01279 647566
12-Jul-2019
Challenge Cup success
Specialist ground handling agents for Clermont Rugby, here at Absolute Travel we enjoyed European Challenge Cup success once more last season.
As the longstanding tour specialists for Clermont Rugby, we were again privileged to look after the Top 14 giants during their EPCR Challenge Cup campaign last season, culminating in an outstanding win over La Rochelle in the final at St. James Park stadium in Newcastle. Their star-studded squad included the All Black Isaia Toeava, Wesley Fofana, Morgan Parra, Fritz Lee, Camille Lopez and Greg Laidlaw.
After a tremendous season which included pool fixtures away at Timisoara in Romania, Newport in Wales and Northampton our friends from France reached yet another European and took home the silverware back to the Auvergne. The match in Timisoara back in December represented the first European match for the club in Romania and it was a pleasure to look after the handling in this fascinating city, despite the freezing conditions.
As we head into the new season, the EPCR Champions Cup draw has again thrown up some mouth-watering encounters. The twenty top-flight teams taking part include the top six clubs in the Aviva Premiership. Both Harlequins and Bath have been drawn in the same pool as French heavyweights Clermont Auvergne so there will be some fascinating matches to look forward to during the campaign.
Both the Champions Cup and Challenge Cup competitions start their initial group stage matches in mid-November 2019 and continue in December and January 2020. The Quarter-finals will be played over the weekend of 4-5 April with the semi-finals over the weekend of 2-3 May 2020. The finals will be held at the 67,394 capacity Stade de Marseille in the south of France on 22 May (Challenge Cup final) and 23 May (Champions Cup final).
We are very proud to offer fantastic pro-club school rugby training tours at many of the clubs featured in these prestigious competitions. These school tours can be adjusted to meet the wants and needs of your school party, but typically can include training with the professional coaching team at the club’s academy or training ground; a Q&A session with a coach and player; behind the scenes stadium tour; friendly matches with academy or feeder teams; a chance to watch the first team in training and the possibility of match day tickets in season. These popular tours give students a real taste of life as a professional player and they often come home inspired and keen to raise the level of their own game.
Teams of all ages and abilities can enjoy European competition with Absolute Travel. Opportunities include tournament or festival entries, friendly matches abroad, training camps and professional club visits. Call us now on 01279 647566 to find out more or send us a message to [email protected] to get the ball rolling.