Both of ERC’s 2014 finals take place in the Welsh capital this season, with the Amlin Challenge Cup final played at Cardiff Arms Park on Friday, 23 May 2014 and the Heineken Cup taking place at the home of Welsh rugby the following day.
The Cardiff Blues, Scarlets and Ospreys can all look forward to competing in this year’s Heineken Cup while the Dragons take part in the Amlin.
And at this afternoon’s launch, coaches and captains from all four teams were in positive mood as attentions begin to turn to cross-border competition.
The Ospreys currently sit in second place in the RaboDirect PRO12 table with three wins and a draw from their opening four games. It’s a more than solid start for the Liberty Stadium outfit though they once again face a tough pool of European fixtures when the Heineken Cup begins next weekend.
Steve Tandy’s side face Leinster in their opening fixture with clashes against Northampton Saints and Castres to follow.
“We’ve got a big hit out this week against Ulster and then we’ve got Leinster in the first game,” said Ospreys skipper and Wales lock Alun Wyn Jones.
“It’s a tough way to start but a good one too. We have been out there once already this season and we know a lot about them.
“The majority of their boys are back now, I think they’re just waiting on Sean O’Brien, so they’ll be at full strength for the first game.”
Tries from Joe Bearman and Ashley Beck secured a draw for the Ospreys in Dublin earlier this season but they have home advantage for their opening European game.
In Pool 2, the Cardiff Blues renew rivalries with defending champions Toulon, a side they also met in the the pool stages last year. Exeter Chiefs are first up for Phil Davies’s side though while Glasgow Warriors complete the fixtures.
“It’s a great competition and we’re looking forward to our first game against Exeter,” said captain Matthew Rees.
“As players you want to play against the best in Europe and that’s what the Heineken Cup gives you.
“We’ve had one bad performance but other than that we’ve performed quite well. We know how good a team we are and the individuals we have. But it’s about being consistent and if we do that then we’ll be fine.”
Last season saw the Blues give their young players a chance against the likes of Toulon and Montpellier. Davies added: “We’re still a young group in terms of the experience we have together and that’s what we’re looking to build week in week out.
“We’ve got two fantastic games at the start of this competition to do just that.”
At Parc y Scarlets, Simon Easterby’s side can look forward to Clermont Auvergne, Harlequins and Racing Metro heading to west Wales. The Scarlets travel to the Stoop to take on Quins next Saturday in what looks like one of the ties of the opening weekend.
“You need a little bit of luck sometimes and you need to play the right way,” said Easterby, as he assessed his side’s chances.
“If you do that early in the tournament you can build some momentum and sides can not want to play you.
“We’ll need to be battle hardened going into the Quins game which is perfect for us and to keep us mentally switched on for what’s coming in the next few weeks.”
In the Amlin Challenge Cup, the Dragons face ties with Bordeaux, Bath and Mogliano. The Italian side travel to Rodney Parade next Friday for the first round of fixtures.
“We can’t take Mogliano for granted,” said Andrew Coombs.
“We had two convincing wins over them last year but if we can get a positive result against them, we’ll be in a good position going to Bath.
“We’re trying to develop our squad in all areas and it’s a good opportunity to test ourselves in Europe.”
