charge for the 2010/11 campaign will be led by three former winners in Gloucester, Sale Sharks and Harlequins and Dallaglio believes England will wrench the trophy from the holders, Cardiff Blues, this season.

“Traditionally, English clubs have done very well in this tournament. When you look at the history of the Amlin Challenge Cup, almost 99 per cent of the teams to have won it are English,” he said.

“There have to be reasons for that and it’s down to strength in depth and the way English clubs approach the competition.

“You can’t discount Bayonne and Montpellier, but with the likes of Harlequins and Sale involved, I’m fully expecting an English club to reach the final, if not two.

“Newcastle are very familiar with this competition and will be happy to start with a home game. They are a force up there in Newcastle and you have a great chance of progressing in Europe if you win your home games.”

Harlequins, winners in 2001 and 2004, meet Bayonne on the opening weekend in Pool 1 while Gloucester travel to Agen and Sale Sharks host the Spanish side, Cetransa El Savador.

“Gloucester have made a slow start to the season but they are looking to build some confidence in this competition and are very tough at home,” Dallaglio added.

“The biggest thing they have on their side is the wonderful support at Kingsholm. No opponent will enjoy playing in front of the Shed.”

Leeds Carnegie head to Romania, where they face Bucharest Oaks, while Exeter Chiefs will make their European debut against French Top 14 high-flyers Montpellier.

“It promises to be the best day in Exeter’s club history. Every game they play in Europe will be the most wonderful experience for everyone involved in the club, from the players to the fans,” explained Dallaglio.

“It’s great for rugby to have club like that involved. They have made a great start in the Premiership but some of their players will never have dreamed of playing European rugby.

“Montpellier are doing well in the Top 14, but they don’t have a tradition of travelling well in Europe and I know from personal experience that Sandy Park is not an easy place to play.”

Italian club I Cavalieri Estra will be making their European debut when they welcome Connacht Rugby – who will be playing a record 93^rdtournament match – to Stadio Lungobisenzio on Saturday.

“We sent a guy over to Italy the weekend before last when they were playing Lazio in the Super 10 and video of that one game is what we will be working off in preparation for Saturday,” said former Ireland outside half Elwood, who scored 473 points in 53 Amlin Challenge Cup appearances for Connacht Rugby.

“That was the best we could do so we have to take our chances from that one game and then hope there are not too many changes in their team.

“However, what it has told us is that they have a couple of big, good ball carriers, big centres and a solid goal kicker.

“We will have to keep our discipline, not give away any silly penalties and easy points and, if we play to our full capabilities, we should be okay.

“But because it is their first game in Europe they will want to put on a good performance in front of their own fans and we expect them, like all Italian teams, to be very competitive

“I am not at all worried that we start away from home but with just the Pool winner going through into the quarter-finals we know we must get off to a winning start.”

Connacht Rugby have been the only ever-present team in the history of the tournament, reaching the knock-out stages seven times in 14 attempts, and if they can qualify for the semi-finals for the fourth time they will be the first team to play in 100 matches in the competition.

“It is really exciting to be going into another European campaign but we know we are in a tough group,” said Elwood.

“We have not played Bayonne before either but they were riding high in the Top 14 while I know Harlequins and John (Kingston) very well so there is a bit of history there.

“We know how tough the French teams are but we have never feared going to France and, after five Celtic League matches in a tournament that is very competitive and physically demanding, that is a great way to prepare for Europe.

“We hope to have our skipper John Muldoon back for his first game since breaking an arm on the Irish tour and we are very happy with how Ian Keatley is coming on – he is a work in progress but he is developing really well and working extremely hard on his game.

“We go into the Amlin Challenge Cup after losing 22-6 away to Cardiff Blues but were disappointed we did not get anything out of that match. We created a few opportunities but did not take them, and away from home in particular that is not acceptable.”

Speaking at the French and Italian launch in Paris today (Tuesday, 28 September) Clermont captain Rougerie declared that contesting the tournament’s 16^thfinal at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, on Saturday, 21 May, was the next challenge. 

