The European Rugby Continental Shield (formerly the European Rugby Challenge Cup Qualifying Competition ) was a rugby union competition, organised by European Professional Club Rugby , Rugby Europe and the Federazione Italiana Rugby , for entry into the European Rugby Challenge Cup .
84-546: The Qualifying Competition was first announced in April 2014, at the same time as the announcement of the creation of the European Rugby Champions Cup and Challenge Cup competitions. The tournament featured teams from non-EPCR countries, such as Spain, Germany, Belgium, Romania, Georgia, Russia and Portugal, as well as select Italian Eccellenza clubs. In 2016–17, the qualification competition also became
168-527: A European Rugby competition in its own right, the third tier European Rugby Continental Shield, with both successful play-off teams meeting in a final as a part of European Rugby Finals weekend. Both editions of the Shield final were won by Russian club Enisey-STM . The competition is the first third-tier European tournament since the suspension of the Parker Pen Shield in 2005. The competition
252-604: A closely fought final, winning 12-9. Having won the men's national cup and sevens championship as well as the national championship and sevens championship with the women's, the HRK took out all five available national titles in 2010-11. In 2011-12, the club also took part in the North Sea Cup , a European Cup competition made up of two clubs each from Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands. The club once more finished top of
336-434: A crowd of 41,664 at Cardiff Arms Park , the match watched by an estimated television audience of 35 million in 86 countries. The season 1997–98 saw the introduction of a home and away format in the pool games. 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
420-590: A golden era in the late 1920s, when it reached the German championship final three years in a row, winning the title in 1927 and 1928. After years of stagnation and a lack of home ground, the HRK formed a youth department and moved to the Sportgelände an der Speyererstraße in 1961, which is still its current home. This development soon bore fruit and the club earned three championships in the 1970s, also qualifying for
504-516: A home and away basis to decide which two clubs will qualify for the 2017–18 Challenge Cup. Mid-season it was announced the competition would become the European Rugby Continental Shield and the two qualifiers will play a final match as part of EPCR's 2017 Edinburgh Finals weekend. EPCR will determine about one open question: If it was like the past years, according to the rating, Krasny Yar Krasnoyarsk would meet with
588-615: A home and away play-off between Russia's Enisei-STM and Krasny Yar who have both received a bye into the knockout stage of the competition due to their participation in this season's Challenge Cup and to their success in last season's Continental Shield. The winners of the Enisei-STM v Krasny Yar play-offs will go through to the Continental Shield final in Bilbao and will also qualify for the 2018–19 Challenge Cup. The aim of
672-409: A new procedure in place. In lieu of the draw that used to determine the semi-final pairing, EPCR announced that the fixed semi-final bracket would be set in advance, and that the home team would be designated based on "performances by clubs during the pool stages as well as the achievement of a winning a quarter-final match away from home" . Semi-final matches must have been played at a neutral ground in
756-405: A number of Heineken Cup Final records. 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). The final edition of the tournament as constituted as
840-493: A place in the 2016–17 European Rugby Challenge Cup . After two away wins the club played its first home game against Belgian side Kituro, which it won, thereby also opening its new home ground which has an artificial turf surface. Heidelberg lost its final game of the competition to Timișoara and was eliminated. In the Bundesliga Heidelberg completed the regular season unbeaten and defeated SC Germania List in
924-554: 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
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#17327808516511008-454: A record in Europe. 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. 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. English and Scottish teams did not take part in
1092-526: A second place saw the team return to the German finals for the first time in over 20 years. In the semi-finals, the club beat SC Neuenheim , to reach its first national championship final since 1986, where it narrowly lost 11-8 to SC 1880 Frankfurt . The following season, HRK finished third in the league but reached the final once more, this time defeating SC 1880 39-22 in extra time, to earn its first national championship since 1986. It repeated this achievement in 2010-11 when it defeated Frankfurt once more in
1176-584: A semi-final against reigning Pro12 champions Scarlets. Leinster defeated Scarlets to face Racing 92 in Champions Cup Final in Bilbao. Leinster defeated Racing 92 by a scoreline of 15–12, becoming only the second team in history to earn four European titles. Leinster also won the Pro14 title to become the first Pro14 side to win the domestic-European 'Double'. Saracens won the 2018–19 competition, defeating defending champions Leinster 20–10 in
