2008–09 Heineken Cup
Tournament details
Countries England
 France
 Ireland
 Italy
 Scotland
 Wales
Tournament format(s)Round-robin and Knockout
Date10 October 2008 – 23 May 2009
Tournament statistics
Teams24
Matches played79
Attendance1,177,064 (14,900 per match)
Top point scorer(s)Ben Blair (Cardiff)
(99 points)
Top try scorer(s)Brian O'Driscoll (Leinster)
(5 tries)
Final
VenueMurrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh
Attendance66,523
ChampionsIreland Leinster (1st title)
Runners-upEngland Leicester Tigers

The 2008–09 Heineken Cup was the fourteenth edition of the Heineken Cup, the annual rugby union European club competition for clubs from the top six nations in European rugby. It started in October 2008 and ended on 23 May 2009 at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh. Irish side Leinster became the champions, defeating Leicester Tigers 19–16 in the final.[1]

Teams

Seven French teams competed, as a French team, Toulouse, progressed further in the previous year's tournament than any English or Italian team.

Four Welsh teams competed, as Italy forfeited its place in the Italo-Celtic playoff[2] and a Welsh team were the highest-placed team in the previous year's Celtic league not to qualify otherwise.[3] Other nations had their usual number of participants: England six, Ireland three, Italy two and Scotland two.[4]

England France Wales Ireland Scotland Italy

Seeding

The seeding system for participating teams changed from previous editions of the Heineken Cup. Previously, each participating nation would seed one of their teams and these six teams would be drawn in different groups at the group stage.[5] Starting with the 2008–09 edition, the 24 competing teams were ranked based on past Heineken Cup and European Challenge Cup performance, with each group receiving one team from each quartile, or Tier.[6] The requirement to have only one team per country in each group however, still applied (with the exception of the inclusion of the seventh French team).[7]

The brackets show each team's European Rugby Club Ranking before the start of the 2008–09 season.

Tier 1 Ireland Munster (1) France Toulouse (2) France Biarritz (3) England Leicester Tigers (4) France Stade Français (5) England London Wasps (6)
Tier 2 Ireland Leinster (7) England Bath (8) England Gloucester (9) France Perpignan (10) England Sale Sharks (12) Wales Scarlets (13)
Tier 3 Wales Ospreys (15) Wales Cardiff Blues (17) France Clermont (18) Wales Newport Gwent Dragons (20) Ireland Ulster (21) France Castres (22)
Tier 4 Scotland Glasgow Warriors (24) Italy Benetton Treviso (25) Scotland Edinburgh (28) Italy Calvisano (32) England Harlequins (35) France Montauban

Pool stage

The draw for the pool stages took place on 17 June 2008 in Dublin.

Key to colours
     Winner of each pool, and two best runners-up,
advance to quarterfinals. Seed # in parentheses

Pool 1

Team P W D L Tries for Tries against Try diff Points for Points against Points diff TB LB Pts
Ireland Munster (2) 65011861216198632123
England Sale 630314113136115212115
France Clermont 63031413113712981013
France Montauban 6105521−1681173−92026

Pool 2

Team P W D L Tries for Tries against Try diff Points for Points against Points diff TB LB Pts
Ireland Leinster (6) 64021531214070702220
England Wasps 6402912−311411220117
Scotland Edinburgh 620488091103−12109
France Castres 6204615−973133−60019

Pool 3

Team P W D L Tries for Tries against Try diff Points for Points against Points diff TB LB Pts
England Leicester Tigers (4) 640223617191901013221
Wales Ospreys (7) 64021731415571842220
France Perpignan 640217107154120341118
Italy Benetton Treviso 6006543−3872291−219000

Pool 4

Team P W D L Tries for Tries against Try diff Points for Points against Points diff TB LB Pts
England Harlequins (3) 650116124144115292022
France Stade Français 630313112131109221215
Ireland Ulster 621313130113134−210111
Wales Scarlets 61141218−6124154−30028

Pool 5

Team P W D L Tries for Tries against Try diff Points for Points against Points diff TB LB Pts
England Bath (5) 6411138510792152121
France Toulouse (8) 6411128412188331120
Scotland Glasgow 62041417−3134150−161312
Wales Newport Gwent Dragons 6105814−683115−32037

Pool 6

Team P W D L Tries for Tries against Try diff Points for Points against Points diff TB LB Pts
Wales Cardiff Blues (1) 660023914202991033027
France Biarritz 63031441012188331215
England Gloucester 630317125156109472115
Italy Calvisano 6006837−2987270−183000

Seeding and runners-up

Seed Pool Winners Pts TF +/−
1 Wales Cardiff Blues 2723+103
2 Ireland Munster 2318+63
3 England Harlequins 2216+29
4 England Leicester Tigers 2123+101
5 England Bath 2113+15
6 Ireland Leinster 2015+70
Seed Pool Runners-up Pts TF +/−
7 Wales Ospreys 2017+84
8 France Toulouse 2012+33
England Sale 1914+21
England Wasps 177+8
France Biarritz 1514+33
France Stade Français 1513+22

