Heineken Cup 314858 225897364 2008-07-15T22:30:31Z Battapieman 4892948 /* 2005 - present */ {{Infobox sports league |current_season=2007-08 Heineken Cup |logo=Heineken cup.png |pixels=140px |caption=Competition logo |sport=[[Rugby union]] |founded=1995 |teams=24 |country={{ENG}}<br/>{{FRA}}<br/>{{flag|Ireland|rugby}}<br/>{{ITA}}<br/>{{SCO}}<br/>{{WAL}} |champion= {{flagicon|IRE|rugby}} [[Munster]] }} The '''European Rugby Cup''' (known as the '''Heineken Cup''' because of the tournament's sponsorship by [[Heineken]]) is an annual [[rugby union]] competition involving leading club, regional and provincial teams from the six [[International Rugby Board]] (IRB) tier one nations in Europe: [[England]], [[France]], [[Ireland]], [[Italy]], [[Scotland]] and [[Wales]]. The competition is organised by the European Rugby Cup, who are also responsible for the secondary championship, the [[European Challenge Cup]]. It is one of the most prestigious trophies in the sport. The tournament was launched in the European summer of 1995 on the initiative of the then [[Six Nations Championship|Five Nations]] committee to provide a new level of professional cross-border competition. It is sponsored by Dutch brewing company [[Heineken International]] (it is known as '''H-Cup''' in [[France]] because of [[alcohol advertising]] restrictions). Each European nation has 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 nation changes. The tournament is held from October to May, with various stages held in between respective club competitions. The current champions are [[Ireland]]'s [[Munster Rugby|Munster]], who beat [[Stade Toulousain|Toulouse]] of [[France]] 16&ndash;13 in the final at the [[Millennium Stadium]] in [[Cardiff]]. Toulouse have been the most successful team, winning the championship three times. ==Format== ===Qualification=== [[Image:European Rugby.PNG|right|thumb|250px|Diagram showing how qualification is obtained for Heineken Cup and European Challenge Cup.]] The Heineken Cup is open to clubs in the [[Magners League]], [[Guinness Premiership]], [[Super 10 (Italian premiership)|Super 10]] and the [[Top 14]]. 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<ref name="qualification">{{cite web | url=http://www.ercrugby.com/eng/31_264.php | title= Heineken Cup – Key Tournament Rules | publisher=European Rugby Cup | accessdate=2008-01-12}}</ref>: *England: 6 teams (selected by performance in [[Guinness Premiership]] and [[EDF Energy Cup]]) *France: 6 teams (selected by performance in [[Top 14]] Championship) *Ireland: 3 teams (selected by performance in [[Magners League]]) *Wales: 3 teams (selected by performance in [[Magners League]]) *Scotland: 2 teams (selected by participation in [[Magners League]]) *Italy: 2 teams (selected by performance in [[Super 10]] Championship) The remaining two places in the 24-team tournament are allocated as follows: *One team comes from France, England or Italy; this place is allocated to the country whose team progressed further in the previous season's Heineken Cup.<ref name="qualification"/> For example, [[Stade Toulousain|Toulouse]] have progressed further in the 2007–08 competition than any English or Italian team, so there will be seven French teams in the 2008–09 competition. *The final team is the winner of a playoff between the best-placed team in the Celtic League who has not already qualified, and the best-placed semifinalist in the Italian Super 10.