1260-472: A single-legged quarterfinals, semi-finals and final. The 2022-23 campaign will retain the same pool format, but, like 2020–21, all knockout stage games will be single-legged. Twickenham has been the most common venue for the final, holding the event on six occasions. The Millennium Stadium in Cardiff has held five finals, and its predecessor stadium on the same site a further two, but the latter stadium
1344-718: 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 16th Heineken Cup tournament in 2011 resulted in an Irish province lifting
1428-638: A unique three-in-a-row made by Toulon between 2012–13 and 2014–15 . Toulouse is the most successful club in the tournament's history, having won it 6 times, including the first season of the tournament in the 1995–96 season. Toulouse are the current European champions, having beaten the second-most successful club, Leinster 22–31 in the 2024 final in London , England. Toulouse completed "the Double" (Heineken Cup/European Rugby Champions Cup-National Championship) 3 times (1995-1996, 2020-2021 and 2023-2024),
1512-560: Is a German rowing club and rugby union club from Heidelberg , currently playing in the Rugby-Bundesliga . The club is one of four professional rugby clubs in Germany. The turn to professionalism in a sport otherwise fully amateur in Germany was made possible through the support of Hans-Peter Wild , who owns a soft drink manufacturing business. Heidelberger RK was to become the first German club to take part in either of
1596-571: The Investec Champions Cup for sponsorship reasons) is an annual rugby union tournament organised by European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR). It is the top-tier competition for clubs who compete in a predominantly European league. Clubs qualify for the Champions Cup via their final positions in their respective national/regional leagues ( English Premiership , French Top 14 , and United Rugby Championship ) or via winning
1680-558: The 2014–15 European Rugby Challenge Cup . The expanded competition for entry into the 2015–16 European Rugby Challenge Cup features six teams, in two pools of three. Russia is represented in European competition for the first time. Matches are scheduled for the same weekends as the 2014–15 Challenge Cup, beginning with the 5th Round of the Challenge Cup. Qualifying play-off Qualifying play-off The Qualifying Competition
1764-549: The 2020–21 competition took on a revised format based on a hybrid of the round-robin and Swiss systems . A similar, but revised 24 team format took place for 2021–22 and 2022-23 . On 31 August 2023, Investec , a bank and wealth management company with operations in South Africa and Europe, and the European Professional Club Rugby announced Investec would take over as title sponsor of
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#17327808516511848-464: The COVID-19 pandemic in Europe the 2020–21 competition took on a revised format. In this edition, the teams were split up into two separate pools of 12, in which they would play four games against opponents from their pool, before the top four teams from each of the two pools advanced to the knockout stage, made up of two-legged quarterfinals, and a single legged semi-finals and final. However, due to
1932-720: The November 2015 Paris attacks , all Round 1 games due to take place in France that weekend were called off, along with the Round 2 fixture between Stade Français and Munster . Rescheduling of some matches was difficult, partly caused by fixture congestion due to the 2015 Rugby World Cup . Saracens won their first title defeating Racing 92 in Lyon 21–9 in 2016 final and followed it up with their second in 2017, beating Clermont 28–17 in Edinburgh. In 2017–18 season, Leinster overcame
2016-514: The Rugby World Cup and an ongoing dispute between English clubs and the RFU. 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.". A subsequent meeting led to the announcement that
2100-702: The "pool of death" consisting of Glasgow Warriors (who finished the 2017–18 season top of the Pro14), Montpellier (who finished the 2017–18 season top of the TOP 14) and Exeter (who finished the 2017–18 season top of the English Premiership), beating all three teams both home and away. Leinster went on to face the back to back Champions Saracens , dispatching a defeat at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, to set up
2184-471: The 2017–18 Continental Shield. Four representatives from the Italian Eccellenza – Pataro Rugby Calvisano, Femi-CZ Rugby Rovigo, Rugby Petrarca and Rugby Viadana – will be joined by Romania's Timișoara Saracens, RC Batumi from Georgia, Heidelberger RK of Germany and Portugal's Centro Desportivo Universitario de Lisboa (CDUL Rugby) competing in two pools of four. Following the pool stage matches,
2268-494: The 2018/19 Continental Shield with a place in the Challenge Cup up for grabs. Four sides from the Italian Eccellenza – Argos Rugby Petrarca, Pataro Calvisano, Femi-CZ Rugby Rovigo Delta and GS Fiamme Oro Rugby – were joined by Georgia's RC Locomotive Tbilisi and Belgian representatives, Belgium Rugby Barbarians XV, competing in two pools of three. Locomotive Tbilisi, Calvisano and Fiamme Oro from Rome were drawn in Pool A while Pool B