Knockout stage

The draw for the quarter-finals took place on 27 January at Murrayfield Stadium.[8]

Quarter-finals

11 April 2009
15:30
Cardiff Blues Wales9–6France Toulouse
Pen: Blair (3/3) 1', 30', 57'ReportPen: Michalak (1/1) 5'
Skrela (1/1) 64'
Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
Attendance: 36,728
Referee: Chris White (England)
11 April 2009
18:00
Leicester Tigers England20–15England Bath
Try: Dupuy 80' m
Pen: Vesty (5/5) 20', 22', 51', 55', 67'
ReportTry: Berne 35' c
Maddock 64' m
Con: James (1/2)
Pen: James (1/2) 45'
Walkers Stadium, Leicester
Attendance: 26,100
Referee: Alan Lewis (Ireland)
12 April 2009
13:00
Munster Ireland43–9Wales Ospreys
Try: Warwick 34' c
O'Connell 55' c
Earls (2) 63' c, 65' c
Con: O'Gara (4/4)
Pen: O'Gara (3/3) 14', 20', 50'
Drop: Warwick (2) 39', 58'
ReportPen: Hook (3/6) 16', 30', 45'
Thomond Park, Limerick
Attendance: 26,000
Referee: Wayne Barnes (England)
12 April 2009
15:30
Harlequins England5–6Ireland Leinster
Try: Brown 65' mReportPen: Contepomi (2/2) 15', 39'
Twickenham Stoop, London
Attendance: 12,638
Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)
  • This match became notorious for the "Bloodgate" scandal. Quins coach Dean Richards was banned from rugby for three years for his role in faking an injury to wing Tom Williams so that Quins could send in a blood replacement. Williams himself was initially banned for a year, but after he revealed the full extent of the scheme, the ban was reduced to four months.[9]

Semi-finals

2 May 2009
17:30
Munster Ireland6–25Ireland Leinster
Pen: O'Gara (2/2) 18', 36'Report
Report
Try: D'Arcy 30' m
Fitzgerald 42' c
B. O'Driscoll 61' c
Con: Sexton (2/3)
Pen: Sexton (1/1) 26'
Drop: Contepomi (1/1) 15'
Croke Park, Dublin
Attendance: 82,208
Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)
3 May 2009
15:00
Cardiff Blues Wales26–26 (a.e.t.)England Leicester Tigers
Try: Roberts 73' c
James 74' c
Con: Blair (2/2)
Pen: Blair (2/2) 14', 33'
Halfpenny 27', 35'
ReportTry: Hamilton 21' c
G. Murphy 45' c
Con: Dupuy (2/2)
Pen: Dupuy (4/7) 24', 38', 54', 56'
Penalties
Blair checkY
N. Robinson checkY
Halfpenny checkY
Sweeney checkY
James ☒N
Shanklin checkY
Rees checkY
M. Williams ☒N
6–7checkY Dupuy
checkY Vesty
checkY G. Murphy
☒N J. Murphy
checkY Hamilton
checkY Mauger
checkY Newby
checkY Crane
Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
Attendance: 44,212
Referee: Alain Rolland (Ireland)

Final

23 May 2009
17:00
Leicester Tigers England16–19Ireland Leinster
Try: Woods 38' c
Con: Dupuy (1/1)
Pen: Dupuy (3/3) 8', 33', 42'
(Report)Try: Heaslip 49' c
Con: Sexton (1/1)
Pen: Sexton (2/3) 24', 70'
Drop: O'Driscoll (1/1) 5'
Sexton (1/1) 17'
Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh
Attendance: 66,523
Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)

Notes and references

  1. Thornley, Gerry. "Leinster soar highest in bluest of blue days". The Irish Times. Retrieved 10 August 2011.
  2. "Fourth team for Ireland or Wales in 2008/2009". European Rugby Cup. 6 May 2008. Archived from the original on 13 May 2008. Retrieved 8 May 2008.
  3. "Newport Gwent Dragons Secure 4th Heineken Cup Spot for Wales". European Rugby Cup. 7 May 2008. Archived from the original on 12 May 2008. Retrieved 8 May 2008.
  4. "Heineken Cup – Key Tournament Rules". European Rugby Cup. Archived from the original on 17 May 2008. Retrieved 8 May 2008.
  5. "Heineken Cup Pool Draw Confirmed". European Rugby Cup. 11 June 2007. Archived from the original on 14 December 2007. Retrieved 8 May 2008.
  6. "ERC European Rankings (May 2008)". European Rugby Cup. Archived from the original on 11 May 2008. Retrieved 8 May 2008.
  7. "ERC Draw Regulations (June 2008)". European Rugby Cup. Archived from the original on 20 June 2008. Retrieved 16 June 2008.
  8. "Heineken Cup semi-final draw completed". European Rugby Cup. 27 January 2009. Archived from the original on January 31, 2009. Retrieved 27 January 2009.
  9. Benammar, Emily (2009-08-18). "Dean Richards ban: how 'Bloodgate' saga unfolded". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 2009-08-18.
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