Challenge Cup
Lam happy with Bears ‘controlled’ performance

Pat Lam lauded his players for a ‘controlled performance’ as they became the first team in 57 years to nil Brive at Stade Amédée-Domenech – and the first to win there in more than 18 months.
The Bears ran in five tries – three in the first half and two in the second – to earn an impressive bonus-point win in south west France and take control of Pool Four with maximum points from their opening two games.
And the Director of Rugby has now challenged his side to reach the same highs every week.
“We said when you come to France you have to go early. If you start badly, it can be a long day, so we put a huge emphasis on that with our structures and our moves to really come at them quickly.
“It worked to plan, to go 24-0 up [in the first 24 minutes]. The only way they were going to get into their game was from stupid penalties from us and we had a bit of that as well.
“All in all, it was a really controlled performance from us. I am really proud, that was a big effort. Winning any game in France is tough and especially against a team that hasn’t lost here in 18 months, I know a lot of their players and there is a lot of quality in that team as well.
“The [wet] conditions were very difficult, but we trained really well this week.
“You saw me last week, I wasn’t happy because we were up and down in the game, but the boys have been outstanding all week. They arrived at every meeting and every training session and brought their best and that is the celebration we have had out on the field this weekend.
“I have told them that is the standard we have to hit every week.”
6 Nations
What rugby is on and where to watch it October – December

Upcoming Rugby Fixtures
Kick-off times are UK & Ireland. Fixtures are subject to change.
MONDAY 26 OCTOBER
Munster v Cardiff Blues (8.15pm) Live on Premier Sports
SATURDAY 31 OCTOBER
2020 Six Nations
Wales v Scotland (2.15pm, Parc y Scarlets) Live on BBC & S4C
Italy v England (4.45pm, Stadio Olimpico) Live on ITV
France v Ireland (8pm, Stade de France) Live on BBC
Tri-Nations
Australia v New Zealand (8.45am, ANZ Stadium) Live on Sky Sports
SUNDAY 1 NOVEMBER
2020 Women’s Six Nations
Ireland v France (tbc, Dublin) Live on RTE
Wales v Scotland (4.15pm, Cardiff City Stadium) Live on BBC Alba
Italy v England (5pm, Stadio Sergio Lanranchi) Live on Sky Sports
Guinness Pro14
Dragons v Munster (2pm) Live on Premier Sports & S4C
Connacht v Benetton (4.30pm) Live on Premier Sports
Scarlets v Edinburgh (6.45pm) Live on Premier Sports
MONDAY 2 NOVEMBER
Guinness Pro14
Cardiff Blues v Ulster (6pm) Live on Premier Sports
Zebre v Ospreys (7.15pm) Live on Premier Sports
Glasgow v Leinster (8.15pm) Live on Premier Sports
SATURDAY 7 NOVEMBER
Tri-Nations
Australia v New Zealand (8.45am, Suncorp Stadium) Live on Sky Sports
Guinness Pro14
Benetton v Munster (2pm) Live on Premier Sports
Dragons v Connacht (5.15pm) Live on Premier Sports
Selection Match
Black Ferns Possibles v Probables (30.5am, North Harbour Stadium)
SUNDAY 8 NOVEMBER
Guinness Pro14
Ospreys v Leinster (3pm) Live on Premier Sports
Scarlets v Zebre (5.15pm) Live on Premier Sports & S4C
MONDAY 9 NOVEMBER
Guinness Pro14
Ulster v Glasgow (8.15pm) Live on Premier Sports
Edinburgh v Cardiff Blues (8.15pm) Live on Premier Sports
FRIDAY 13 NOVEMBER
Autumn Nations Cup
Ireland v Wales (7pm, Aviva Stadium) Live on Channel 4, RTE & S4C
SATURDAY 14 NOVEMBER
Autumn Nations Cup
Italy v Scotland (12.45pm, venue tbc) Live on Amazon Prime
England v Georgia (3pm, Twickenham) Live on Amazon Prime
Tri-Nations
New Zealand v Argentina (6.10am, Bankwest Stadium) Live on Sky Sports
RWC 2021 Qualifier
Samoa v Tonga (3.05am, Trusts Arena)
International Fixtures
France v England Women (1.15pm, venue TBC)
Black Ferns v NZ Barbarians (5.35am, Trusts Arena)