<ref name="qualification"/> The playoff is a single match, which takes place alternately in Italy or the home of the Celtic League side. In 2007-8, this playoff 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 Celtic League nominee, the Newport Gwent Dragons, qualified without a playoff. Regardless of how well they perform domestically, the winners of the Heineken Cup and the European Challenge Cup both qualify for the next year's Heineken Cup, and are awarded places from their countries' allocations. The Heineken Cup is, generally speaking, the equivalent competition of the [[UEFA Champions League]] in professional football, whereas the European Challenge Cup is the equivalent to the secondary [[UEFA Cup]]. ===Competition=== [[Image:HeinekenCupFinal06MunsterVBiarritz200506Small ByMike.JPG|thumb|250px|right|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<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.ercrugby.com/eng/5018_5461.php | title=Biarritz Olympique Secure French Top Seed with Championship Win| date=[[2006-06-12]] | publisher=ERC Rugby | accessdate=2008-05-06}}</ref>: *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 08/09 season, there is more structure to the pools. The competing 24 teams are ranked based on past performance<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.ercrugby.com/eng/12_9903.php | title=New European ranking to be introduced next season| date=[[2008-03-27]] | publisher=ERC Rugby | accessdate=2008-04-02}}</ref> 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. ====Knock-out stage==== The quarter-finals are: team one v team eight; team two v team seven; team three v team six; team four v team five. 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 [[2003-04 Heineken Cup|2004]], [[Munster Rugby|Munster]] v [[London Wasps|Wasps]] was played at [[Lansdowne Road]] in [[Dublin]], while [[Stade Toulousain|Toulouse]] v [[Biarritz Olympique|Biarritz]] was played in [[Bordeaux]].<ref name="semis">{{cite web | url=http://www.irishrugby.ie/6855_3562.php | title=Heineken Cup Semi Final Referees. | date= [[2004-04-16]] | publisher=BBC | accessdate=2007-03-21}}</ref> However, the neutrality requirement is satisfied simply by the designated home team playing outside of its normal stadium. Both [[2004-05 Heineken Cup|2005]] semifinals 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 Stadium|Welford Road]],<ref name="walkers">{{cite web | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/european/4469813.stm | title=Leicester 19-27 Toulouse | date= [[2006-04-24]] | publisher=BBC | accessdate=2007-03-21}}</ref> while [[Stade Français Paris|Stade Français]] v Biarritz was played at [[Parc des Princes]] in [[Paris]], across the street from Stade's [[Stade Jean-Bouin|normal home field]]. The semifinal venue must also meet the following additional criteria; it must have a capacity of at least 20,000<ref name="capacity">{{cite web | url=http://www.irishrugby.ie/6855_1258.php?PHPSESSID=ee22249a3978865a367d95d0cb40 | title=Heineken Cup Semi Final Venues | date= [[2002-02-07]] | publisher=[[Irish Rugby Football Union]] | accessdate=2007-03-21}}</ref> 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 20km from the [[Spain|Spanish]] border, being allowed to host their 2006 semi-final across the border at [[Estadio Anoeta]] in [[San Sebastián|Donostia-San Sebastián]] (which is the nearest stadium to Biarritz with a suitable capacity).<ref name="spain">{{cite web | url=http://www.irishrugby.ie/6855_4272.php?PHPSESSID=ee22249a3978865a367d95d0cb40 | title=Munster To Reign In Spain? | date= [[2005-02-18]] | publisher=Irish Rugby Football Union | accessdate=2007-03-21}}</ref> A similar exception was made for [[CS Bourgoin-Jallieu|Bourgoin]] when they hosted Munster in [[Switzerland]] at [[Stade de Genève]], [[Geneva]]. The final is held at a predetermined site.