2352-553: The 2nd Bundesliga South/West in 2004-05, winning all 16 regular season games, the largest win being a 146-5 victory over BSC Offenbach . In the final against the North/East champion DSV 78/08 Ricklingen , an 18-6 victory meant promotion back to the Bundesliga. Since then, the club has existed as a lower table side in the league, sitting just above the relegation zone. In 2008-09 , the club's performance has much improved and
2436-425: The Challenge Cup will earn a place regardless of league position. Team distribution is typically: Until 2018–19, the final team each season qualified through a play-off competition between the best placed unqualified teams. For the pool stage teams are placed into pools via a draw. The teams are ranked based on domestic league performance the previous season, and arranged into four tiers. Teams are then drawn from
2520-505: The Continental Shield is to widen the footprint of club rugby across Europe and to give both emerging and established clubs in different territories the opportunity to qualify for the Challenge Cup. Despite Heidelberger RK defeating Timișoara Saracens with the aggregate score of 47-41 and going into the Challenge Cup for the first time, Heidelberger RK have been disqualified from the Challenge Cup so Timișoara Saracens will replace them. Clubs from Italy, Georgia and Belgium competed in
2604-555: The Continental Shield is to widen the footprint of club rugby across Europe and to give both emerging and established clubs in different territories the opportunity to qualify for the Challenge Cup. The Continental Shield, which was won for the second time by Enisei-STM in Bilbao in 2017–18, is organised by EPCR in conjunction with Rugby Europe and the Italian Rugby Federation (FIR). European Rugby Champions Cup The European Rugby Champions Cup (known as
European Rugby Continental Shield - Misplaced Pages Continue
2688-699: The European Rugby Champions Cup, without title sponsorship. Heineken returned as sponsor for the 2018–19 season, resulting in the competition being known as the Heineken Champions Cup. Although they are technically two separate competitions, run by different organisations, the European Rugby Cup and the European Rugby Champions Cup are recognised as one title chain of elite club championships in Europe, with teams that have won multiple titles ranked, for example, by
2772-590: The Heineken Cup was won for a second time by Toulon at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff in May 2014. The tournament began on 17 October 2014, with Harlequins playing Castres Olympique in the first ever Champions Cup game. Toulon retained their title, beating Clermont 24–18 in a repeat of the 2013 Heineken Cup Final , thereby becoming the first club to win three European titles in a row. Following
2856-477: The North Sea Cup. HRK finished first in their group in the 2012-13 season and qualified for the south/west division of the championship round, where it also came first. The club won its fourth consecutive German championship defeating SC Neuenheim 41-10 in the final. In the North Sea Cup the club reached the final where it defeated Belgian club Boitsfort Rugby Club 34-10 to take out the competition for
2940-519: The Qualifying Competition. This season's competition features clubs from the domestic leagues of non-EPCR unions Russia, Spain, Germany and Belgium, as well as four representatives from the Italian Eccellenza. The eight participating clubs will compete in two pools with each club in Pool A playing once against each club in Pool B. The two pool winners will then play off against Timișoara Saracens of Romania and Russia's Enisei-STM on
3024-493: The Romanian Timișoara. But Krasny Yar received a letter that EPCR will hold a meeting on the final round of qualifying Challenge Cup, which will be determined the opponents. On February 14, at the office of RK "Yenisei-STM" received a letter signed by the coordinator of the qualifying competitions EPCR Vincent Prebande. Mr. Prebande reports that, like last year, the second stage of Qualifying teams will play in accordance with
3108-400: The aggregate of their wins in both versions. French clubs have the highest number of victories (12 wins), followed by England (10 wins) and Ireland (7 wins). England has the largest number of winning teams, with six clubs having won the title. The competition has been won by thirteen different clubs, eight of which have won it more than once, and five successfully defended their title including
3192-470: 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 Stade Chaban-Delmas in Bordeaux. The 2004 final saw Wasps defeat defending champions Toulouse 27–20 at Twickenham to win the Heineken Cup for the first time. The match
3276-411: The club's European record or current status in the Heineken Champions Cup." There were no Saracens representatives at the launch of the 2019–20 competition, held in Cardiff on 6 November 2019. EPCR released a statement saying they were "disappointed to learn of Saracens' decision to make their club representatives unavailable for today's official 2019–20 season launch". Because of the COVID-19 pandemic
