Clermont double-header key to Munster ambition

Potentially seismic back-to-back clashes with Clermont Auvergne await Munster in December after the fixtures for the new European Rugby Champions Cup were confirmed yesterday.

The southern province — who have Anthony Foley leading an all-indigenous quintet of new coaches — haven’t been top dogs in Europe since 2008 when Foley was still a player, coming unstuck at the hands of French opposition in the semi-finals of the last two Heineken Cups.

The new, slimmed-down Rugby Champions Cup has kept largely the same fixture scheduling setup as its predecessor, with most clubs’ ambitions set to be made or broken during those back-to-back ties in December. The five pool winners plus the three best runners-up will qualify for the quarter-finals.