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Tournaments/Tours: Heineken Cup

Teams: Racing Metro | Saracens

Saracens will play one of their home Heineken Cup group matches in Belgium next season after this season's Heineken Cup fixtures were released.

The match against French Top 14 side Racing Metro will be held at the 50,000-capacity Stade Roi Baudouin in Brussels on October 20.

Reigning champions Leinster will open their bid for an historic three Heineken Cup titles in a row at home to Exeter Chiefs on October 13 in Pool 5. The fate of that pool, though, may well be decided with back-to-back matches between Leinster and Clermont Auvergne - who met in last season's semi-final - on December 9 and 15 with the Irish province's home tie taking place at the Aviva Stadium.

The competition begins on Friday October 12 when the RaboDirect Pro12 champions Ospreys take on Benetton Treviso at the Liberty Stadium and last season's runners up Ulster face Castres. On that Sunday Leicester Tigers travel to current Top 14 champions and four-time European Cup winners Toulouse in another headline clash of the opening weekend of fixtures in pool 2.

Saracens attempted to stage a Heineken Cup game in Cape Town last season only for the proposed move to fall through. But they are confident their pool 1 clash will prove a success in Belgium.

"We are confident of staging a special and memorable occasion," a club statement read. "We are excited by this opportunity to take a top European clash to a fast-emerging rugby audience in Belgium, and you don't have to be the Duke of Wellington to know the English have a pretty decent record against the French in Belgium.

"More than 30,000 tickets were sold for a Heineken Cup match between Stade Francais and Ulster at the same venue in December 2009, but the game was postponed on the morning of the match due to bad weather. With the excellent support of the Belgium Rugby Union, the Mayor of Brussels and the Brussels regional government, we are confident of staging a special and memorable occasion."

Heineken Cup Fixtures 2012/13:

Friday, 12 October, 2012
Pool 2 Ospreys v Benetton Treviso, Liberty Stadium 20.00
Pool 4 Ulster Rugby v Castres Olympique, Ravenhill 20.00

Saturday, 13 October, 2012
Pool 1 Edinburgh Rugby v Saracens, Murrayfield
Pool 1 Racing Metro 92 v Munster Rugby, Stade de France
Pool 3 Zebre v Connacht Rugby, Stadio XXV Aprile (Parma)
Pool 5 Leinster Rugby v Exeter Chiefs , RDS
Pool 5 ASM Clermont Auvergne v Scarlets, Stade Marcel Michelin
Pool 3 Harlequins v Biarritz Olympique, Twickenham Stoop

Sunday, 14 October 2012
Pool 4 Northampton Saints v Glasgow Warriors, Franklin's Gardens
Pool 6 Sale Sharks v Cardiff Blues, Salford City Stadium
Pool 2 Toulouse v Leicester Tigers, Le Stadium
Pool 6 Toulon v Montpellier, Stade Felix Mayol

ROUND 2

Friday, 19 October 2012
Pool 4 Glasgow Warriors v Ulster Rugby, Scotstoun Stadium
Pool 4 Castres Olympique v Northampton Saints, Stade Pierre Antoine

Saturday, 20 October 2012
Pool 5 Scarlets v Leinster Rugby, Parc y Scarlets
Pool 2 Benetton Treviso v Toulouse, Stadio Comunale di Monigo
Pool 1 Saracens v Racing Metro 92, King Baudouin Stadium (Brussels)
Pool 3 Connacht Rugby v Harlequins, The Sportsground
Pool 5 Exeter Chiefs v ASM Clermont Auvergne, Sandy Park
Pool 3 Biarritz Olympique v Zebre, Parc des Sports Aguilera

Sunday, 21 October 2012
Pool 1 Munster Rugby v Edinburgh Rugby, Thomond Park
Pool 6 Cardiff Blues v Toulon, Cardiff Arms Park
Pool 2 Leicester Tigers v Ospreys, Welford Road
Pool 6 Montpellier v Sale Sharks, Stade Yves du Manoir