Guinness Pro14
Connacht v Scarlets (7.35pm) Live on Premier Sports
SUNDAY 15 NOVEMBER
Autumn Nations Cup
France v Fiji (3.15pm, Ravine Stadium) Live on Amazon Prime
Guinness Pro14
Munster v Ospreys (2.45pm) Live on Premier Sports & S4C
Glasgow v Dragons (6.30pm) Live on Premier Sports
MONDAY 16 NOVEMBER
Guinness Pro14
Zebre v Ulster (6pm) Live on Premier Sports
Leinster v Edinburgh (8.15pm) Live on Premier Sports
Cardiff Blues v Benetton (8.15pm) Live on Premier Sports
FRIDAY 20 NOVEMBER
Gallagher Premiership
Harlequins v Exeter (7.45pm) Live on BT Sport
Sale v Northampton (8pm)
SATURDAY 21 NOVEMBER
Autumn Nations Cup
Italy v Fiji (12.45pm, venue tbc) Live on Amazon Prime
England v Ireland (3pm, Twickenham) Live on Amazon Prime, Channel 4 & RTE
Wales v Georgia (5.15pm, Parc y Scarlets) Live on Amazon Prime & S4C
Tri-Nations
Argentina v Australia (8.45am, McDonald Jones Stadium) Live on Sky Sports
International Fixture
England v France Women (noon, Twickenham)
Black Ferns v NZ Barbarians (5.35am, Trafalgar Park)
Gallagher Premiership
Bath v Newcastle (12.30pm)
Leicester v Gloucester (3pm)
Worcester v London Irish (3pm)
SUNDAY 22 NOVEMBER
Autumn Nations Cup
Scotland v France (3pm, BT Murrayfield) Live on Amazon Prime
Gallagher Premiership
Wasps v Bristol (1pm) Live on BT Sport
Guinness Pro14
Zebre v Connacht (2.30pm) Live on Premier Sports
Ospreys v Benetton (3pm) Live on S4C
Leinster v Cardiff Blues (5.15pm) Live on Premier Sports
Ulster v Scarlets (7.35pm) Live on Premier Sports
MONDAY 23 NOVEMBER
Guinness Pro14
Dragons v Edinburgh (6pm)
Glasgow v Munster (8.15pm) Live on Premier Sports
FRIDAY 27 NOVEMBER
Gallagher Premiership
Newcastle v Sale (7.45pm) Live on BT Sport
SATURDAY 28 NOVEMBER
Autumn Nations Cup
Scotland v Fiji (1.45pm, BT Murrayfield) Live on Amazon Prime
Wales v England (4pm, venue tbc) Live on Amazon Prime & S4C
France v Italy (8pm, venue tbc) Live on Amazon Prime
Tri-Nations
Argentina v New Zealand (8.45am, McDonald Jones Stadium) Live on Sky Sports
Gallagher Premiership
Northampton v Harlequins (2pm)
Bristol v Worcester (3pm)
Exeter v Bath (3pm)
Gloucester v Wasps (3pm)
Guinness Pro14
Connacht v Ospreys (7.35pm) Live on Premier Sports
SUNDAY 29 NOVEMBER
Autumn Nations Cup
Ireland v Georgia (2pm, Aviva Stadium) Live on Channel 4 & RTE
Gallagher Premiership
London Irish v Leicester (4.15pm) Live on BT Sport
Guinness Pro14
Scarlets v Leinster (5.15pm) Live on Premier Sports & S4C
Cardiff Blues v Glasgow (7.35pm) Live on Premier Sports
MONDAY 30 NOVEMBER
Guinness Pro14
Benetton v Dragons (6pm) Live on Premier Sports
Munster v Zebre (8.15pm) Live on Premier Sports
Edinburgh v Ulster (8.15pm) Live on Premier Sports
FRIDAY 4 DECEMBER
Gallagher Premiership
Bristol v Northampton (7.45pm) Live on BT Sport
SATURDAY 5 DECEMBER
Autumn Nations Cup – Play-off Finals
Georgia v TBC (midday, BT Murrayfield) Live on Amazon Prime
Ireland v TBC (2.15pm, Aviva Stadium) Live on Amazon Prime & RTE
Wales v TBC (4.45pm, venue tbc) Live on Amazon Prime & S4C
Tri-Nations
Australia v Argentina (8.45am, Bankwest Stadium) Live on Sky Sports
Gallagher Premiership
Leicester v Exeter (3pm)
Wasps v Newcastle (3pm)
Worcester v Bath (3pm)
SUNDAY 6 DECEMBER
Autumn Nations Cup – Play-off Finals
England v TBC (2pm, Twickenham) Live on Amazon Prime
2020 Women’s Six Nations/RWC 2021 Qualifier
Italy v Scotland (6pm, Stadio Sergio Lanranchi)
Gallagher Premiership
London Irish v Sale (2.30pm)
Gloucester v Harlequins (4.15pm) Live on BT Sport
Challenge Cup
Champions Cup And Challenge Cup Finals Moved From Marseille

Due to the many uncertainties created by the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been decided that the 2020 Heineken Champions Cup and Challenge Cup finals will not now be held in Marseille as planned and the matches will be played at a new venue or venues.
