Ryanair does charters too! - European Champions Cup 18 - 20 December 2020

The Rugby Union equivalent to the Champions League is the Heineken Champions Cup. This competition has been changed a lot this season due to COVID-19 and the group stage in particular is very short, but intense. Unfortunately for 18-20 December 2020, two matches had to be cancelled, after a COVID-19 cluster was detected in the camp of the defending champions, Exeter Chiefs. They should have played in Toulouse. The other match to be cancelled was between Glasgow Warriors and Lyon Olympique Universitaire.

Friday 18 December 2020

Scarlets vs. Toulon

Winners over Sale Sharks in the first round, Toulon travel to West Wales to face Scarlets. They will do so with Trade Air, a well-known charter outfit, also in Rugby circles:

TDR317 TLN 1500-1605 CWL F100 9A-BTE (17/12/20)

TDR318 CWL 2330-xxxx(+1) TLN F100 9A-BTE (18/12/20)

Wasps vs. Montpellier (in Coventry)

What ever RX as a code would mean is yet unclear - but it looks like this is the charter that will take Montpellier Rugby to Birmingham, from where they will travel to Coventry on the road for the Friday night game away at Wasps (formerly of London) at the Ricoh Arena.

AEH011 MPL 1330-1430 BHX E145 F-HRAV (17/12/20)

AEH012 BHX 0030-0335 MPL E145 F-HRAV (19/12/20)

Saturday 19 December 2020

Leinster vs. Northampton Saints

The quick trip across the Irish Sea is always good for a charter flight. In these circumstances, it is rather unusual to see a TUI Boeing 737-800 being used for that trip though, as the usual preference is with smaller aircraft. Surely, Saints will take whatever will take them to Dublin though, as the Aviva is a difficult enough place to go and win a game:

BY8040 BHX xxxx-1155 DUB B738 (18/12/20)

Gloucester Rugby vs. Ulster

Ulster will travel to Gloucester to meet a side that has been beaten badly last week in Lyon. Having lost their opening game at home against Toulouse though, the visiting team will have to make up for something.

WX9364 BFS 1430-1535 BRS CRJ9 (18/12/20)

ASM Clermont Auvergne vs. Munster

Clashes between "les Jaunards" and the Munster men have high tradition in the Heineken Champions Cup. They are always hard-fought and provide very tight results. Clermont may not count on its vibrant home support at the Stade Marcel-Michelin at the moment, but at the same time, this also means that Munster's fine-singing away support is not coming along either. Interesting enough, Munster will be traveling from Shannon with Ryanair:

FR8663 SNN xxxx-1405 CFE B738 (18/12/20)

FR8664 CFE 2300-0030(+1) SNN B738 (19/12/20)

Rugby Champions Cup, 10-12 January 2020

Rugby Champions Cup

The rugby equivalent of the Champions League is back upon us with round 5 of the group stages and no doubt some more teams that will qualify for the quarter finals now. Leinster already booked their place in the knock-out stages in round 4 and Exeter Chiefs, Racing 92 as well as Stade Toulousain could follow them this weekend.

10 January 2020

Atlantique Stade Rochelais vs. Sale Sharks

The English team has arrived in La Rochelle on Thursday afternoon using a Jet2 Boeing 737-800 that seems to know its way around rugby grounds. The very same G-JZHB had been used for another rugby charter in December already, taking Bath Rugby to ASM Clermont Auvergne.

LS6962 MAN 1130-1400 LRH B738 G-JZHB (09/01/20)

LS6963 LRH xxxx-1150 MAN B738 G-JZHB (11/01/20)

11 January 2020

ASM Clermont-Auvergne vs. Ulster

A clash of European heavy weights awaits the fierce crowd at the Stade Marcel-Michelin, with Ulster visiting the volcanic Auvergne from Ravenhill. Both sides are well clear of Harlequins and Bath, which means that both could actually qualify for the quarterfinals. Ulster is another team using Jet2 for their international travel this season.

LS6029 BFS 1345-1700 CFE G-JZHO(10/01/20)

LS6030 CFE 1800-xxxx BFS G-JZHO (11/01/20)

Glasgow Warriors vs. Exeter Chiefs

The English vice-champions are traveling up North to face Glasgow Warriors that is quite possibly looking at an early exit from the competition with just two wins from four matches so far and just the one bonus point on the table.

BE8001 EXT 1335-xxxx GLA (10/01/20)

Connacht vs. Stade Toulousain

The French record champions have finally found their stride this season domestically as well, despite a couple of rather surprising trip-ups against Toulon and Stade Français just recently. They will try to make sure to qualify for the quarterfinals with a win at the Sportsground in Galway, a ground that has become more difficult to travel to in recent years, with the nearby Galway airport no longer in use. Toulouse thus traveled on Thursday afternoon already, quite unusual for a Saturday game.

JQ5369 TLS 1400-1630 SNN B738 EC-NAB (09/01/20)

JQ5370 SNN xxxx-2335 TLS B738 EC-NAB (11/01/20)

Gloucester Rugby vs. Montpellier-Hérault Rugby

9V52AN MPL 1130-1400 BRS (10/01/20)

12 January 2020

Leinster Rugby vs. Lyon OU

FPO865 LYS 1330-1435 DUB B737 (11/01/20)

FPO866 DUB 1830-2130 LYS B737 (12/01/20)

Racing 92 vs. Munster

Munster is using a rather big plane for the trip from Shannon to Paris. Not sure how often a rugby team would use a Boeing 757 for a group stage game, but then again, sometimes Munster is just different.

LS6021 SNN 1040-1315 CDG B752 (11/01/20)

LS6022 CDG 2200-2235 SNN B752 (12/01/20)