Munster Away To Wasps In Round One ?

If recent trends are anything to go by then Munster supporters can start making arrangements to travel to London for the opening round of this year’s Heineken Cup.

Last season, Munster opened their campaign with a trip to Welford Road, a journey that ended in a memorable victory over Leicester Tigers and the season before Manchester was the destination for the first round against Sale Sharks.

So it seems entirely plausible that the competition organisers and their Sky TV associates will pair the title holders with the side they replaced and given the state of affairs in Thomond Park there is little or no chance Munster will have home advantage.

With Twickenham unavailable media reports suggest that Wasps favour the use of Wembley and once again remembering that it was Tony Copsey who orchestrated the switch there for the Harlequins/Munster game in 2005 – a move that resulted in a then record pool  33,883 attendance – it is almost certain the game will not be played in Adams Park. Copsey has recently been appointed CEO with London Wasps.

If it is to be London Wasps versus Munster in the opener in London when the actual dates are announced tomorrow by ERC, then the game will almost certainly be played on Saturday November 10th.

Once again, for the past two seasons, Munster have followed up their opening away Round One game with a home tie against a French side followed by an away trip to Wales. Last year it was Bourgoin at home in Round Two followed by an away trip to Cardiff whilst in the winter of 2005, that away trip to Sale was followed by a home tie with Castres and then an away trip to play Newport Gwent Dragons.

By the time the first round of the Heineken Cup comes up London Wasps will have played six games in the English Premiership. They start on September 15th with a home tie against Alan Gaffney’s Saracens and in the run up to the Heineken Cup opener, have two games in the EDF Energy Cup against Dragons away (27th October) and at home to Gloucester the weekend prior.

For their part Munster will have been in competitive action on six occasions in the Magners League, the home game against Edinburgh (Musgrave Park, date to be confirmed) their last before the Heineken start.