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Heineken Cup
Current season or competition:
2012–13 Heineken Cup
Heineken cup.png
Competition logo
Sport Rugby union
Instituted 1995
Inaugural season 1995–96
Chairman Jean-Pierre Lux
Number of teams 24
Nations  England
 France
Ireland Ireland
 Italy
 Scotland
 Wales
Holders Leinster (2011–12)
Most titles Toulouse (4 titles)
Website Official site

The Heineken Cup (known as the H Cup in France due to restrictions on alcohol sponsorship) is one of two annual rugby union competitions organised by European Rugby Cup involving leading club, regional and provincial teams from the six International Rugby Board (IRB) countries in Europe whose national teams compete in the Six Nations Championship: England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales. Romania competed in the first year of the competition only. Teams that do not qualify for the Heineken Cup enter the second tier competition, the European Challenge Cup. The Heineken Cup is one of the most prestigious trophies in the sport and has been sponsored by Dutch brewing company Heineken International since the tournament began in 1995. The tournament was launched in the European summer of 1995 on the initiative of the then Five Nations committee to provide a new level of professional cross-border competition.

Each European country uses a different qualifying system, though in total, 24 teams contest the pool stages in six pools of four. According to performances, the number of clubs from each country changes. The tournament is held from October to May, with various stages scheduled around domestic club competitions.

Toulouse have won the competition a record four times, Leinster three times, while Munster, Leicester Tigers and London Wasps have won it twice each.

Format

Qualification

Diagram showing how qualification is obtained for Heineken Cup and European Challenge Cup until 2009–10 season.

The Heineken Cup is open to clubs in the RaboDirect Pro12 (originally the Celtic League), Aviva Premiership and the Top 14. The Italian Super 10 competition also sent clubs into the Heineken Cup through 2009–10, but no longer does so after the Celtic League expanded to include Italian franchises. Clubs that do not qualify for the Heineken Cup can enter the European Challenge Cup.

22 places are awarded by country, with each country deciding how to allocate their alloted places[1]:

  • England: six teams (selected by performance in Aviva Premiership and Anglo-Welsh Cup)
  • France: six teams (selected by performance in Top 14 Championship)
  • Ireland: three teams (selected by performance in Pro 12)
  • Wales: three teams (selected by performance in Pro 12)
  • Scotland: two teams (selected by participation in Pro 12)
  • Italy: two teams (selected by participation in Pro 12)

Starting with the 2009–10 season, the remaining two places in the 24-team tournament for the following season are filled by the winners of the Heineken Cup and European Challenge Cup. If a trophy winner has already qualified for the Heineken Cup by virtue of its league position, that country will receive an extra Heineken Cup place (assuming that the country has an extra team that can take up a place; Scotland has only two top-level professional teams, as does Italy since the 2010–11 season). However, England and France are capped at seven Heineken Cup places each. If either country produces the winners of both European cups, the last place will be filled by the highest ERC-ranked club not of that nation to not have otherwise qualified.[2] The latter rule also applies if one of Scotland’s two Pro 12 teams wins a European trophy. London Wasps could have benefited if either Clermont or Edinburgh had won the 2011–12 Heineken Cup,[3] but both those clubs lost in the semi-finals, ending Wasps’ hopes of a Heineken Cup lifeline.

Previously, the remaining two places were allocated as follows:

  • One team came from France, England or Italy; this place was allocated to the country whose team progressed further in the previous season’s Heineken Cup.[1] For example, because Leicester progressed further in the 2008–09 competition than any French or Italian team, there were seven English teams in the 2009–10 competition.
  • The final team was the winner of a play-off between the best placed team in the Celtic League (then sponsored as Magners League) who had not already qualified, and the best placed semi-finalist in the Italian Super 10.[1] The play-off was a single match, which took place alternately in Italy or the home of the Magners League side. In 2007–08, this play-off was scheduled to take place before the Italian Super 10 semi-finals, so no Italian team was nominated to take part. This meant that the Magners League nominee, the Newport Gwent Dragons, qualified without a playoff.

A proposal has been made that, in future, rather than Ireland, Wales and Scotland each sending their top-placed teams in the Celtic League/Pro 12 to the Heineken Cup, the top teams from the league as a whole should be sent, regardless of nationality.[4]

Competition

The 2005–06 final at Millennium Stadium in Cardiff between Munster and Biarritz.