<ref name="switz">{{cite web | url=http://www.rte.ie/sport/2006/1120/munster.html | title=Munster to take on Bourgoin in Geneva | date= [[2006-11-20]] | publisher=RTÉ Sport | accessdate=2007-03-21}}</ref> ==Results== {{main|Heineken Cup finals}} {| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" |- !width=5%|Season !width=20%|Winner !width=10%|Score !width=20%|Runner-up !width=20%|Venue !width=10%|Attendance |- |2008/09<br/><small>''[[2008-09 Heineken Cup|Details]]''</small> | '''TBC''' | '''TBC''' | '''TBC''' |[[Murrayfield Stadium|Murrayfield]],<br/>[[Edinburgh]] {{flagicon|SCO}} | '''TBC''' |- |2007/08<br/><small>''[[2007-08 Heineken Cup|Details]]''</small> | {{flagicon|IRE|rugby}} '''[[Munster Rugby|Munster]]''' | '''16 – 13''' | {{flagicon|FRA}} [[Stade Toulousain|Toulouse]] |[[Millennium Stadium]],<br/>[[Cardiff]] {{flagicon|WAL}} | 74,417 |- |2006/07<br/><small>''[[2006-07 Heineken Cup|Details]]''</small> | {{flagicon|ENG}} '''[[London Wasps]]''' | '''25 - 9''' | {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Leicester Tigers]] |[[Twickenham Stadium|Twickenham]],<br/>[[London]] {{flagicon|ENG}} |81,076 |- |2005-06<br/><small>''[[2005-06 Heineken Cup|Details]]''</small> | {{flagicon|IRE|rugby}} '''[[Munster Rugby|Munster]]''' |'''23 - 19''' | {{flagicon|FRA}} [[Biarritz Olympique|Biarritz]] |[[Millennium Stadium]],<br/>[[Cardiff]] {{flagicon|WAL}} |74,534 |- |2004-05<br/><small>''[[2004-05 Heineken Cup|Details]]''</small> | {{flagicon|FRA}} '''[[Stade Toulousain|Toulouse]]''' |'''18 - 12''' | {{flagicon|FRA}} [[Stade Français Paris|Stade Français]] |[[Murrayfield Stadium|Murrayfield]],<br/>[[Edinburgh]] {{flagicon|SCO}} |51,326 |- |2003-04<br/><small>''[[2003-04 Heineken Cup|Details]]''</small> | {{flagicon|ENG}} '''[[London Wasps]]''' |'''27 - 20''' | {{flagicon|FRA}} [[Stade Toulousain|Toulouse]] |[[Twickenham Stadium|Twickenham]],<br/>[[London]] {{flagicon|ENG}} |73,057 |- |2002-03<br/><small>''[[2002-03 Heineken Cup|Details]]''</small> | {{flagicon|FRA}} '''[[Stade Toulousain|Toulouse]]''' |'''22 - 17''' | {{flagicon|FRA}} [[USA Perpignan|Perpignan]] |[[Lansdowne Road]],<br/>[[Dublin]] {{flagicon|IRL}} |28,600 |- |2001-02<br/><small>''[[2001-02 Heineken Cup|Details]]''</small> | {{flagicon|ENG}} '''[[Leicester Tigers]]''' |'''15 - 9''' | {{flagicon|IRE|rugby}} [[Munster Rugby|Munster]] |[[Millennium Stadium]],<br/>[[Cardiff]] {{flagicon|WAL}} |74,000 |- |2000-01<br/><small>''[[2000-01 Heineken Cup|Details]]''</small> | {{flagicon|ENG}} '''[[Leicester Tigers]]''' |'''34 - 30''' | {{flagicon|FRA}} [[Stade Français Paris|Stade Français]] |[[Parc des Princes]],<br/>[[Paris]] {{flagicon|FRA}} |44,000 |- |1999-00<br/><small>''[[1999-00 Heineken Cup|Details]]''</small> | {{flagicon|ENG}} '''[[Northampton Saints]]''' |'''9 - 8''' | {{flagicon|IRE|rugby}} [[Munster Rugby|Munster]] |[[Twickenham Stadium|Twickenham]],<br/>[[London]] {{flagicon|ENG}} |68,441 |- |1998-99<br/><small>''[[1998-99 Heineken Cup|Details]]''</small> | {{flagicon|IRE|rugby}} '''[[Ulster Rugby|Ulster]]''' |'''21 - 6''' | {{flagicon|FRA}} [[US Colomiers|Colomiers]] |[[Lansdowne Road]],<br/>[[Dublin]] {{flagicon|IRL}} |49,000 |- |1997-98<br/><small>''[[1997-98 Heineken Cup|Details]]''</small> | {{flagicon|ENG}} '''[[Bath Rugby|Bath]]''' |'''19 - 18''' | {{flagicon|FRA}} [[CA Brive|Brive]] |[[Stade Lescure]],<br/>[[Bordeaux]] {{flagicon|FRA}} |36,500 |- |1996-97<br/><small>''[[1996-97 Heineken Cup|Details]]''</small> | {{flagicon|FRA}} '''[[CA Brive|Brive]]''' |'''28 - 9''' | {{flagicon|ENG}} [[Leicester Tigers]] |[[Cardiff Arms Park]],<br/>[[Cardiff]] {{flagicon|WAL}} |41,664 |- |1995-96<br/><small>''[[1995-96 Heineken Cup|Details]]''</small> | {{flagicon|FRA}} '''[[Stade Toulousain|Toulouse]]''' |'''21 - 18'''<br /><small>[[Extra time|a.e.t.]]