ROUND 3

Friday, 7 December, 2012
Pool 4 Glasgow Warriors v Castres Olympique, Scotstoun Stadium
Pool 3 Connacht Rugby v Biarritz Olympique, The Sportsground
Pool 4 Northampton Saints v Ulster Rugby, Franklin's Gardens

Saturday, 8 December, 2012
Pool 5 Scarlets v Exeter Chiefs, Parc y Scarlets
Pool 2 Toulouse v Ospreys, Stade Ernest Wallon
Pool 3 Zebre v Harlequins, Stadio XXV Aprile
Pool 2 Leicester Tigers v Benetton Treviso, Welford Road
Pool 6 Sale Sharks v Toulon, Salford City Stadium
Pool 1 Munster Rugby v Saracens, Thomond Park
Pool 1 Racing Metro 92 v Edinburgh Rugby, Stade Yves du Manoir

Sunday, 9 December, 2012
Pool 6 Cardiff Blues v Montpellier, Cardiff Arms Park
Pool 5 ASM Clermont Auvergne v Leinster Rugby, St Marcel Michelin

ROUND 4

Friday, 14 December, 2012
Pool 1 Edinburgh Rugby v Racing Metro 92, Murrayfield
Pool 3 Biarritz Olympique v Connacht Rugby, Parc des Sports Aguilera

Saturday, 15 December 2012
Pool 2 Ospreys v Toulouse, Liberty Stadium
Pool 2 Benetton Treviso v Leicester Tigers, Stadio di Monigo
Pool 3 Harlequins v Zebre, Twickenham Stoop
Pool 5 Leinster Rugby v ASM Clermont Auvergne, Aviva Stadium
Pool 5 Exeter Chiefs v Scarlets, Sandy Park
Pool 4 Ulster Rugby v Northampton Saints, Ravenhill
Pool 6 Montpellier v Cardiff Blues, Stade Yves du Manoir

Sunday, 16 December 2012
Pool 4 Castres Olympique v Glasgow Warriors, Stade Pierre Antoine
Pool 1 Saracens v Munster Rugby, London venue (TBC)
Pool 6 Toulon v Sale Sharks, Stade Felix Mayol

ROUND 5

January11/12/13, 2013
Pool 1 Edinburgh Rugby v Munster Rugby
Pool 1 Racing Metro 92 v Saracens
Pool 2 Ospreys v Leicester Tigers
Pool 2 Toulouse v Benetton Treviso
Pool 3 Harlequins v Connacht Rugby
Pool 3 Zebre v Biarritz Olympique
Pool 4 Ulster Rugby v Glasgow Warriors
Pool 4 Northampton Saints v Castres Olympique
Pool 5 Leinster Rugby v Scarlets
Pool 5 ASM Clermont Auvergne v Exeter Chiefs
Pool 6 Toulon v Cardiff Blues
Pool 6 Sale Sharks v Montpellier

ROUND 6

January 18/19/20, 2013
Pool 1 Munster Rugby v Racing Metro 92
Pool 1 Saracens v Edinburgh Rugby
Pool 2 Leicester Tigers v Toulouse
Pool 2 Benetton Treviso v Ospreys
Pool 3 Connacht Rugby v Zebre
Pool 3 Biarritz v Harlequins
Pool 4 Glasgow Warriors v Northampton Saints
Pool 4 Castres Olympique v Ulster Rugby
Pool 5 Scarlets v ASM Clermont Auvergne
Pool 5 Exeter Chiefs v Leinster Rugby
Pool 6 Cardiff Blues v Sale Sharks
Pool 6 Montpellier v Toulon

Quarter-finals: 5/6/7 April 2013

Semi-finals: 26/27/28 April 2013

Amlin Challenge Cup final - RDS, Friday, May 17 2013 (20.00)

Heineken Cup final - Aviva Stadium, May 18, 2013 (17.00)