Pool stage

Six pools of four teams play both home and away games. Until the 2007/2008 season these pools were drawn mostly at random, with the following restrictions[5]:

  • Each nation nominates one of their teams as top seed; these teams are drawn in separate pools.
  • Each nation supplies at most one team to each pool, except where England or France supply seven teams in total; in this case, the seventh team drawn will appear in a pool with one other team from that nation. In some cases (such as for the 2007/2008 season) the unseeded Italian and Scottish teams may also deliberately be drawn in different pools.

From the 2008–09 season, there is more structure to the pools. The competing 24 teams are ranked based on past performance using the European club ranking from the ERC[6] and arranged into four tiers of six teams, with the reigning champion automatically appearing in the top tier. Each pool receives one team at random from each tier; again, this is subject to the restriction that each pool cannot contain more than one team from each competing nation, except where France or England supply seven teams.

Four points are awarded for a win and two points for a draw. A bonus point is awarded for a loss by seven points or fewer, or for scoring four tries or more. The six pool winners (ranked 1–6 by number of points scored) and two best placed runners-up (ranked seven and eight) qualify for the quarter-finals. Teams ranked one to four have home advantage. The three next-best placed runners up qualify, starting with the 2009/10 season, for the knock-out stages of the European Challenge Cup.[2]

Knock-out stage

The quarter-finals are: team 1 v team 8; team 2 v team 7; team 3 v team 6; team 4 v team 5.

The quarter-finals are played at the home stadiums of the higher-seeded clubs, or sometimes at a larger stadium in or near the host team’s city. The semi-finals, on the other hand, are always played at nominally neutral venues. Each of the two semi-final venues are in the country of the first team out of the hat when the draw is made. For example, in 2004, Munster v Wasps was played at Lansdowne Road in Dublin, while Toulouse v Biarritz was played in Bordeaux.[7]

However, the neutrality requirement is satisfied simply by the designated home team playing outside of its normal stadium. Both 2005 semi-finals were held in the host’s home city; Leicester Tigers v Toulouse was held at Walkers Stadium in Leicester, not far from Leicester’s normal home of Welford Road,[8] while Stade Français v Biarritz was played at Parc des Princes in Paris, across the street from Stade’s normal home field. The semifinal venue must also meet the following additional criteria; it must have a capacity of at least 20,000[9] and it must be in the same country as the designated home team.

However, the European Rugby Cup, which organises the competition, may allow exceptions, such as with Biarritz, located in a city less than 20 km from the Spanish border, being allowed to host their 2006 and 2010 semi-finals across the border at Estadio Anoeta in Donostia-San Sebastián (which is the closest stadium to Biarritz that meets the requirements).[10][11] During pool stages, these requirements are further relaxed; for example, Bourgoin hosted Munster in Switzerland at Stade de Genève, Geneva in the 2006–07 competition,[12] and Stade Français planned to take their 2009–10 home fixture against Ulster to Belgium’s largest stadium, King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels, but that fixture was canceled and moved to Paris after heavy snowfall in Brussels on the intended matchday. Brussels’ Heineken Cup debut would have to wait until 2012–13, when Saracens took their home match against Racing Métro to that city.[13]

Saracens have also unsuccessfully sought to take pool matches to Cape Town in both 2011–12[14] and 2012–13,[15] and to the New York City area in 2012–13.[16]

The final is held at a predetermined site.

