The multiplex for Round 25 of the Top 14 has been rescheduled to Saturday, May 30, with a new kick-off time.
During Round 23 of the Top 14, Toulouse crushed Toulon at the Orange Vélodrome (51-27) on Saturday evening, taking a 12-point lead at the top of the standings. Montpellier reclaimed second place in the championship after thrashing Montauban (59-7). The Hérault club leapfrogged Pau, who defeated Castres (27-15), while Stade Français (4th), winners over Lyon (59-17) last weekend, and Clermont (5th), who beat Perpignan (45-14), still have hopes of reaching the semifinals directly. All teams will aim to finish the regular season as strongly as possible during Rounds 24, 25, and 26.
The penultimate round will take place on Saturday, May 30, and Sunday, May 31. However, its Saturday multiplex has been scheduled for an unusual time. The kick-off time for the simultaneous matches has indeed been changed—due to football. This involves the Champions League final, for which Paris Saint-Germain qualified for the second consecutive year after eliminating Bayern Munich in the semifinals last week (5-4, 1-1).
Canal+ adjusts its plans
This Champions League final will be held in Budapest starting at 6:00 PM, unlike recent years when it began at 9:00 PM. This time change decided by UEFA influenced Canal+. The pay-TV channel, which is broadcasting PSG-Arsenal alongside M6, decided to move the Top 14 Round 25 multiplex from 4:35 PM to 2:30 PM to avoid coinciding with the major clash of PSG against Arsenal—the Gunners eliminated Atlético Madrid in the semifinals (1-1, 1-0).
Canal+ thus asked the National Rugby League to move the multiplex kick-off two hours earlier. The multiplex will feature matches including Toulouse-Lyon, Stade Français-Bayonne, Montauban-La Rochelle, and Perpignan-Castres. Otherwise, the end of the matches would have overlapped with the start of the Champions League final. The blockbuster clash Montpellier-Pau will take place in the evening (9:15 PM) on May 30, while the Toulon-UBB match will be held the following day, Sunday, May 31, at 4:30 PM.