“I hope we can make the step up from champions of France to champions of Europe, but it is an extremely demanding competition and it is going to be very difficult,” he said.

“Every team I have played against in the tournament has been a good side – the Heineken Cup is the top level of rugby – but we are a good side and have to believe in ourselves.”

After the all-French final in May, when Toulouse beat Biarritz Olympique 21-19 at Stade de France, now all roads lead to the Welsh capital.

The draw pitched Clermont in with 2009 Heineken Cup champions Leinster, and that means a clash with former Clermont coach Joe Schmidt, now head coach with the Irish province, when the teams meet in Rounds 3 and 4 with Leinster staging their home leg on 18 December at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.

“We are in a tough group that includes Saracens, Racing Metro 9 as well as Leinster and obviously, while we hope to finish first, it is going to be very hard,” said the player who has scored 14 tries in 26 Heineken Cup appearances

“I am looking forward to meeting up with Joe (Schmidt) again and, although it hasn’t been the greatest of starts for him at Leinster, he has more internationals to come back into his team which will make them very strong and tough to beat.

“He brought a lot to our club as he taught us the basics and brought in our attacking lines – he will do well for Leinster.”

The tournament kicks-off the weekend after next with champions and four-times winners Toulouse starting their defence of the title with a home clash at Le Stadium against 2004 and 2007 winners London Wasps.

The 10th season of the tournament will see the Magners League expanded to four nations as Italy joins Ireland, Scotland and Wales in a high profile 12-team cross-border competition designed to considerably enhance both playing standards and commercial viability for the competing countries.

The three Celtic Unions have unanimously agreed to the introduction of two new Italian super sides and the four-year agreement will see Benetton Treviso and Aironi Rugby competing against defending champions Munster and the other nine Celtic teams on a home and away basis.

Benetton Treviso will have their headquarters at Stadio Comunale di Monigo while Aironi, who will be based at Stadio Luigi Zaffanella, will involve various clubs from the Lombardia and Emilia-Romagna regions.

The move to welcome Italian sides comes at the end of a year-long review of the viability of expanding the tournament, the detailed analysis and due diligence undertaken by the sports consultancy arm of Deloittes and focusing on the basis of long term financial capacity to support the teams and commit to the league.

David Jordan, Director of Celtic Rugby, said: “This is another massive step forward for the Magners League and follows the decision to go to a top four Play-Off system to determine our champion team.

“As well as providing more fixtures for the teams already involved this will also bring both a major cash injection into the competition and greater exposure across Europe.

“The implementation of the Plays-Offs and the Magners League Grand Final this season has already seen a marked improvement in the competitiveness of the League and the arrival of two Italian teams will provide another boost to the competition.

“Operationally it will present new challenges, as well as opportunities, but by introducing Italy into the Celtic fold it will also dramatically broaden the appeal of our product.

“It is anticipated that the Italian super clubs will be largely made up of Italian internationals of full, A and under 20 levels, with a sprinkling of top class overseas players set to provide further extra strength and spice to the tournament.”

Giancarlo Dondi, President of Federazione Italiana Rugby (FIR), said: “I am very pleased that, after months of intense negotiations, an agreement that will see two Italian teams join the Magners League at the start of next season has been reached.

“I would like to thank the Board of Celtic Rugby, in particular President John Hussey and Director David Jordan, for the support given in recent months.

“At the same time, I would like to thank Amerino Zatta, the President of Benetton Treviso, and Silvano Melegari, President of Aironi Rugby, who supported me throughout the negotiation period.

“I am sure that the Magners League will bring benefits to all Italian rugby and will have a positive impact on the competitiveness of our national team.”

Jimmy Cowan recommits to New Zealand rugby

Popular All Blacks, Highlanders and Southland halfback Jimmy Cowan has re-signed with the New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) and Rugby Southland through until the end of 2012, it was announced today.