Finals

Main article: Heineken Cup finals
Season Winner Score Runner-up Venue Attendance
1995–96
Details
France Toulouse 21 – 18
a.e.t.
Wales Cardiff Cardiff Arms Park,
Cardiff
21,800
1996–97
Details
France Brive 28 – 9 England Leicester Tigers Cardiff Arms Park,
Cardiff
41,664
1997–98
Details
England Bath 19 – 18 France Brive Stade Lescure,
Bordeaux
36,500
1998–99
Details
Ireland Ulster 21 – 6 France Colomiers Lansdowne Road,
Dublin
49,000
1999–2000
Details
England Northampton Saints 9 – 8 Ireland Munster Twickenham Stadium,
London
68,441
2000–01
Details
England Leicester Tigers 34 – 30 France Stade Français Parc des Princes,
Paris
44,000
2001–02
Details
England Leicester Tigers 15 – 9 Ireland Munster Millennium Stadium,
Cardiff
74,000
2002–03
Details
France Toulouse 22 – 17 France Perpignan Lansdowne Road,
Dublin
28,600
2003–04
Details
England London Wasps 27 – 20 France Toulouse Twickenham Stadium,
London
73,057
2004–05
Details
France Toulouse 18 – 12
a.e.t.
France Stade Français Murrayfield Stadium,
Edinburgh
51,326
2005–06
Details
Ireland Munster 23 – 19 France Biarritz Millennium Stadium,
Cardiff
74,534
2006–07
Details
England London Wasps 25 – 9 England Leicester Tigers Twickenham Stadium,
London
81,076
2007–08
Details
Ireland Munster 16 – 13 France Toulouse Millennium Stadium,
Cardiff
74,417
2008–09
Details
Ireland Leinster 19 – 16 England Leicester Tigers Murrayfield Stadium,
Edinburgh
66,523
2009–10
Details
France Toulouse 21 – 19 France Biarritz Stade de France,
Saint-Denis, Paris
78,962
2010–11
Details
Ireland Leinster 33 – 22 England Northampton Saints Millennium Stadium,
Cardiff
72,456
2011–12
Details
Ireland Leinster 42 – 14 Ireland Ulster Twickenham Stadium,
London
81,774
2012–13
Details
Aviva Stadium,
Dublin

History

1995 to 1998

The Heineken Cup was launched in the summer of 1995 on the initiative of the then Five Nations Committee to provide a new level of professional cross border competition.[17] Twelve sides representing Ireland, Wales, Italy, Romania and France competed in four pools of three with the group winners going directly into the semi-finals.[18] English and Scottish teams did not take part in the inaugural competition.[19] From an inauspicious beginning in Romania, where Toulouse defeated Farul Constanţa 54–10 in front of a small crowd, the competition gathered momentum and crowds grew. Toulouse went on to become the first European cup winners, eventually beating Cardiff in extra time in front of a crowd of 21,800 at Cardiff Arms Park.[18]

Clubs from England and Scotland joined the competition in 1996–97.[20] European rugby was further expanded with the advent of the European Challenge Cup for teams that did not qualify for the Heineken Cup. The Heineken Cup now had 20 teams divided into four pools of five.[21] Only Leicester and Brive reached the knock-out stages with 100 per cent records and ultimately made it to the final, Cardiff and Toulouse falling in the semi-finals. After 46 matches, Brive beat Leicester 28–9 in front of a crowd of 41,664 at Cardiff Arms Park, the match watched by an estimated television audience of 35 million in 86 countries.[21]

The season 1997–98 saw the introduction of a home and away format in the pool games.[22] The five pools of four teams, which guaranteed each team a minimum of six games, and the three quarter-final play-off matches all added up to a 70-match tournament. Brive reached the final again but were beaten late in the game by Bath with a penalty kick. Ironically, English clubs had decided to withdraw from the competition in a dispute over the way it was run.[19]

Without English clubs, the 1998–99 tournament revolved around France, Italy and the Celtic nations. Sixteen teams took part in four pools of four. French clubs filled the top positions in three of the groups and for the fourth consecutive year a French club, in the shape of Colomiers from the Toulouse suburbs, reached the final. Despite this it was to be Ulster‘s year as they beat Toulouse (twice) and reigning French champions Stade Français on their way to the final at Lansdowne Road, Dublin. Ulster then carried home the trophy after a 21–6 win over Colomiers in front of a capacity 49,000 crowd.[22]

1999 to 2004

English clubs returned in 1999–2000. The pool stages were spread over three months to allow the competition to develop alongside the nations’ own domestic competitions, and the knockout stages were scheduled to take the tournament into the early spring. For the first time clubs from four different nations – England, Ireland, France and Wales – made it through to the semi-finals. Munster’s defeat of Toulouse in Bordeaux ended France’s record of having contested every final and Northampton Saints‘ victory over Llanelli made them the third English club to make it to the final. The competition was decided with a final between Munster and Northampton, with Northampton coming out on top by a single point to claim their first major honour.[20]

England supplied two of the 2000–01 semi-finalists – Leicester Tigers and Gloucester – with Munster and French champions Stade Français also reaching the last four. Both semi-finals were close, Munster going down by a point 16–15 to Stade Français in Lille and the Tigers beating Gloucester 19–15 at Vicarage Road, Watford. The final, at Parc des Princes, Paris, attracted a crowd of 44,000 and the result was in the balance right up until the final whistle, but Leicester walked off 34–30 winners.

