Gavin Hastings believes
Edinburgh can achieve one of the eye-catching results during the opening round of the Heineken Cup by defeating
Stade Francais in Paris (Saturday, 10 October, kick off 2.35pm,
1.35pm UK time, live on Sky Sports interactive).
Last season, Edinburgh became the first Scottish team to record a Heineken Cup win on French soil and that result was quickly followed by Glasgow’s victory at Toulouse.
Now Edinburgh’s chairman is tipping his team to rise to the occasion and overhaul the French aristocrats in their own backyard. Remember supporters are actively encouraged to buy tickets early for
Ulster. Our opening home
Heineken Cup match against the northern Irish province kicks off on Saturday (
17 October, kick off 3.45pm). Call
0131 346 5180 to buy
AnyGame vouchers,
Concession (students and senior citizens: £10) and
Junior (under-18, £5) tickets.
Hastings said: “I’m looking forward to experiencing the match, but I’m even more excited about watching Edinburgh competing strongly – we have got a good chance of victory.
“Achieving a win on French soil is not beyond the realms of possibility as both Edinburgh and Glasgow showed last season.
“If we can get off to a winning start then we will be one step closer to qualifying for the quarter finals.
“Clearly as chairman of Edinburgh I want my team to build on last season’s achievements and make everyone aware that we are developing into a major force in European rugby.”
Hastings says he is also looking forward to experiencing the famous Stade Francais pizzazz off the pitch and he is hoping that razzmatazz will rub off on Edinburgh.
He added: “In many respects, Stade Francais are in a similar situation to Edinburgh – we both play in vibrant, capital cities.
“They also do all these amazing events three or four times a year at the Stade de France. They provide incredible entertainment off the pitch and the Parisian public loves that.
“I think Edinburgh can learn a lot about how Stade Francais promote rugby to the mass Parisian audience.”
Former Edinburgh full-back Hugo Southwell could potentially line up for the French giants and Hastings admits that would be an interesting sight, especially after he was the player’s mentor for two years.
He said: “Hugo wanted a new challenge and he has gone off to find that in Paris. He will have a huge role to play in letting Stade Francais know exactly how Edinburgh are likely to play. This is the first game between the two clubs and it is going to be a terrific battle.”
