The Ospreys will renew some old rivalries in the LV= Cup this season.
The schedule for the 2013/14 competition was confirmed this morning, throwing up some intriguing battles.
First up will be a trip to Welford Road to face Leicester Tigers on Friday 8th November, KO at 7.45pm, before the Ospreys host Cardiff Blues the following weekend.
When the competition returns on the weekend of 24/25/26 January, the Ospreys make a third trip to Exeter in as many seasons, before rounding off the pool stage with a home game against Sale Sharks a week later.
Full details of the schedule, including days and times, will be confirmed as soon as possible.
Both home games, against Cardiff Blues and Sale Sharks, are covered by Ospreys season membership with prices starting at just £92.50 for all 17 home games throughout the season, an incredible price of just £5.44 per game, per adult, with kids also going free.
Following the fixture announcement, LV= Head of Sponsorship Claire Jeromson, said:
“Over the course of the last four seasons, we have seen the LV=Cup grow into an incredibly exciting competition and it has been a privilege to be part of that, as title sponsors. In a busy rugby calendar the chance to see some of the most promising young players given their opportunity to break through into the first team for their squads is incredibly important
“As domestic rugby continues to grow and become more competitive, we are looking forward to seeing what this season’s LV=Cup holds in store.”
2013-14 LV= Cup
Pool 1
Saracens
Gloucester Rugby
London Irish
Newport Gwent Dragons
Pool 2
Leicester Tigers
Exeter Chiefs
Sale Sharks
Cardiff Blues
Pool 3
Harlequins
Bath Rugby
Worcester Warriors
Ospreys
Pool 4
Northampton Saints
London Wasps
Newcastle Falcons
Scarlets
Fixtures
Round 1 – 8/9/10 November
London Wasps v Saracens
Northampton Saints v Gloucester Rugby
Newcastle Falcons v London Irish
Scarlets v Newport Gwent Dragons
Exeter Chiefs v Harlequins
Leicester Tigers v Ospreys (Friday November 8, KO 19:45, Live on Sky Sports)
Sale Sharks v Bath Rugby
Cardiff Blues v Worcester Warriors
Round 2 – 15/16/17 November
London Irish v Northampton Saints
Newport Gwent Dragons v London Wasps
Saracens v Scarlets
Gloucester Rugby v Newcastle Falcons
Bath Rugby v Exeter Chiefs (Sunday November 17, KO 15:00 Sky Sports)
Worcester Warriors v Leicester Tigers
Harlequins v Sale Sharks
Ospreys v Cardiff Blues
Round 3 – 24/25/26 January
Scarlets v Gloucester Rugby
London Wasps v London Irish
Saracens v Newcastle Falcons
Newport Gwent Dragons v Northampton Saints
Bath Rugby v Cardiff Blues
Exeter Chiefs v Ospreys
Harlequins v Leicester Tigers
Sale Sharks v Worcester Warriors
Round 4 – 31/1/2 January/February
Gloucester Rugby v London Wasps
London Irish v Scarlets
Newcastle Falcons v Newport Gwent Dragons
Northampton Saints v Saracens
Leicester Tigers v Bath Rugby
Worcester Warriors v Exeter Chiefs
Cardiff Blues v Harlequins
Ospreys v Sale Sharks
Semi Finals – 7/8/9 March
The pool winner with the best playing record will be at home against the pool winner with the fourth best playing record in Semi Final 1.
The Pool Winner with the second best playing record will be at home against the pool winner with the third best playing record in Semi Final 2.
LV= Cup Final - 16 March
Final venue to be confirmed.
Competition format:
The LV= Cup is a 16-team competition involving the 12 Aviva Premiership Rugby clubs and 4 Welsh regions
Played in four pools of four with three English clubs and one Welsh region in each pool
English clubs have been allocated to the pools depending on their finish in last season's Aviva Premiership Rugby competition
Welsh regions have been allocated to the pools to avoid repeating fixtures from the Heineken and Amlin Challenge cups where possible
Teams in Pool 1 play teams in Pool 4 and teams in Pool 2 play teams in Pool 3
Each team plays four pool matches - two home and two away - with the top team from each pool qualifying for the semi-finals.