The Ospreys will kick off their 2013/14 Heineken Cup campaign with a home game against Leinster.
The three times European kings and reigning Amlin Cup champions will visit the Liberty Stadium on Saturday 12th October, for a 6.00pm kick-off.The following week sees the region travel to the East Midlands for their first ever visit to Franklin’s Gardens, home of Northampton Saints, to face another former Heineken Cup winner on Sunday 20th October at 12.45pm.
The December double-header sees the Ospreys head to the south of France to play Castres on Friday 6th December at Stade Pierre Antoine (KO 9.00pm), with the newly crowned French T14 champions making the return visit to Ospreylia the following Friday (13th December) at 8.00pm.
Round 5 sees the Ospreys welcome the Saints to the Liberty on the weekend of 10/11/12 January, with a trip to the RDS Showground for a final round clash with Leinster the following weekend.
Ospreys Head Coach, Steve Tandy, said:
“You get excited as a coach when you see the draw in June but it is now, with the schedule confirmation, that it become a reality.
“The Heineken Cup is all about testing yourself against the best teams in Europe, and against some of the best players in the world, and that is definitely the case for us in this pool.
“We’re up against two former Heineken Cup winners, the current PRO12 and Amlin champions, and the current French champions. It doesn’t get any tougher. it’s going to be an extremely competitive pool. There will be some upsets right the way through the group as it is four good teams, but that makes it all the more exciting for everyone involved.
“It’s only the second time in six years that we’ve been at home for the first game and we’re looking forward to welcoming Leinster to the Liberty. It should be a great contest and a special occasion, and we’ll be looking to get off to the best possible start.
“Our supporters will have a big part to play in our fate in this pool. We’ll be travelling to three grounds where the home support is loud and proud and there’ll be a fantastic, passionate atmosphere. We need to match that at the Liberty to help inspire the team when they go into battle for the cause.”
The Ospreys will shortly be announcing details of tailored package tours for the three away games in conjunction with official travel partner, Gullivers Sports Travel. Keep checking the website for full details over the coming days.
Supporters are reminded that season memberships are currently on sale, providing admission to all three Heineken Cup pool home fixtures as well as 11 RaboDirect PRO12 home games, two LV= Cup home games and the pre-season match against Worcester, with adult prices starting at just £92.50 per person – that’s just £5.44 per match, or equivalent to less than five matchday tickets valued at £20 each.