3360-760: The club's list of internationals. In the 2010–12 campaign , Raphael Pyrasch , Pieter Jordaan , Alexander Widiker , Arthur Zeiler , Daniel Armitage , Sean Armstrong and Kehoma Brenner were all new additions to the club's list of German internationals, while Patrick Schliwa, Anjo Buckman, Steffen Liebig and Tim Kasten appeared again. For the opening match of the 2012–14 edition of the ENC against Ukraine Sean Armstrong, Anjo Buckman, Pieter Jordaan, Alexander Widiker, Arthur Zeiler, Steffen Liebig, Kehoma Brenner and Rafael Pyrasch where once more selected while Benjamin Danso , Raynor Parkinson and Samy Füchsel were new additions to
3444-434: 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 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
European Rugby Continental Shield - Misplaced Pages Continue
3528-530: The competition. The tournament moved away from the COVID-19 influenced hybrid system back toward a more straightforward, if still modified, round-robin pool format, while retaining the balance of four pool matches and four knock-out weekends. Typically, a total of 24 teams qualify for the competition, the same number as used to qualify for the Heineken Cup. At least 23 of the 24 teams qualify automatically based on position in their respective leagues. The winner of
3612-539: 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. In 2006, Munster defeated Biarritz in the Millennium Stadium , Cardiff , 23–19. It was third time lucky for the Irish provincial side, who had previously been denied
3696-703: The decision, Wild announced he was withdrawing support for the club. The club's origins date back to 1872, when, on 9 May, the Deutschen Flaggen-Club Heidelberg was formed, a rowing club. In the early days, several rowing clubs were formed in Heidelberg and disappeared again, but the remaining ones merged in 1875 to form the Heidelberger Ruderclub , under the leadership of the Flaggen-Club . The game of rugby
3780-438: The designated home team's country. Since 2018–19, the higher-seeded team will have home country/venue advantage for each semi-final regardless of whether they won their quarter-final at home or on the road. The EPCR may now also use its discretion to allow semi-finals to be played at a qualified club's home venue. The winners of the semi-finals will contest the final, which will be held in May each season. Because of
3864-592: The final at Twickenham, with the possibility of winning a Treble of championships on the cards, having already won the Anglo-Welsh Cup and the English Premiership. However, Wasps won the final 25 points to 9 in front of a tournament record 81,076 fans. 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
3948-516: The final. Saracens were in breach of the Premiership salary cap during this edition and the previous year, in which they qualified for the 2018–19 cup. However, the EPCR have confirmed that Premiership ruling will not affect the results of the Heineken Champions Cup for 2018–19 or previous years, stating: "The Saracens decision is based on Gallagher Premiership Rugby regulations and does not affect
4032-507: The first time. The club remained unbeaten during the 2013–14 regular season, finishing first in the south-west championship round, receiving a bye for the first round of the play-offs and advancing to the finals after victories over RK 03 Berlin and Berliner RC . Heidelberg won its fifth consecutive title when it defeated TV Pforzheim 43–20 in Pforzheim. In the 2014–15 season the club once again remained unbeaten and finished first in
4116-443: The four pools gain home advantage in the round of 16, with the teams finishing third and fourth playing away The quarter-finals are unbracketed, and follow the standard 1v8, 2v7, 3v6, 4v5 format, as found in the Heineken Cup. The winners of the quarter-finals will contest the two semi-finals, Up to and including the 2014–15 season, matches and home country advantage were determined by a draw by EPCR. In 2015–16, EPCR decided to put
4200-466: 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. 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
4284-493: The inaugural competition. 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. Clubs from England and Scotland joined the competition in 1996–97. European rugby
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#17327808516514368-413: The increasing spread of the virus, only two rounds were played before the competition was suspended, and instead the top eight teams from each of the two pools advanced to the knockout stage, with all matches being single-legged affairs. A similar format remained for 2021–22 , with the top eight teams from each of the two pools advancing to the knockout stage, which featured a two-legged Round of 16 before
4452-545: 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. 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
4536-470: The league below, the 2nd Bundesliga South/West, but stepped down to the third level for 2012–13. The club also has a successful women's team, which plays at the highest level in Germany, the Women's Rugby Bundesliga , but it took the team until 2010 to win a national championship at this level. Since then the clubs women's team has won five consecutive national championships from 2010 to 2014. It has however won
4620-478: The national sevens championship in the past. Note: Flags indicate national union under World Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby nationality. Recent seasons of the club: In Germany 's 2006–08 European Nations Cup campaign , no player from the club was called up for the national team. In the 2008–10 campaign , Anjo Buckman , Christopher Liebig , Steffen Liebig , Patrick Schliwa and Tim Kasten were new additions to