The re-signing will see the Highlanders captain play his provincial rugby for Southland and Super Rugby for the Highlanders for the next three years.

Jimmy Cowan said: “I really enjoy playing my rugby in New Zealand, and I’m looking forward to the next few years with the All Blacks, Southland and the Highlanders.”

Cowan, who turns 28 next month, made his All Blacks debut in 2004 and has played 32 Tests since then, including all five Tests on the 2009 end of year Telecom Northern Tour to Japan and Europe.

He made his Super Rugby debut in 2003, has scored seven tries and is the most capped Super Rugby player in the Highlanders team, playing his 68th game against the Crusaders in the opening round of the Rebel Sport Super 14 on the weekend. He has also played 92 matches for his beloved Southland province since making his debut in 2000.

NZRU CEO Steve Tew said the NZRU was extremely pleased to announce the re-signing of Cowan.

“Since his provincial debut nine years ago, he has developed into an outstanding rugby player. He is a passionate player who leads from the front, is a key player both on and off the field and we are delighted that he has made a commitment to New Zealand for the next three years.”

Highlanders CEO Richard Reid said: “Jimmy is an integral part of the Highlanders set-up and we’re all thrilled that he has committed to New Zealand rugby and the Highlanders for the next three years.”

Rugby Southland CEO Roger Clark said Rugby Southland was “over the moon” with the re-signing of Cowan.

“The whole Southland community will ride on his coat tails as he strives for his dream of playing in the RWC 2011 at home,” he said.=

“Jimmy’s presence in the Rugby Southland set-up has been instrumental in local players committing to the province and in no small way has played a part in the consistently good performances of the Stags in the provincial competition over the past five years.

“Jimmy’s loyalty to Southland and the Stags is inspirational for a whole generation of Southland youngsters who now aspire to emulate his achievements with the Stags, Highlanders and the All Blacks.”

Premier Rugby and ESPN have agreed a three year contract for exclusive live rights to 43 matches per season from the Guinness Premiership, beginning next season and running through to the 2012-2013 season, including exclusive live coverage of the Guinness Premiership Final and one of the two semi-final matches. The agreement also provides highlight rights for use on ESPN digital media such as ESPNScrum.com.

Jon Varney, Commercial Director of Premier Rugby said, “This deal with ESPN secures a partnership with one of the world’s leading broadcasters, who become yet another blue chip supporter of club rugby in England.

“Starting next season, our new television deals mean we have doubled the number of live televised Premiership matches, which will further raise the profile of the sport in the UK and overseas and will allow our clubs and sponsors to derive even greater exposure and value. It also means supporters have more chance to see their team on live television.

“ESPN are renowned for their innovation and we are all genuinely excited about the opportunity of working with them to drive value in both our businesses.”

Added Jeroen Oerlemans, Vice President, TV Channels Europe, Middle East and Africa said: “The Guinness Premiership is among the very best UK sports competitions, with a passionate fan base and top quality competition. We’re thrilled to add it to our programming schedule and know that it will deliver great value for fans, advertisers and our partners.”

The world’s most competitive rugby union competition, the Guinness Premiership is the top division for club competition in England. From its beginnings as the Allied Dunbar Premiership in 1998, the league has established itself as a top global rugby union league and evolved into its current format with relegation to and promotion from the second-tier Championship. It features the 12 leading clubs in the country. Its regular season runs from September to May and comprises 22 rounds of matches. The teams play each other on a home and away basis during the regular season with the top four sides qualifying for the semi-final. The top two sides are guaranteed home advantage in the last four with the final staged at Twickenham Stadium.

The agreement adds to ESPN’s coverage of rugby in the UK, where it also delivers live coverage of French Top 14 Orange Rugby. ESPN also recently announced an agreement to show archive matches and footage from each of the six Rugby World Cup tournaments to date on ESPN Classic in the UK, Europe, Middle East and Africa. The content will be featured on the channel in the coming months and will continue in the run-up to Rugby World Cup 2011 in New Zealand, and beyond.