Munster reached the 2001–02 final with quarter-final and semi-final victories on French soil against Stade Français and Castres. Leicester pipped Llanelli in the last four, after the Scarlets had halted Leicester’s 11-match Heineken Cup winning streak in the pool stages. A record crowd saw Leicester become the first side to successfully defend their title.[17]

From 2002, the European Challenge Cup winner now automatically qualified for the Heineken Cup. Toulouse’s victory over French rivals Perpignan in 2003 meant that they joined Leicester as the only teams to win the title twice.[17] Toulouse saw a 19-point half-time lead whittled away as the Catalans staged a dramatic comeback in a match in which the strong wind and showers played a major role, but Toulouse survived to win.

In 2003–04 the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) voted to create regions to play in the Celtic League and represent Wales in European competition. Henceforth, Wales entered regional sides rather than the club sides that had previously competed. English side London Wasps had earned their first final appearance by beating Munster 37–32 in a Dublin semi-final while Toulouse triumphed 19–11 in an all-French contest with Biarritz in a packed Chaban Delmas, Bordeaux. The 2004 final at Twickenham saw Wasps defeat defending champions Toulouse 27–20 at Twickenham to win the Heineken Cup for the first time. The match was widely hailed as one of the best finals. With extra time looming at 20–20, a late opportunist try by scrum half Rob Howley settled the contest.

2005 to 2012

Munster fans watch their team on a jumbo screen on the streets of Limerick. Munster won the 2005–06 Cup and were runners-up twice before.

The tenth Heineken Cup final saw the inaugural champions Toulouse battle with rising stars Stade Français when Murrayfield was the first Scottish venue to host the final.[23] Fabien Galthié‘s Paris side led until two minutes from the end of normal time before Frédéric Michalak levelled the contest for Toulouse with his first penalty strike. He repeated this in the initial stages of extra time and then sealed his side’s success with a superb opportunist drop-goal. Toulouse became the first team to win three Heineken Cup titles.[23]

In 2006, Munster defeated Biarritz in the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, 23–19.[24] It was third time lucky for the Irish provincial side, who had previously been denied the ultimate prize twice by Northampton and Leicester.

The 2006–07 Heineken Cup would be distributed to over 100 countries following Pitch International’s securing of the rights.[25] That season was the first time in the history of the competition that two teams went unbeaten in pool play, with both Llanelli Scarlets and Biarritz doing so. Biarritz went into their final match at Northampton Saints with a chance to become the first team ever to score bonus-point wins in all their pool matches, but were only able to score two of the four tries needed. Leicester defeated Llanelli Scarlets to move into the final at Twickenham, with the possibility of winning a Treble of championships on the cards, having already won the EDF Energy Cup and the Guinness Premiership. However, Wasps won the final 25 points to 9 in front of a tournament record 81,076 fans.[26]

During competition there was uncertainty over the future of the tournament after the 2006–07 season as French clubs had announced that they would not take part because of fixture congestion following the Rugby World Cup and an ongoing dispute between English clubs and the RFU.[27][28] It was speculated that league two teams might compete the next season, the RFU saying “If this situation is not resolved, the RFU owes it to the sport to keep this competition going…We have spoken to our FDR clubs, and if they want to compete we will support them.”.[29] A subsequent meeting led to the announcement that the tournament would be played in 2007–08, with clubs from all the six nations. On 20 May it was announced that both French and English top-tier teams would be competing[30]

In the 2008 final, Munster won the cup for their second time ever by beating Toulouse at the Millenium Stadium in Cardiff.

Leinster won the title in 2009 in their first ever final after beating Munster in the semi-final in front of a then world record Rugby Union club match attendance in Croke Park. They beat the Leicester Tigers in the final at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh. They also beat Harlequins 6–5 in the quarter finals at Twickenham Stoop, in the famous Bloodgate scandal.

In the 2010 final, Toulouse defeated Biarritz Olympique in the Stade de France to claim their fourth title, a Heineken Cup record.