4704-446: The new Rugby-Bundesliga in 1971. The club continued to be a force in German rugby well into the 80's, earning its last championship in 1986. After a period of decline, it found itself in the 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga, where it was promoted from back to the first division in 1997. After a short stint in this league, the team had to return to the 2nd Bundesliga in 2000, where it was to remain for the next couple of seasons. The club dominated
4788-497: The other teams in their pool once, before the two pool winners compete in a two-legged play-off against the teams currently competing in the Challenge Cup from the previous Qualifying Competition. The winners, on aggregate, of these two play-offs will take up the Qualifying Competition places in the Challenge Cup. In 2017, the competition was rebranded as the European Rugby Continental Shield, and it
4872-406: The play-off semi-finals but suffered a surprise 41–36 defeat to TV Pforzheim in the final. Two further title wins ensued, 2017 against TV Pforzheim and 2018 against RG Heidelberg . The regular season 2018-2019 was concluded by clinching the third place and as the only side beating the 2019 national champion SC 1880 Frankfurt in a league game. The club's reserve side has played for many years in
4956-515: The previous year, facing the Croatian champions RK Nada in the semi-finals, which HRK won 43–0. The club consequently qualified for the final against Lithuanian club RC Šiauliai who had knocked out SC 1880 in the semi-finals, winning this game and the competition 60–10. The European Clubs Championship is open to the winners of the Baltic and Balkan Cups as well as the winners and runners-up of
5040-513: The principle of sport. The two-legged confrontation "Yenisei-STM" will meet the Italian club "Mogliano" and "Krasny Yar" - with the Romanian club "Timișoara Saracens". The format of the Qualifying Competition remains similar to the previous season. As before, two places in the next year's Challenge Cup will be available for teams in the Continental Shield. Clubs from six countries will compete in
5124-547: The result of each game, with teams receiving four points for a win, and two for a draw. Teams can also earn bonus points for scoring four or more tries and/or for losing a match by seven points or fewer. Following the completion of the pool stage, 16 teams qualify for the knock-out stage of the Champions Cup with a further 4 of the remaining 8 dropping into the Challenge Cup. The final four teams are eliminated The sixteen remaining teams are seeded from 1–16 based on performance in their respective pool. The top two teams in each of
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#17327808516515208-437: The rights. 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
5292-464: The second-tier Challenge Cup ; those that do not qualify are instead eligible to compete in the second-tier Challenge Cup. Between 1995 and 2014, the equivalent competition was known as the Heineken Cup and was run by European Rugby Cup . Following disagreements between its shareholders over the structure and governance of the competition, it was taken over by EPCR and its name was changed to
5376-498: 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. English clubs returned in 1999–00. The pool stages were spread over three months to allow
5460-598: The south-west championship group once more. It defeated TV Pforzheim in the final of the German championship after play-off wins over TSV Handschuhsheim and RG Heidelberg. HRK thereby equaled Victoria Linden's record of six consecutive German championships. In 2015–16 Heidelberger RK participated in the European Rugby Challenge Cup Qualifying Competition , competing against Grupo Desportivo Direito , Mogliano Rugby , Royal Kituro Rugby Club and Timișoara Saracens for
5544-527: The table in the league in 2011-12, losing only one of its 18 games, reaching the final for a fourth consecutive time, but facing TV Pforzheim there rather than SC 1880 Frankfurt, its opposition in the previous three finals. HRK won the final 20-16 and won its ninth German championship. In the 2012–13 season the club took part in the European Clubs Championship, a new competition, on the strength of its North Sea Cup runners-up finish in
5628-434: 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. 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
5712-412: The tiers into pools at random, with the restriction that no team will be drawn in the same pool as another team from the same league and tier. The nature of the draw means that sides will have a relatively even spread of matches across venues, leagues and tiers. Teams will play the two other teams in their pool from each different league once, at home or away, and match points will be awarded depending on
5796-461: 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, 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
5880-594: The title twice. 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
5964-413: 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 In the 2008 final, Munster won the cup for their second time ever by beating Toulouse at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. Leinster won the title in 2009 in their first ever final after beating Munster in the semi-final in front of