</small> | {{flagicon|WAL}} [[Cardiff RFC|Cardiff]] |[[Cardiff Arms Park]],<br/>[[Cardiff]] {{flagicon|WAL}} |21,800 |} ==History== {{main|Heineken Cup history}} ===1995 - 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.<ref name="historymain">{{cite web | url=http://www.ercrugby.com/eng/37_74.php | title=European Rugby Cup : History | publisher=ERC | accessdate=2007-03-21}}</ref> 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.<ref name="historyone">{{cite web | url=http://www.ercrugby.com/eng/79_119.php | title=European Rugby Cup : Heineken Cup History 1995/96 | publisher=ERC | accessdate=2007-03-21}}</ref> English and Scottish teams did not take part in the inaugural competition.<ref name="hcup">{{cite web | url=http://sport.guardian.co.uk/rugbyunion/story/0,,1742370,00.html | title=Big boys plan for more lucrative Heineken Cup | author=Paul Rees | date= [[2006-03-30]] | publisher=Guardian Unlimited | accessdate=2007-03-21}}</ref> From an inauspicious beginning in Romania, where [[Stade Toulousain|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 rugby champions, eventually beating [[Cardiff RFC|Cardiff]] in extra time in front of a crowd of 21,800 at Cardiff Arms Park.<ref name="historyone"/> England and Scotland joined the competition in 1996/7.<ref name="historyarticle">{{cite web | url=http://www.nobok.co.uk/page/RTD/0,,10301~786296,00.html | title=A history of the Heineken Cup | publisher=Nobok | accessdate=2007-04-01}}</ref>. 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.<ref name="historytwo">{{cite web | url=http://www.ercrugby.com/eng/80_118.php | title=European Rugby Cup : Heineken Cup History 1996/97 | publisher=ERC | accessdate=2007-03-21}}</ref> 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, [[CA Brive|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 millions in 86 countries.<ref name="historytwo"/> 1997/8 saw the introduction of teams meeting on a home and away basis in the pool games.<ref name="historythree">{{cite web | url=http://www.ercrugby.com/eng/81_117.php | title=European Rugby Cup : Heineken Cup History 1997/98 | publisher=ERC | accessdate=2007-03-21}}</ref> The five pools of four 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 Rugby|Bath]] with a penalty kick. However English clubs had decided to withdraw from the competition in dispute of the way it was run.<ref name="hcup"/> Without English clubs, the 1998-99 tournament revolved around France, Italy and the Celtic nations. Sixteen teams took part in four pools of four, Ulster were invited in to the competition to even up the numbers. French clubs filled the top spot in three of the groups and for the fourth consecutive year a French club, in the shape of [[US Colomiers|Colomiers]] from the Toulouse suburbs, reached the final. Despite this it was to be [[Ulster Rugby|Ulster]]'s year as they beat Toulouse (twice) and reigning French champions [[Stade Français Paris|Stade Français]] on their way to the final at [[Lansdowne Road]], Dublin. Ulster carried home the trophy after a 21-6 win in front of a capacity 49,000 crowd.<ref name="historythree"/> 1997/8 saw the introduction of teams meeting on a home and away basis in the pool games.<ref name="historythree">{{cite web | url=http://www.ercrugby.com/eng/82_116.php | title=European Rugby Cup : Heineken Cup History 1998/99 | publisher=ERC | accessdate=2007-03-21}}</ref> ===1999 - 2004=== English clubs returned in 1999. 