2015 World Cup stadium included among proposed Champions Cup semi-final venues

The semi-finals will take place over the weekend of 2 and 3 May, with the final scheduled for Saturday, 23 May at Bilbao’s San Mamés Stadium.

Following this weekend’s quarter-final matches, the semi-final line-up will be confirmed. The teams with the highest pool-stage rankings will secure home country advantage for their fixtures.

Four venues, located in France, Ireland, England and Scotland, have been selected to host the semi-finals. Each match will be played in the country of the club that progresses with home advantage.

The selected venues are:

Of the four venues, Stadium MK may be the least familiar to rugby supporters, although it has a strong track record of hosting major matches.

The stadium first staged Premiership Rugby in 2008 when Saracens faced Bristol, marking the final appearance of Rugby World Cup winner Richard Hill, who signed off with victory.

It has since hosted several high-profile fixtures involving Northampton Saints, including Premiership matches and European Rugby Champions Cup ties.

Notably, Saints played Heineken Cup knockout matches at the venue in 2011, drawing crowds in excess of 21,000, and returned for further European and domestic fixtures in subsequent seasons.

Stadium MK also served as a venue for the 2015 Rugby World Cup, hosting three pool matches and welcoming crowds of up to 30,048, underlining its capability to deliver on the biggest stage.

The confirmed semi-final fixtures will be announced as soon as possible after the conclusion of the quarter-finals.

Last year’s semi-finals attracted record demand, with more than 42,000 spectators attending each match.

The fixtures between Leinster Rugby and Northampton Saints at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium, and between Union Bordeaux Bègles and Stade Toulousain at Bordeaux’s Stade Atlantique, both drew crowds of more than 42,000.