The Guinness Premiership joins an ESPN programming lineup that is rich in top-quality, exclusive sports. Launched in August, ESPN features top live football from around the world (Barclays Premier League, FA Cup, Clydesdale Bank Premier League, UEFA Europa League, Italian Serie A, Spanish Liga, German Bundesliga, Dutch Eredivisie, Portuguese Liga, Russian Premier League and MLS) as well as UFC – Ultimate Fighting Championship, Top 14 Orange rugby, Australian Rules Football (AFL), NHL, NBA, Major League Baseball and more.

“It’s a tail of two tables,” he said. “In the Magners League we’re at the top but in the Heineken Cup we’re at the bottom.

“We need to play like a team that’s at the top of the Magners League to do our current position justice.”

The Warriors lost their two opening games of the European competition away to Newport-Gwent Dragons and at home to Biarritz.

Now following a hard-fought win over Ulster in Belfast, Lineen wants his charges to get back to winning ways in Europe.

He continued: “We’re still disappointed with what happened with the Biarritz game so we need to make sure we’re back on form at Firhill to show the supporters what we’ve got as a professional sports team.

“Last weekend, I was particularly impressed with the way in which the players performed in such a hostile environment, especially our younger forwards like Jon Welsh, Richie Gray and Richie Vernon.”

The Warriors have made five changes, two positional, to the side that defeated Ulster last Friday.

Scotland captain Chris Cusiter returns to the number nine jersey and Peter Murchie takes over on the wing from National Academy youngster Alex Dunbar. In the pack, Dan Turner comes in for Tim Barker.

As a result of the changes, Thom Evans moves to the right wing and Richie Gray moves to the left hand side of the scrum.

Glasgow Warriors team to play Gloucester in the Heineken Cup at Firhill on Friday 11 December (kick-off 7:30pm)

• 15 Bernardo Stortoni
• 14 Thom Evans
• 13 Max Evans
• 12 Graeme Morrison
• 11 Peter Murchie
• 10 Dan Parks
• 9 Chris Cusiter
• 1 Jon Welsh
• 2 Dougie Hall
• 3 Moray Low
• 4 Richie Gray
• 5 Dan Turner
• 6 Kelly Brown
• 7 John Barclay CAPTAIN
• 8 Richie Vernon

Substitutes

• 16 Fergus Thomson
• 17 Ed Kalman
• 18 Kevin Tkachuk
• 19 Tim Barker
• 20 Calum Forrester
• 21 Mark McMillan
• 22 Colin Gregor
• 23 DTH van der Merwe

Tickets to Friday night’s game against Gloucester – priced at £15 for adults in advance with a new AnyGame voucher (£20 on match days), £10 for students and senior citizens and just £5 for under 18s – can be purchased now by calling the Ticket Hotline on 0844 800 3490, by logging onto www.glasgowwarriors.org or by visiting Greaves Sports (located on Gordon Street and Sauchiehall Street).

The sides met two weeks ago in Tunis, where Namibia claimed a narrow victory, defeating the home side 18-13. The second leg of their challenge took place yesterday on Namibian homesoil in Windhoek where they defeated the visitors 22-10.

Namibia’s qualification now completes Pool D which includes Fiji, Samoa, South Africa and Wales.

“Our warmest congratulations go to Namibia on their qualification for RWC 2011. The completed line up for Pool D is very strong and will provide some exciting matches in 2011. In particular, I am looking forward to Namibia’s match against their African neighbours, South Africa,” said Rugby New Zealand 2011 Ltd (RNZ 2011) CEO Martin Snedden.

In their first match on September 10, Namibia will face tenth-ranked Fiji at Rotorua International Stadium. They will remain in Rotorua for their second Pool Match on September 14 against Samoa.

