All roads lead to London
All roads are leading to London when both the 2012 Heineken Cup and Amlin Challenge Cup finals will be staged in close proximity over the space of 24 hours.
The 17th Heineken Cup Final, to be played at Twickenham Stadium on Saturday, May 19 (Kick-off: 17.00; 16.00 GMT) will be between Leinster and Ulster.
And a day earlier Biarritz Olympique and Toulon will go head-to-head in the Amlin Challenge Cup Final at the Twickenham Stoop (Kick-off: 20.00; 19.00 GMT) to get ERC’s unique festival of European club rugby under way.
There are only a few hundred Heineken Cup final tickets remaining of the 55,000 tickets made available for public sale.
Both clubs will receive an allocation of 7,500 tickets for their own supporters.
Meanwhile on the Twickenham pitch Leinster will be bidding to win an unprecedented three Heineken Cup titles in four years and become only the second club to win back-to-back titles.
Leicester Tigers (2001 and 2002) are the only club so far to successfully defend their title.
For their part Ulster, the 1999 champions, will be bidding to become only the sixth club to win two or more titles in what will be the fifth one-nation final – but the first all-Irish final.
There have been three all-French finals and one all-English final.
And the all-Irish Final means Ireland will have an additional place in the 2012/13 tournament with Connacht joining Leinster, Munster and Ulster.
