The European powerhouse has what appears a favourable run-in
It’s a quirk of the way fixtures have been set-up, but after their demolition of Leicester 55-24, it looks like we could see powerhouse Leinster win Champions Cup glory while playing all their knock-out games in Dublin. The quarter-final victory was at Aviva Stadium, where the Champions Cup final will be held 20 May 2023.
Leinster also played two home games in the pool rounds played at the Aviva – against Racing 92 and Ulster respectively. Should they win their semi-final and make it to the showcase final, that will mean a string of vital matches in familiar territory.
The final of this season’s Champions Cup were intended to be held at Tottenham Hotspur’s ground, however due to the knock-on effects of the FIFA World Cup being held at the end of last year, and it impacting the Premier League football calendar, things were moved to Dublin. For some naysayers, this has felt like rolling out the blue carpet for one of Europe’s strongest sides.
What do you think of how the fixtures have panned out? Let us know at rugbyworldletters@futurenet.com or via social media.
How to watch Champions Cup final live stream
The Champions Cup final will be shown live on BT Sport, ITV, RTÉ, SuperSport, BeIN Sport and France TV.
Which means those in the UK can stream the match FREE on ITVX.
However, if you’re abroad and still want to watch your local rugby coverage, you can do so by using a VPN – Virtual Private Network.
Our friends at TechRadar have tested hundreds of VPNs and recommend ExpressVPN, which is easy to use, has strong security features and allows you to watch on several devices at once, including smart TVs and phones, iPads, tablets, PCs and Macs.
Plus, ExpressVPN comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee. You can try it out for a month for free or sign up for an annual plan and get three months free.
Champions Cup and Challenge Cup coverage: How to watch from elsewhere
EPCR have an OTT service, epcrugby.tv, so you can stream live European matches outside of its core broadcast territories.
We recommend VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example:
- Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service)
- Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad
We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.
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