Chris Paterson celebrates Edinburgh's fist pre-season try against Irish
Edinburgh Rugby head coach Michael Bradley expressed his excitement in the “winnable opportunities” presented in today’s Heineken Cup draw.
In Pool 2 the clash of the capitals will see Edinburgh face league rivals (and last season’s pool opponents) Cardiff Blues, Aviva Premeirship outfit London Irish and Parisian side, Racing Metro 92.
Drawn first were top tier side Cardiff who, in last season’s competition, edged Edinburgh by a single point at Murrayfield and by a converted try at Cardiff City Stadium.
Edinburgh head coach Michael Bradley on today's draw
In European competition, Edinburgh are a win a-piece with their second-seeded Pool 2 opponents, London Irish, who they faced in the 2002/03 competition, however the most recent encounter was a pre-season match at Murrayfield where a debut brace from replacement Lee Jones secured the 19-17 win at Murrayfield last August.
After Edinburgh’s selection as a third tier side, Racing Metro 92 were drawn as the fourth seed, entering the competition for the first time in the club’s history, having finished second to Toulouse in the French Top 14.
Bradley said: “The sides that we’ve been drawn against, Cardiff, London Irish and Racing, all present winnable opportunities for us.
“I suspect this group will be very tight. The timing of the matches – who we play and when we play – is going to be very important but the overriding impression is that if we perform to our abilities, this is a group that Edinburgh could do well in.
“Our supporters will play a very big part in our home matches – they’re all very attractive matches for us with three excellent teams coming to Murrayfield so the more Edinburgh supporters we can get out there the better as it could make a big difference to us in what could be a very close group.
“If we do our work at the start of the season and concentrate on the areas that we need to improve on then I believe we can go into the competition with confidence.”
The 17th prestigious European Rugby Cup will commence in early November, the weekend of 10 November, three weeks after the IRB Rugby World Cup draws to a close (23 October).
The final will then take place at Twickenham on the weekend of 18-20 May 2012.
2011/12 Heineken Cup Pool Draw: Pool 1: Munster, Northampton Saints, Scarlets, Castres Pool 2: Cardiff Blues, London Irish, Edinburgh, Racing Metro 92 Pool 3: Leinster, Bath Rugby, Glasgow Warriors, Montpellier Pool 4: Leicester Tigers, Clermont Auvergne, Ulster, Aironi Pool 5: Biarritz Olympic, Ospreys, Saracens, Benetton Treviso Pool 6: Toulouse, Harlequins, Gloucester, Connacht
SIGN UP FOR NEW PERSPECTIVES IN SEASON 2011/12!
All of Edinburgh's Heineken Cup home games are included in our 2011/12 season ticket package, where supporters can get closer to the on-field action with seating in the east stand and new pitch-side standing areas. Buy before 30 June and you could win a hospitality package for ten people to one of our home Heineken Cup matches!
Season tickets are prices at £35 for under-18s, £90 for students/senior citizens and £180 for adults. For more information on the benefits of being an Edinburgh season ticket holder, and to book in for the campaign under new head coach Michael Bradley, CLICK HERE, call 0131 346 5180 or visit the Murrayfield Ticket Centre (just off Roseburn Street) in person.
