Leinster will begin the defence of their title with a mouth-watering Heineken Champions Cup clash against Wasps at the RDS Arena on Friday, 12 October.
The Pool 1 confrontation is one of a host of top-quality matches in the fixture schedules for all six rounds of the 2018/19 Champions Cup which have been announced by tournament organisers EPCR.
Premiership champions Saracens begin their campaign on Sunday, 14 October when they take on Glasgow Warriors at Scotstoun Stadium, and last season’s Guinness PRO14 runners-up Scarlets will be at home against the 2018 Champions Cup defeated finalists Racing 92 on Saturday, 13 October.
TOP 14 winners Castres make the journey to Kingsholm to face Gloucester in Pool 2 on Sunday, 14 October, while Cardiff Blues, who triumphed in last season’s Challenge Cup, go head-to-head with tournament debutants Lyon at the Matmut Stadium de Gerland on the same day.
To mark the start of what promises to be an eventful road to the 2019 Newcastle finals, the Falcons are back in Europe’s top flight for the first time since 2005 and Dean Richards’ side have a demanding opening fixture against RC Toulon at Stade Mayol on Sunday, 14 October.
EPCR weekends
Round 1: 12/13/14 October
Round 2: 19/20/21 October
Round 3: 7/8/9 December
Round 4: 14/15/16 December
Round 5: 11/12/13 January 2019
Round 6: 18/19/20 January 2019
Quarter-finals: 29/30/31 March 2019
Semi-finals: 19/20/21 April 2019
2019 Newcastle finals
Challenge Cup final: Friday 10 May, St James’ Park (19.45)
Heineken Champions Cup final: Saturday 11 May, St James’ Park (17.00)