FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, May 9th, 2019
NBC SPORTS PRESENTS RUGBY’S 2019 HEINEKEN CHAMPIONS CUP FINAL SATURDAY LIVE ON NBC
Defending Champions Leinster Rugby to Square Off Against Saracens Saturday Live on NBC at 12 p.m. ET For the Title
Final to Live Stream Commercial Free on NBC Sports Gold’s “Rugby Pass”
STAMFORD, Conn. – May 9, 2019 – NBC Sports presents the 2019 Heineken Champions Cup Final live on Saturday, May 11, at 12 p.m. ET on NBC when Leinster Rugby face Saracens for the vaunted Heineken Champions Cup title at St. James’ Park in Newcastle, England.
The annual tournament, which has been played since 1995, consists of 20 teams that play in countries whose national teams participate in the Guinness Six Nations Championship (England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland, and Wales). Teams qualify for the Heineken Champions Cup based on their final results in domestic league play in hopes of ultimately being crowned European champions.
Coverage of the Final will live stream on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app via authentication. NBC Sports Gold – NBC Sports Digital’s direct-to-consumer live streaming product – will live stream the match commercial-free and on-demand. Click here to purchase NBC Sports Gold’s “Rugby Pass.”
NBC Sports’ Ahmed Fareed will anchor studio coverage alongside former Premiership Rugby players Alex Corbisiero (analyst) and Dan Lyle (analyst).
LEINSTER RUGBY V. SARACENS – SATURDAY AT 12 P.M. ET ON NBC AND NBC SPORTS GOLD
Last month, in the Heineken Champions Cup semi-finals, Leinster defeated Toulouse 30-12, and Saracens advanced with a 32-16 win against Munster Rugby. Defending champions Leinster have won the competition a joint-record four times, and look to become the first team to ever capture the title for a fifth time. Saracens were the only team to go unbeaten in the tournament’s pool play, earning the top overall seed.
This is also a meeting between reigning champions of their respective leagues. English side Saracens won the Premiership last season for a fourth time, while Irish side Leinster won a record fifth PRO14 title last season. The teams most recently faced each other in the quarter-finals of last year’s competition with Leinster proving victorious by a score of 30-19.
ABOUT EUROPEAN PROFESSIONAL CLUB RUGBY
European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) is the organiser of the Heineken Champions Cup, the European Rugby Challenge Cup and the European Rugby Continental Shield with the stated mission of creating outstanding rugby experiences for all touched by its competitions.
Established in 2014 with headquarters in Switzerland, EPCR has the following shareholders: Federation Francaise de Rugby (FFR), Federazione Italiana Rugby (FIR), Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU), Rugby Football Union (RFU), Scottish Rugby, Welsh Rugby Union (WRU), Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR), Premiership Rugby (PRL) and Pro Rugby Wales.
The Heineken Champions Cup and Challenge Cup feature clubs which have qualified on merit from their respective domestic leagues – the Gallagher Premiership, the TOP 14 and the Guinness PRO14, with the latter also featuring two qualifiers from the Continental Shield.
ABOUT NBC SPORTS GOLD
NBC Sports Gold is NBC Sports’ direct-to-consumer live streaming product that provides sports fans with access to exclusive premium sports events and content, live and on-demand, at an affordable price. Launched in 2016 with a single cycling product, NBC Sports Gold currently offers 13 individual sports “passes” – eight domestic (PGA TOUR LIVE, Premier League, Cycling, Track & Field, Speed Skating, Rugby, Supercross, and Snow, consisting of seven Winter Olympic sports); two regional (Blazers and Philly); one international (Notre Dame Football); and two domestic and international (Figure Skating and Pro Motocross). In 2019, NBC Sports Gold will add INDYCAR and lacrosse. Among the premium events and content offered by NBC Sports Gold are 28 PGA TOUR events, including THE PLAYERS and FedExCup Playoffs; 150 Premier League matches; the Tour de France and many more prominent cycling races; USA Track & Field and IAAF Diamond League events; domestic and international figure skating competitions; every Gallagher Premiership Rugby match; the entire 2018 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship season; 700+ hours of seven Winter Olympic sports; and all Notre Dame Football home games for international fans.
-NBC SPORTS-