The sixteenth Heineken Cup tournament in 2011 resulted in an Irish province lifting the title for the fourth time in six years as Leinster recorded their second triumph in the competition. They defeated former multiple Heineken Cup winners Leicester and Toulouse in the quarter and semi finals. At the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, in front of 72,000 spectators,[31] Leinster fought back from a 22–6 half-time deficit in the final against Northampton Saints, scoring 27 unanswered points in 26 second-half minutes, winning 33–22 in one of the tournament’s greatest comebacks. Jonathan Sexton won the man-of-the-match award, having scored 28 of Leinster’s points total, which included two tries, three conversions, and four penalties.

Leinster successfully defended their crown in 2012 at Twickenham, eclipsing fellow Irish province and former champions Ulster 42–14 to establish the highest Heineken Cup final winning margin. The performance broke a number of Heineken Cup Final records.[32] Leinster became only the second team to win back-to-back titles, and the only team ever to win three championships in four years. In addition, the game had the highest attendance at a final (81,774), the highest number of tries (5) and points (42) scored by one team and the highest points difference (28).

Shortly after the 2012 final, The Daily Telegraph reported that Premiership Rugby, organiser of the English top flight, would officially notify European Rugby Cup on 1 June of its intention to leave the accord that governs both European cups. The departure, which was expected to be mirrored by Top 14 operators Ligue nationale de rugby, would take effect following the 2013–14 season. The Premiership’s desired new format, strongly opposed by the Celtic nations and Italy, is:[33]

  • The Heineken Cup would be reduced from 24 to 20 teams.
  • Six sides each would qualify from the Premiership, Top 14, and Pro12, based on league position. The remaining two Heineken Cup places would go to the nations that win the previous season’s Heineken and Challenge Cups.
  • All remaining sides from the three leagues—a total of 18—would play in the Challenge Cup, which would remain at 20 teams.
  • A completely new third-tier competition would be launched, covering emerging European rugby nations such as Georgia, Portugal, Russia and Spain. The top two teams from this competition would take up the remaining two Challenge Cup places.

Negotiations for a new competition agreement are currently ongoing.

Records and statistics

By club

Team Winners Runners-up Years won Years losing finalist
France Toulouse 4 2 1995–96, 2002–03, 2004–05, 2009–10 2003–04, 2007–08
Ireland Leinster 3 0 2008–09, 2010–11, 2011–12
England Leicester Tigers 2 3 2000–01, 2001–02 1996–97, 2006–07, 2008–09
Ireland Munster 2 2 2005–06, 2007–08 1999–2000, 2001–02
England London Wasps 2 0 2003–04, 2006–07
Ireland Ulster 1 1 1998–99 2011–12
England Northampton Saints 1 1 1999–2000 2010–11
France Brive 1 1 1996–97 1997–98
England Bath 1 0 1997–98
France Biarritz 0 2 2005–06, 2009–10
France Stade Français 0 2 2000–01, 2004–05
France Perpignan 0 1 2002–03
France Colomiers 0 1 1998–99
Wales Cardiff 0 1 1995–96

By country

Country Winners Runners-up Winning clubs Runners-up
 England 6 4 Leicester Tigers (2), London Wasps (2), Bath, Northampton Saints Leicester Tigers (3), Northampton Saints
Ireland Ireland 6 3 Leinster (3), Munster (2), Ulster Munster (2), Ulster
 France 5 9 Toulouse (4), Brive Biarritz (2), Stade Français (2), Toulouse (2), Brive, Colomiers, Perpignan
 Wales 0 1 Cardiff RFC

By league

League Winners Runners-up Winning clubs Runners-up
England English Premiership 6 4 Leicester Tigers (2), London Wasps (2), Bath, Northampton Saints Leicester Tigers (3), Northampton Saints
Ireland Wales Scotland Italy Pro12 6 3 Leinster (3), Munster (2), Ulster Munster (2), Ulster
France Top 14 5 9 Toulouse (4), Brive Biarritz (2), Stade Français (2), Toulouse (2), Brive, Colomiers, Perpignan
Wales Welsh Premier Division 0 1 Cardiff RFC

By player

Statistics are as of the ERC website as of 21 October 2012, following Round 2 of the 2012–13 pool stage. Players and clubs are highlighted as follows:

  • Bold type – Players involved in the 2012–13 Heineken Cup, as well as their current clubs, as long as they have competed with that club in the Heineken Cup.
  • Italics – Players not involved in this season’s competition, but still active at club level.