6048-416: The tournament's greatest comebacks. Johnny 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
6132-464: The two Rugby Europe spots in the draw, and it involved the 2 best teams from Italy's National Championship of Excellence , plus a Romanian and Georgian selection. An expanded format was announced on 22 December 2014, the expanded format includes clubs from non-EPCR Unions Russia, Spain and Portugal alongside representatives from the Italian Eccellenza. The 6 teams in the Qualifying Competition are split into 2 pools of 3 teams each. Each team will play
6216-443: The two major European rugby union competitions after they qualified for the 2018-19 European Rugby Challenge Cup via winning their semi-final against Timișoara Saracens in the 2017-18 European Rugby Continental Shield . European Professional Club Rugby announced that Heidelberger would be excluded as they were under the ownership of Wild, who was simultaneously the owner of another Challenge Cup side, Stade Francais . Following
6300-436: The ultimate prize twice by Northampton and Leicester in finals, in addition to a series of tight semi-final losses. Munster's history of heartbreaking near misses, large away followings and their enduring close connection to the tournament provided much of the romantic narrative of the early years of the competition. The 2006–07 Heineken Cup would be distributed to over 100 countries following Pitch International's securing of
6384-409: The winners of Pool A will play the runners-up in Pool B, and the winners of Pool B will play the runners-up in Pool A on a home and away basis. The two clubs which advance will then play each other home and away with the winners securing a place in the Continental Shield final in Bilbao next May and also qualifying for the 2018–19 Challenge Cup. The other Continental Shield finalist will be decided by
6468-411: Was announced that the two qualifiers would play each other as part of the EPCR's finals weekend, a practice which was discontinued for 2018–19. The reduced format for the inaugural Qualifying Competition included two Italian Clubs, a Romanian and a Georgian side. Sides were paired up and competed in two matches, home and away. The winners, on aggregate, of these two games received one of the two places in
6552-994: Was completely demolished to build the Millennium, and the two are treated as two separate venues. The site, however, holds the record for most finals, seven. The final has been held once in a nation that is not part of the competition; San Mamés Stadium , Bilbao in Spain held the 2018 final. As of 2024 the final has never been held in South Africa or Italy. Note that in the case of career statistics, only those clubs for which each player appeared in European Cup fixtures (i.e. Heineken Cup or Champions Cup) are listed. Up to date as of 31 May 2024 The number of goals includes both penalties and conversions. Up to date as of 31 May 2024 Single season records up to date as of 20 December 2023 Heidelberger RK The Heidelberger Ruderklub (Heidelberger RK or HRK for short)
6636-545: Was discontinued after the 2018–19 edition. Under the Heads of Agreement announced on 10 April 2014, there were two places available in the European Rugby Challenge Cup through the Qualifying Competition. For the 2014–15 season, given the time constraints in filling the competition, this was a reduced competition the form of 2 two-legged play-off matches, with the aggregate winners of each taking one of
6720-487: 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. 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
6804-418: Was introduced in the club in the early 1890s by Edward Hill Ullrich, who was partly of English descend and had a great love of "English" games, translating the rules of rugby into German. It is from this beginnings that the HRK claims to be the oldest rugby club in Germany. This is true in the sense that it is the oldest rugby-playing club in Germany but other clubs have an older rugby department. The club had
6888-460: Was made up of Petrarca, Belgium Rugby Barbarians XV and Rovigo. Clubs in the same pool played one another on a home and away basis and the two pool winners played off over two legs to decide which club qualified for the 2019/20 Challenge Cup. A further place in the 2019/20 Challenge Cup was decided by a home and away play-off between Russia's Enisei-STM and Timișoara Saracens of Romania who are both competing in this season's Challenge Cup. The aim of
6972-449: Was once again expanded, this time featuring 8 teams in two pools of four. Each team will play the teams in the other pool once. Belgium and Germany are represented in pan-European Rugby competition for the first time, through Royal Kituro and Heidelberger RK respectively. The format of the Qualifying Competition remains similar to the previous season. As before, two places in the next year's Challenge Cup will be available for teams in
7056-439: 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. 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. Fabien Galthié 's Paris side led until two minutes from the end of normal time before Frédéric Michalak levelled
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