pinky wrote: Fair enough. Two flights followed by a three hour train ride wouldn't be my idea of a fun weekend, then again I did go to Bayonne via the Canaries so I'm hardly a model of transportation efficiency.

Efficiency? Definitely now, and I also recall a Parma trip that included a diversion via the South of Italy if I'm not mistaken.
Wherever we end up playing, getting there will be half the adventure.
Not sure I want to go to Russia via Saudi Arabia just because it's Ramadan and the flights are cheaper however.

biffo77 wrote:

pinky wrote: Toulouse is handy for a few of them alright (Agen especially), but there are no direct flights from Ireland to Toulouse in winter AFAIK, and if you are going to go indirect, you may as well get as close as possible.

ah, but you can switch to Toulouse in CDG, so you can get a flight from Dublin and not leave the airport.
Also easyjet fly to Toulouse from London, Paris, etc.

Fair enough. Two flights followed by a three hour train ride wouldn't be my idea of a fun weekend, then again I did go to Bayonne via the Canaries so I'm hardly a model of transportation efficiency.

pinky wrote: Toulouse is handy for a few of them alright (Agen especially), but there are no direct flights from Ireland to Toulouse in winter AFAIK, and if you are going to go indirect, you may as well get as close as possible.

ah, but you can switch to Toulouse in CDG, so you can get a flight from Dublin and not leave the airport.
Also easyjet fly to Toulouse from London, Paris, etc.

Toulouse is handy for a few of them alright (Agen especially), but there are no direct flights from Ireland to Toulouse in winter AFAIK, and if you are going to go indirect, you may as well get as close as possible.

For Pau, don't discard the TGV, it's about 5.5hrs from Paris, and cheap fares can be got you you book in advance.
also, it's only 3hrs by train from Toulouse, you could make a stop in Lourdes, just in case, but remember there's no left luggage lockers in the station, and town buses on Sunday, in the off season


La Rochelle, is year round with Ryanair via Stansted

Brive is 4hrs by train from Paris, 2.5hrs from Toulouse, and is on TGV line from Lille, for connection with Eurostar, Thalys etc.

Ski trip sounds good, but the on piste action should be scheduled for post match, don't want to miss the match cos of a skiing accident.

I didn't realise there was a miracle offseason.

Good thinking GG.
I had a look at the Knock airport website to see if there were any leads:
www.irelandwestairport.com/destinations/...ages_to_lourdes.aspx
But I couldn't get any further after I collapsed laughing at the opening sentence:

Pilgrimages to Lourdes are a mecca for many.

Edit: looks like most of the Lourdes charters stop in October, though there is are Tue/Sat flights with Ryanair from Stansted, which would be handier than going to Biarritz or Bordeaux depending on when the game is.

Fourdogs wrote:

galway_gas wrote: Forget the skiing if we get Pau then we can have the first Connacht Clan Lourdes Pilgrimage.
Frequent charter flights from knock to Tabres

Galway_gas
Do you think we played that badly this year that you are looking for Divine intervention for next season

I'll take any intervention on offer. We could be singing hail holy queen on the terraces

galway_gas wrote: Forget the skiing if we get Pau then we can have the first Connacht Clan Lourdes Pilgrimage.
Frequent charter flights from knock to Tabres

Galway_gas
Do you think we played that badly this year that you are looking for Divine intervention for next season

pinky wrote: Does create the possibility of the first Connacht Clan Ski Trip though.

Forget the skiing if we get Pau then we can have the first Connacht Clan Lourdes Pilgrimage.
Frequent charter flights from knock to Tabres

Nice one Pinky.

Had a look at flight options to the various potential destinations.
All the English ones are straightforward as expected. Daily flights to London/Birmingham/Newcastle year round.
France is a mixed bag. As AJ6000 said, Grenoble is very close to Lyon which has flights to Dubin Friday/Sunday/Monday so no bother there.
La Rochelle is a bit of a long shot in the draw but easy to get to with flights Dublin-Nantes Friday/Sunday/Monday.
Carcassonne flights run Friday and Sunday year round so that covers Castres and Agen unless game is Thurs or Sunday.
Brive and Pau are the awkward ones. Aer Lingus don't do year round flights to Bordeaux anymore (there is one the weekend before Christmas if it happened to fall then) so for Brive, you'd be looking at indirect flights to Bordeaux or Limoges (flights to Brive airport are only from Paris Orly), or a long overland trip from Paris/Nantes/Carcassonne/Lyon.
Pau would probably be similar. Indirect flights to Bordeaux/Biarritz/Toulouse or else a trek from Carcassonne or Barcelona. Does create the possibility of the first Connacht Clan Ski Trip though.
As discussed Enisei will be a logistical nightmare. Calvisano though is close enough to Bergamo which is Ryanair's Milan so has twice daily flights year round. It's even closer to Brescia airport but Ryanair don't fly there any more. Not sure there's much accommodation in Calvisano but it's near Lake Garda which is a bit of a tourist spot so has plenty of hotels.

From:

www.epcrugby.com/europeanrugbychampionsc...lification/index.php



To facilitate Rugby World Cup 2015, there will be no play-offs for the 2016/17 Champions Cup with the 20th place going to the winner of the 2016 Challenge Cup if not already qualified.

For the 2017/18 season and beyond, the play-off format will include four clubs with a second PRO12 club competing. If not already qualified, the winner of the Challenge Cup will take the place in the play-offs of the seventh-ranked club in the Aviva Premiership and Top 14, and will also take the place of the second PRO12 club if applicable.

Winner of challange cup gets entry to Chamions cup next year due to RWc and lack of weeks to play playoffs.

Well that is my understanding

But will any of it matter unless there is a direct route to Champ Cup by winning Challenge cup?

Is there a direct route next year?

Borders no.2 wrote: I really hope we don't get Harlequins. Someone like Worcester would probably be the ideal English team to get, they'd be more concerned with their domestic league to give the competition a real go.

Bear in mind if we have Worcester, we get another English team too.
Newcastle would probably be best. They'll have an eye on the drop too, plus easy to get to and would be a good weekend.