Note also that in the case of career statistics, only those clubs for which each player appeared in the Heineken Cup are listed.

All-time top try scorers
Player Club(s) Tries
Vincent Clerc Toulouse 33
Brian O’Driscoll Leinster 31
Dafydd James Pontypridd, Llanelli, Bridgend, Celtic Warriors, Harlequins, Scarlets, Cardiff Blues 29
Shane Horgan Leinster 27
Gordon D’Arcy Leinster 25
Geordan Murphy Leicester Tigers 25
Ben Cohen Northampton Saints, Brive, Sale Sharks 24
Michel Marfaing Toulouse 24
Anthony Foley Munster 23
Tom Voyce Bath, London Wasps, Gloucester 23
Tries Scored in one season
Player Club Season Tries
Sébastien Carrat Brive 1996–97 10
Matthew Robinson Swansea 2000–01 9
Timoci Matanavou Toulouse 2011–12 8
Shane Horgan Leinster 2004–05 8
Kenny Logan London Wasps 1997–98 7
Thomas Lombard Stade Français 1998–99 7
Ugo Mola Castres 2001–02 7
Vincent Clerc Toulouse 2002–03 7
Clément Poitrenaud Toulouse 2006–07 7
Tommy Bowe Ospreys 2009–10 7
Michel Marfaing Toulouse 1998–99 7
All-time top point scorers
Player Club(s) Points
Ronan O’Gara Munster 1303
Stephen Jones Llanelli, Scarlets, Clermont Auvergne 869
Diego Domínguez Milan, Stade Français 645
Dimitri Yachvili Biarritz 624
David Humphreys Ulster 564
Neil Jenkins Pontypridd, Cardiff, Celtic Warriors 502
David Skrela Colomiers, Stade Français, Toulouse, Clermont Auvergne 487
Felipe Contepomi Bristol, Leinster, Toulon 444
Jean-Baptiste Élissalde Toulouse 441
Andy Goode Leicester Tigers, Saracens, Brive 423
Points Scored in one season
Player Club Points Season
Diego Domínguez Stade Français 188 2000–01
Tim Stimpson Leicester Tigers 152 2000–01
Simon Mason Ulster 144 1998–99
Jonathan Sexton Leinster 138 2010–11
Lee Jarvis Cardiff 134 1997–98
Ronan O’Gara Munster 131 1999–2000
Ronan O’Gara Munster 129 2001–02
Felipe Contepomi Leinster 129 2005–06
Jonathan Callard Bath 129 1997–98
Ronan O’Gara Munster 127 2000–01
Neil Jenkins Cardiff 124 2000–01
Most goals (penalties and conversions) of all time
Player Club(s) Goals
Ronan O’Gara Munster 466
Stephen Jones Llanelli, Scarlets, Clermont Auvergne 313
Diego Domínguez Stade Français 231
Dimitri Yachvili Biarritz 221
Neil Jenkins Celtic Warriors, Pontypridd, Cardiff 176
Jean-Baptiste Élissalde Toulouse 165
David Humphreys Ulster 161
David Skrela Colomiers, Stade Français, Toulouse, Clermont Auvergne 160
Andy Goode Leicester Tigers, Brive 142
Lee Jarvis Dragons, Neath, Pontypridd, Cardiff 138
Appearances
Player Club(s) Games
Ronan O’Gara Munster 105
John Hayes Munster 101
Peter Stringer Munster, Saracens 94
Gordon D’Arcy Leinster 87
Shane Horgan Leinster 87
Anthony Foley Munster 86
David Wallace Munster 86
Stephen Jones Llanelli, Scarlets, Clermont Auvergne 84
Donncha O’Callaghan Munster 84
Leo Cullen Leinster, Leicester Tigers 83
Marcus Horan Munster 83

Attendance

This lists average attendances for each season’s Heineken Cup competition and, where available, total attendance for each season, and the highest attendance for that season. Typically, the final is the most-attended single match, as it is generally held in a larger stadium than any club’s home venue.