Rotorua Mayor Mayor Kevin Winters extended his congratulations to Namibia on their qualification. “There is already a buzz of excitement here in Rotorua and RWC 2011 just can’t come soon enough for us. We’re planning to make it a big celebration befitting New Zealand’s most famous and iconic visitor destination. Rotorua International Stadium will be in great shape to host these matches and our Namibian visitors can be assured of the very warmest of Rotorua welcomes as our various cultures come together for the magnificent international sporting spectacular that is RWC 2011” he said.

The team will then travel to the North Shore to take on RWC 2007 Champions and current world number two team South Africa at North Harbour Stadium on September 22.

Said Michael Barnett, Auckland’s RWC 2011 political spokesman, “Congratulations to Namibia and we look forward to welcoming the team to Auckland in 2011. We will ensure that the Namibian team has a great Auckland experience while they are here. Their visit will also be a treat for local fans who will have the opportunity to see Namibia play their neighbours and arch rivals South Africa at North Harbour Stadium.”

In their final Pool Match on September 26, Namibia will come up against Wales at Stadium Taranaki in New Plymouth.

New Plymouth District Mayor Peter Tennent is looking forward to hosting the team in Taranaki: “It has taken passion and determination for Namibia to qualify, and it’s that drive to succeed that will make the Tournament such an exciting event for everyone,” he said. “We’re welcoming teams from around the world to this Rugby-mad nation, and when Namibia runs onto the ground at Stadium Taranaki they’ll know they’re playing in front of thousands of passionate fans.”

Namibia have competed in the past three Rugby World Cup tournaments and are currently ranked 22nd in the International Rugby Board (IRB) World Rankings.

Their qualification makes them the 16th team to join RWC 2011, leaving four more spots to be contested prior to 2011 – Europe 1, Europe 2, Asia 1 and the Play-off winner.

The classically trained X Factor finalist will raise the iconic roof with the title song from his new studio album before joining the traditional choir for a medley of Welsh rugby favourites and the national anthems.

Rhydian, who sang for the first time at the Millennium Stadium at the Grand Slam party in 2008, said: “I’m so grateful to the WRU for giving me this opportunity to fulfil a life time ambition of mine.

“The Millennium Stadium is my favourite place to sing and I’m more excited than ever before about tomorrow’s encounter between Wales and Australia. Diolch o’r galon. Cymru am byth!”

A sell-out crowd will fill the Millennium Stadium this weekend to watch a Wales team that has risen to sixth in the IRB world rankings clash with third-placed Australia in the autumn’s final game.

And fans wanting to beat the rush can take advantage of the matchday experience as the iconic venue welcomes fans to enjoy that all-important build-up and offers the chance to stay late and celebrate after the final whistle.

The leading rugby unions in the world go head-to-head tomorrow with four must-watch clashes held in Europe and the gateway to all the matchday action – the Cardiff Arms Café Bar – will be showing the top sporting action when it opens to the public from 10.00am until midnight.

The Café Bar, situated above the WRU Store on Westgate Street, showcases some of the most prestigious memorabilia from Cardiff’s iconic sporting stadium and will play out Ireland v South Africa and Scotland v Argentina (at 2.30pm), Wales v Australia (at 5.15pm) and France v New Zealand (at 8.00pm) to the fans on their top-of-the-range screens.

Millennium Stadium general manager Gerry Toms said: “The matchday experience has been transformed for fans in recent years and we are proud of the great party atmosphere here at the Millennium Stadium.

“This week we expect that fans will be at their best for the final game of the Series as Wales take on one of the top teams in world rugby in front of a sell-out crowd and we urge those fans to soak up the entire matchday experience on offer at the home of Welsh rugby.”

Throughout the Autumn Series more bars than ever before remain open for an extra 90 minutes with the popular offer of ‘£5 for a pie and a pint’ found at the units on the half way line at level 3 and level 6.

“There’s always a great collection of sing-songs to be heard on level 6 and level 3 around the late bar units on both sides of the half way line after the games and I hear that a pie and a pint manages to keep the party going,” added Mr Toms.