With tens of thousands of fans scheduled to travel to the south of France, the Board of EPCR and the local organising committee have agreed that insufficient safeguards are currently in place during the public health crisis to stage two high-profile matches at the 67,000-capacity Stade Vélodrome.
As a consequence, EPCR is currently working with its shareholder leagues and unions to secure an alternative venue or venues for the two finals which will be played on the weekend of 16/17/18 October, and details will be announced as soon as practicable.
As part of this adjustment to its future planning, EPCR is pleased to announce that Marseille will now host the 2021 Heineken Champions Cup and Challenge Cup finals at the Stade Vélodrome on the weekend of 21/22 May, and that the matches at the 62,000-capacity Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London will be rescheduled for 2022.
Tickets for this season’s finals will be valid for the 2021 weekend with no change to category or seating, and all ticket holders will be contacted by email within the next 48 hours with details of how to avail of a full refund if required.
As previously communicated, the quarter-finals of both tournaments will be played on the weekend of 18/19/20 September with the semi-finals scheduled for the weekend of 25/26/27 September. Exact dates, venues, kick-off times and TV coverage will be announced as soon as possible.
As is now customary during the pandemic, the matches will be subject to government guidelines with the health and welfare of players, club staff, match officials, supporters and the wider rugby community to the fore.
2020 EPCR dates:
- Quarter-finals: weekend of 18/19/20 September
- Semi-finals: weekend of 25/26/27 September
- Heineken Champions Cup final: weekend of 16/17/18 October (venue TBC)
- Challenge Cup final: weekend of 16/17/18 October (venue TBC)
- Start of 2020/21 season: weekend of 11/12/13 December.
Challenge Cup
EPCR Confirm European Competition Postponements
European Rugby have announced that the latter stages of the Champions and Challenge Cups will be pushed back due to coronavirus

EPCR have released a statement to confirm that the semi-final and final stages of this year’s Champions and Challenge Cup will be postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Last week it was announced that the quarter-final stage set to take place across the first weekend of April would be suspended and now the final stages have followed suit as expected the ECPR have confirmed.
“Following a conference call on Monday, the EPCR board can reconfirm the suspension of this season’s Heineken Champions Cup and Challenge Cup tournaments and has furthermore decided to postpone the semi-final matches, as well as the 2020 Marseille finals, which were due to be played on the weekends of 1/2/3 May and 22/23 May respectively. In making the decision, the board is abiding by the official directives and recommendations of the relevant authorities in its territories to restrict the Covid-19 pandemic. In light of the earlier postponement of its quarter-final matches and with fixtures in Europe’s professional league competitions currently suspended due to the public health crisis, EPCR believes it necessary to provide as much clarity as possible to all stakeholders regarding the knockout stages of its tournaments. To that end, EPCR is working with the leagues and unions to restructure a conclusion to its season as part of a wider rescheduling of the remainder of the season in Europe, with all contingencies underpinned by the requirement to protect the health and welfare of players, club staff, match officials, supporters and the wider rugby community. EPCR remains committed to completing the 2019/20 Heineken Champions Cup and Challenge Cup season, and it is planned to reschedule the quarter-final and semi-final matches, as well as the Marseille finals, in line with fixtures in the professional league competitions, subject to advice from government and local authorities,” the statement read.
The final weekend was set to take place in Marseille and reports last weekend had claimed that officials were still hopeful of finishing there on the chosen date.
However, even with this announcement it is hard to see when they will conclude the European season as all domestic leagues have been suspended until further notice and the clock is ticking toward the start of next season as it appears unlikely that any rugby will be played in the foreseeable future.
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