Both major European rugby finals have been moved from Marseille for the second consecutive year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, European Professional Club Rugby have announced.
The two showpiece events will take place on the weekend of 21-22 May in a different location.
Marseille will host next season’s final.
“After consultation with the relevant local authorities in France and given the evolving public health situation, the Board concluded that in order to reduce cross-border travel where possible and to minimise the risk of Covid-19 transmission, flexibility was required regarding the choice of venues,” EPCR said.
It continued: “EPCR is working with its shareholder leagues and unions to put in place alternative arrangements for the staging of the two matches.”
EPCR also confirmed that the semi-finals of both competitions will be played at home grounds of clubs involved, unlike the last number of years.
“The semi-final pairings in both the Heineken Champions Cup and Challenge Cup, as well as which clubs will play at home, will be decided by live streamed draws on Sunday 11 April,” EPCR said.
The last 16 of this season’s tournaments commence this weekend, with recently crowned PRO14 champions Leinster taking on Toulon in one of the standout ties of the round. You can listen to Friday’s game on KCLR, with live coverage beginning at 5.30 pm from the RDS with thanks to Clever Agri Components, supplying the agricultural and construction sector across Ireland, with a fantastic range of products.
If Leinster overcome the French giants on Friday evening, they will qualify for one of the four quarter-finals that will take place next weekend.