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 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 the [[Northampton Saints]]' victory over [[Llanelli RFC|Llanelli]] made them the third different English club to make it to the final. The competition was decided with a final between [[Munster Rugby|Munster]] and Northampton, with Northampton coming out on top by a single point to claim a first major honour.<ref name="historyarticle"/> England supplied two of the 2000-01 semi-finalists — the [[Leicester Tigers|Tigers]] and [[Gloucester RFC|Gloucester]] — with Munster and French champions Stade Francais also reaching the last four. Both semi-finals were close, Munster going down by a point 16-15 to Stade Français in [[Lille]] and Leicester 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 the Tigers walked off 34-30 winners. Munster got to the 2002 final with quarter-finals and semi-finals victories on French soil against Stade Francais and [[Castres Olympique|Castres]]. Leicester pipped Llanelli in the last four, the Scarlets having already halted their 11-match Heineken Cup winning streak in the pool stages. A record crowd saw the Leicester become the first side to successfully defend their title.<ref name="historymain"/> Toulouse's victory over French rivals [[USA Perpignan|Perpignan]] in 2003 meant that they joined the Tigers as the only teams to win the title twice.<ref name="historymain"/> 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 survived to win. From 2002, the European Challenge Cup winner now automatically qualified for the Heineken Cup. In 2003/4 the [[Welsh Rugby Union]] (WRU) voted to create regions to play in the Celtic League and represent Wales in European competition. Henceforce Wales entered regional sides rather than the club sides which 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 the all-French contest with [[Biarritz Olympique|Biarritz]] in a packed Chaban Delmas, Bordeaux. The 2004 final at Twickenham saw Wasps defeat defending champions Toulouse 27-20 at [[Twickenham Stadium|Twickenham]] to win the Heineken Cup for the first time. The match was widely hailed as the best of the nine finals. With extra time looming at 20-20, an 11th hour opportunist try by scrum half Rob Howley settled the contest. Wasps’ victory denied Toulouse the honour of being the first club to win the Heineken Cup crown three times — albeit only delaying that honour for another 12 months. ===2005 - present=== [[Image:Munster rugby 2006.jpg|thumb|250px|left|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 anniversary Heineken Cup final saw the inaugural champions Toulouse battle with rising stars Stade Français where [[Murrayfield Stadium|Murrayfield]] was the venue for the first Heineken Cup final in Scotland.<ref name="toulouseparis">{{cite web | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/european/4559935.stm | title=Stade Francais 12-18 Toulouse | date= [[2005-05-22]] | publisher=BBC | accessdate=2007-03-21}}</ref> [[Fabien Galthié|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.<ref name="toulouseparis"/> In 2006, [[Munster Rugby|Munster]] defeated Biarritz in the [[Millennium Stadium]], [[Cardiff]], 23-19.<ref name="munster">{{cite web | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/european/4998452.stm | title=Munster 23-19 Biarritz | date= [[2006-05-20]] | publisher=BBC | accessdate=2007-03-21}}</ref> It was third time lucky for the Irish provincial side, who had been denied the ultimate prize twice by Northampton and [[Leicester Tigers|Leicester]] in the past. South African import Trevor Halstead and man of the match [[Peter Stringer]] scored Munster's two tries, having gone behind early in the first half to a try by Biarritz's [[Fiji national rugby union team|Fijian]] winger, [[Sireli Bobo]]. French international [[Dimitri Yachvili]] kept the side from the [[Northern Basque Country|Basque country]] in contention with a 100% goal kicking record, but it was Irish international [[Ronan O'Gara]] who kicked the most important penalty goal to stretch the lead to 4 points with under 10 minutes of the game left. Despite pressure from Biarritz, Munster held on and a penalty awarded by referee [[Chris White (referee)|Chris White]] against Yachvili for being offside at the [[Scrum (rugby union)|scrum]] ended the [[Top 14|2005/06 French champions']] hopes of a double. Stringer kicked the ball out into touch to spark mass celebrations inside the stadium and in [[Limerick]]. The 2006-07 Heineken Cup will be distributed to over 100 countries following Pitch International's securing of the rights.<ref name="tv">{{cite web | url=http://www.ercrugby.com/eng/82_116.php | title=2006-07 Heineken Cup delivered to over 100 countries | date= [[2006-10-31]] | publisher=Sport Business | accessdate=2007-03-21}}</ref> This 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. Wasps won the final 25 points to 9 in front of a tournament record 81,076 fans.<ref name="wasps">{{cite web | url=http://www.ercrugby.com/eng/12_6932.php | title=Waspss crowned club champions in front of world record crowd | date= [[2007-05-20]] | publisher=ERC | accessdate=2007-06-15}}</ref> During competition there was uncertainty over the future of the tournament after the 2006-07 season as French clubs have announced that they will not take part because of fixture congestion following the [[Rugby World Cup]] and an ongoing dispute between English clubs and the RFU.<ref name="fut">{{cite web | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/6269979.stm | title=French clubs to quit Heineken Cup | date= [[2007-01-17]] | publisher=BBC | accessdate=2007-01-17}}</ref><ref name="futtwo">{{cite web | url=http://www.rte.ie/sport/2007/0117/heinekencup.html | title=French blame RFU for Heineken Cup boycott | date= [[2007-01-17]] | publisher=RTÉ Sport | accessdate=2007-01-17}}</ref> It was speculated that league two teams may compete the next season, the RFU said "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.".<ref name="eng">{{cite web | url=http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21523602-2722,00.html | title=Low division likely to fill Europe spots | date= [[2007-04-09]] | publisher=Australian | author=Stephen Jones | accessdate=2007-04-09}}</ref> A subsequent meeting led to the announcement that the tournament will be played in 2007-08, with clubs from all the six nations. On May 20th it was announced that both French and English top-tier teams would be competing <ref name="Competing">{{cite web| url=http://www.ercrugby.com/eng/12_7033.php | title=ERC Press Statement | publisher=ERC | accessdate=2007-05-20}}</ref> ==Records and statistics== ===By nation=== {| class="wikitable sortable" width="100%" |- !Nation !Winners !Runners-up !Winning clubs !Runners-up |- | {{flag|England}} |align=center| 6 |align=center| 2 | [[Leicester Tigers]] (2), [[London Wasps]] (2), [[Bath Rugby|Bath]], [[Northampton Saints]] | [[Leicester Tigers]] (2) |- | {{flag|France}} |align=center| 4 |align=center| 8 | [[Stade Toulousain|Toulouse]] (3), [[CA Brive|Brive]] | [[Stade Français Paris|Stade Français]] (2), [[Stade Toulousain|Toulouse]] (2), [[Biarritz Olympique|Biarritz]], [[CA Brive|Brive]], [[US Colomiers|Colomiers]], [[USA Perpignan|Perpignan]] |- | {{flag|Ireland|rugby}} |align=center| 3 |align=center| 2 | [[Munster Rugby|Munster]] (2), [[Ulster Rugby|Ulster]] | [[Munster Rugby|Munster]] (2) |- | {{flag|Wales}} |align=center| 0 |align=center| 1 | | [[Cardiff RFC|Cardiff]] |} ===By