4 weeks ago 
EPCR have today confirmed the weekend dates for the Challenge Cup Pool stage fixtures.
Connacht Rugby will begin their 2022/23 Challenge Cup campaign at home to Newcastle Falcons scheduled for 9/10/11 December.
In Round 2, Connacht will travel to CA Brive on the weekend of December 16/17/18.
In the New Year, January 13/14/15, Connacht will welcome CA Brive to The Sportsground.
Connacht’s final Pool match will finish away to Newcastle Falcons on the week ending 20/21/22 January.
The exact dates and kick-off times of fixtures will be announced at a later date following negotiations with all media rights holders.
The pool draws for the European Challenge Cup competition was held in Dublin today with our opponents confirmed.
Connacht Rugby were drawn in Pool A where we will take on CA Brive Rugby and Newcastle Falcons both home and away.
2022/23 weekends
Round 1 – 9/10/11 December 2022
Round 2 – 16/17/18 December 2022
Round 3 – 13/14/15 January 2023
Round 4 – 20/21/22 January 2023
Round of 16 – 31 March/ 1/2 April 2023
Quarter-finals – 7/8/9 April 2023
Semi-finals – 28/29/30 April 2023
EPCR Challenge Cup final – Friday 19 May 2023 at Aviva Stadium, Dublin
As previously announced, the pool draws for the 2022/23 Heineken Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup tournaments will be staged at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium next Tuesday (28 June). Both draws will be streamed live on www.epcrugby.com and the event will start with the draw for the EPCR Challenge Cup pools at 12.00 (Irish time) and this will be followed by the Heineken Champions Cup draw at approximately 12.25 / 13.25.
The EPCR Challenge Cup draw, which includes the Johannesburg-based Lions and the Cheetahs from Bloemfontein, will have 20 clubs in three tiers in order to create two pools of 10 – Pool A and Pool B. Clubs from the same league will not play against one another during the pool stage.
The 2022/23 EPCR season will be played over eight weekends with four rounds of matches in the pool stage starting in December, followed by a knockout stage consisting of a Round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals, culminating in the Dublin finals at the Aviva Stadium on 19 and 20 May 2023.
2022/23 EPCR CHALLENGE CUP QUALIFIERSUnited Rugby Championship: 1 Glasgow Warriors, 2 Scarlets, 3 Connacht Rugby, 4 Lions, 5 Benetton Rugby, 6 Cardiff Rugby, 7 Dragons, 8 Zebre ParmaTOP 14: 1 RC Toulon, 2 Section Paloise, 3 Stade Français Paris, 4 CA Brive, 5 USAP 6 Aviron BayonnaisGallagher Premiership: 1 Wasps, 2 Bristol Bears, 3 Worcester Warriors, 4 Newcastle Falcons, 5 Bath RugbyInvited: Cheetahs EPCR Challenge Cup pool draw tiersTier 1: Glasgow Warriors, Scarlets, RC Toulon, Section Paloise, Wasps, Bristol BearsTier 2: Connacht Rugby, Lions, Benetton Rugby, Cardiff Rugby, Stade Francais Paris, CA Brive, Worcester Warriors, Newcastle FalconsTier 3: Dragons, Zebre Parma, USAP, Aviron Bayonnais, Bath Rugby, Cheetahs
European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) has announced the 2022/23 season dates for its competitions.Played over eight weekends, the 2022/23 Heineken Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup will kick off in December with two consecutive weekends of pool stage action, and the next pool stage rounds will take place over consecutive weekends in mid-January 2023. The knockout stages will start on the weekend of 31 March-1/2 April with the Round of 16 matches followed swiftly by the quarter-finals on 7/8/9 April. The semi-finals get underway on the last weekend of April with the Finals taking place on Friday 19 and Saturday 20 May 2023.EPCR Chief Executive, Anthony Lepage, said: “We are coming to the climax of what has been a challenging season for European club rugby, and have been able to welcome fans back to stadia from the recommencement of our competitions at the beginning of April. “We have seen the very best EPCR competitions have to offer and are building towards what will no doubt be a sensational weekend of rugby for our Finals later this month. “As we look ahead to next season, we are pleased to announce the dates of our competitions and we will be announcing the formats in the coming weeks.”The formats of both competitions are currently being finalised and an announcement is expected ahead of this season’s showpiece matches in Marseille on Friday 27 and Saturday 28 May. No further comment will be made at this stage. 2022/23 weekendsRound 1 – 9/10/11 December 2022Round 2 – 16/17/18 December 2022Round 3 – 13/14/15 January 2023Round 4 – 20/21/22 January 2023Round of 16 – 31 March/ 1/2 April 2023Quarter-finals – 7/8/9 April 2023Semi-finals – 28/29/30 April 2023EPCR Challenge Cup final – Friday 19 May 2023Heineken Champions Cup final – Saturday 20 May 2023
Hospitality options for the upcoming Challenge Cup and Guinness PRO14 fixtures against Oyonnax and Ospreys are now available.
Match-day hospitality packages are a fantastic opportunity to entertain customers and clients, reward staff or to enjoy with family and friends. You can enjoy an exciting pre-match build-up with live music and exclusive interviews with players along with great food. There is also post match entertainment including analysis from two match-day squad players.
Packages are available from €60. Existing ticket holders can also upgrade their match-day experience from €30.
Connacht v Oyonnax Hospitality Details
Connacht v Ospreys Hospitality Details
We made it two wins from two in the Challenge Cup against Worcester thanks to tries from captain and Man of the Match Eoghan Masterson and Matt Healy
Next up, Munster at the Sportsground on Friday night!
On his first game as captain, Eoghan Masterson helped Connacht to a victory with a try in a Man of the Match performance.