The 2009 final was only the third most-attended match that season. The most-attended match was a semi-final between Irish rivals Leinster and Munster played in Croke Park in Dublin. The attendance of 82,208 set what was then a world record for a club match in the sport’s history.[34] Second on that season’s list was a pool match between Stade Français and Harlequins that drew 76,569 to Stade de France in Paris (a venue that Stade Français has used for select home matches since 2005).

While the 2010-11 tournament’s highest attended match was unsurprisingly the final, the second-highest attended match of 55,000 was notable in that it was held in Spain. Perpignan hosted Toulon in Barcelona, Spain before a sellout crowd at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys.

Year Total Average Highest
1995–96 6,502
1996–97 6,765
1997–98 6,613
1998–99 5,860
1999–00 7,924
2000–01 8,187
2001–02 8,308
2002–03 8,921
2003–04 10,352
2004–05 11,620
2005–06 12,370
2006–07 914,048 11,570 81,076
2007–08 942,373 11,928 74,417
2008–09 1,177,064 14,900 82,208
2009–10 1,080,598 13,678 78,962
2010–11 1,139,427 14,423 72,456
2011–12 1,172,127 14,837 81,774

Media coverage

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c “Heineken Cup – Key Tournament Rules”. European Rugby Cup. Retrieved 12 January 2008.
  2. ^ a b “Format and qualification changes for Europe” (Press release). European Rugby Cup. 2009-06-15. Retrieved 2009-06-16.
  3. ^ “Heineken Cup lifeline for Wasps?”. ESPN Scrum. 2012-04-27. Retrieved 2012-05-05. Note also that France produced all four semi-finalists in that year’s Challenge Cup, meaning that a Clermont Heineken Cup win would have triggered the rule.
  4. ^ Reid, Alasdair. “Scots approach Welsh proposal with caution”. The Daily Telegraph (London). Retrieved 11 August 2008.
  5. ^ “Biarritz Olympique Secure French Top Seed with Championship Win”. ERC Rugby. 12 June 2006. Retrieved 6 May 2008.[dead link]
  6. ^ “New European ranking to be introduced next season”. ERC Rugby. 27 March 2008. Archived from the original on 29 March 2008. Retrieved 2 April 2008.
  7. ^ “Heineken Cup Semi Final Referees.”. BBC. 16 April 2004. Retrieved 21 March 2007.[dead link]
  8. ^ “Leicester 19–27 Toulouse”. BBC. 24 April 2006. Retrieved 21 March 2007.
  9. ^ “Heineken Cup Semi Final Venues”. Irish Rugby Football Union. 7 February 2002. Retrieved 21 March 2007.[dead link]
  10. ^ “Munster To Reign In Spain?”. Irish Rugby Football Union. 18 February 2005. Retrieved 21 March 2007.[dead link]
  11. ^ “Biarritz Turn On Power To Floor Munster”. Irish Rugby Football Union. 2 May 2010. Retrieved 5 May 2010.[dead link]
  12. ^ “Munster to take on Bourgoin in Geneva”. RTÉ Sport. 20 November 2006. Retrieved 21 March 2007.
  13. ^ “Saracens beat Racing in Brussels”. European Rugby Cup. 20 October 2012. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
  14. ^ “Saracens pull out of Cape Town Heineken Cup tie”. BBC Sport. 17 November 2011. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
  15. ^ Reid, Alasdair (10 October 2012). “Edinburgh reject Saracens proposal to play Heineken Cup match in Cape Town”. The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
  16. ^ “Sarries denied New York showdown”. ESPN Scrum. 12 October 2012. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
  17. ^ a b c “European Rugby Cup : History”. ERC. Archived from the original on 8 February 2007. Retrieved 21 March 2007.
  18. ^ a b “European Rugby Cup : Heineken Cup History 1995/96”. ERC. Archived from the original on 15 March 2007. Retrieved 21 March 2007.
  19. ^ a b Paul Rees (30 March 2006). “Big boys plan for more lucrative Heineken Cup”. The Guardian (London). Retrieved 21 March 2007.
  20. ^ a b “A history of the Heineken Cup”. Nobok. Retrieved 1 April 2007.
  21. ^ a b “European Rugby Cup : Heineken Cup History 1996/97”. ERC. Archived from the original on 18 January 2007. Retrieved 21 March 2007.
  22. ^ a b “European Rugby Cup : Heineken Cup History 1997/98”. ERC. Archived from the original on 8 February 2007. Retrieved 21 March 2007.
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