club=== {| class="wikitable sortable" width="100%" |- !Team !Winners !Runners-up !Years won !Years losing finalist |- |{{flagicon|FRA}} '''[[Stade Toulousain|Toulouse]]'''||align=center|3||align=center|2|| [[1995-96 Heineken Cup|1995-96]], [[2002-03 Heineken Cup|2002-03]], [[2004-05 Heineken Cup|2004-05]] || [[2003-04 Heineken Cup|2003-04]], [[2007-08 Heineken Cup|2007-08]] |- |{{flagicon|IRE|rugby}} '''[[Munster Rugby|Munster]]'''||align=center|2||align=center|2||[[2005-06 Heineken Cup|2005-06]], [[2007-08 Heineken Cup|2007-08]]||[[1999-00 Heineken Cup|1999-00]], [[2001-02 Heineken Cup|2001-02]] |- |{{flagicon|ENG}} '''[[Leicester Tigers]]'''||align=center|2||align=center|2||[[2000-01 Heineken Cup|2000-01]], [[2001-02 Heineken Cup|2001-02]]||[[1996-97 Heineken Cup|1996-97]], [[2006-07 Heineken Cup|2006-07]] |- |{{flagicon|ENG}} '''[[London Wasps]]'''||align=center|2||align=center|0||[[2003-04 Heineken Cup|2003-04]], [[2006-07 Heineken Cup|2006-07]] |- |{{flagicon|FRA}} '''[[CA Brive|Brive]]'''||align=center|1||align=center|1||[[1996-97 Heineken Cup|1996-97]]||[[1997-98 Heineken Cup|1997-98]] |- |{{flagicon|ENG}} '''[[Bath Rugby|Bath]]'''||align=center|1||align=center|0||[[1997-98 Heineken Cup|1997-98]]|| |- |{{flagicon|ENG}} '''[[Northampton Saints]]'''||align=center|1||align=center|0||[[1999-00 Heineken Cup|1999-00]]|| |- |{{flagicon|IRE|rugby}} '''[[Ulster Rugby|Ulster]]'''||align=center|1||align=center|0||[[1998-99 Heineken Cup|1998-99]]|| |- |{{flagicon|FRA}} [[Stade Français Paris|Stade Français]]||align=center|0||align=center|2||||[[2000-01 Heineken Cup|2000-01]], [[2004-05 Heineken Cup|2004-05]] |- |{{flagicon|FRA}} [[Biarritz Olympique|Biarritz]]||align=center|0||align=center|1||||[[2005-06 Heineken Cup|2005-06]] |- |{{flagicon|WAL}} [[Cardiff RFC|Cardiff]]||align=center|0||align=center|1||||[[1995-96 Heineken Cup|1995-96]] |- |{{flagicon|FRA}} [[US Colomiers|Colomiers]]||align=center|0||align=center|1||||[[1998-99 Heineken Cup|1998-99]] |- |{{flagicon|FRA}} [[USA Perpignan|Perpignan]]||align=center|0||align=center|1||||[[2002-03 Heineken Cup|2002-03]] |} ===Attendance=== {|class = wikitable |- ! !1995-96 !1996-97 !1997-98 !1998-99 !1999-00 !2000-01 !2001-02 !2002-03 !2003-04 !2004-05 !2005-06 !2006-07 !2007-08 |- !Per match |6,502 |6,765 |6,613 |5,860 |7,924 |8,187 |8,308 |8,921 |10,352 |11,620 |12,370 |11,570 |11,928 |} ==See also== {{Portal|Rugby union|Ru ball.svg}} * [[Heineken Cup finals]] * [[European Challenge Cup]] * [[Guinness Premiership]] (England) * [[Celtic League (rugby union)|Magners League]] (Ireland, Scotland, Wales) * [[Top 14]] (France) * [[Super 10 (Italian premiership)|Super 10]] (Italy) ==References== {{reflist|2}} ==External links== {{wikinews|Munster win 2006 Heineken Cup|Heineken Cup}} {{commonscat|Heineken Cup}} * [http://www.ercrugby.com/ ERC Rugby Official website of the Heineken Cup and [[European Challenge Cup]]] * [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/european/default.stm Heineken Cup on BBC Sport] * [http://www.planet-rugby.com/Tournaments/European_Cup/index.shtml Heineken Cup on Planet Rugby] (warning: popups) * [http://www.heineken.com Heineken Official website] * [http://www.eurorugby.com/modules.php?name=Rcurrent Euro Rugby Unofficial European club rankings] {{Heineken Cup}} {{Rugby European Rugby Cup links}} [[Category:European Rugby Cup| ]] [[Category:Heineken]] [[ca:Copa d'Europa de rugbi a 15]] [[cy:Cwpan Heineken]] [[de:Heineken Cup]] [[es:Heineken Cup]] [[eu:Europako errugbi txapelketak]] [[fr:Coupe d'Europe de rugby à XV]] [[id:Piala Heineken]] [[it:Heineken Cup]] [[ja:ハイネケンカップ]] [[pl:Heineken Cup]] [[pt:Copa Heineken]] [[sco:Heineken Cup]]