Stoop confirmed for Challenge Cup final

The Twickenham Stoop has been confirmed as the venue for this season's Amlin Challenge Cup final on Friday, May 18.

The game will be played at 8pm, the night before the prestigious Heineken Cup final, which will be played at Twickenham, giving fans a chance to attend both finals.

"Supporters of the club game in Europe will have the opportunity to experience two compelling rugby occasions in the same area of London in the space of 24 hours," said Derek McGrath, chief executive of the competition organisers the ERC.

"Following on from the success of last season, when both finals were staged in Cardiff, this will be another celebration of European club rugby with four elite teams including numerous world-class players battling for silverware in two Twickenham stadiums which are less than a mile apart," he added.

The Twickenham Stoop has hosted the Amlin Challenge Cup final on three previous occasions, the last of which was in 2009 when Northampton triumphed.

Harlequins were victorious in last year's final, gaining them qualification to the Heineken Cup and their home ground will now give another team a chance of replicating their last-gasp win.

PA