The Heineken Cup was founded in 1995 and is now one of the most prestigious contestants in Rugby Union and the crown is currently held by Irish giants Leinster. The H Cup, as it is know in France is organised by the European Rugby Cup and comprises of teams from England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, France and Italy. Since the competition was founded in 1995 Toulouse have been the most successful with an impressive four wins closely followed by Leinster on three. The most successful nation is England with six wins from four different clubs as well as been runner-up on four occasions.
Format
The competition involves 24 teams from around Europe with the Teams divided into six (6) pools of four (4) teams. The 6 pool winners and the 2 best runner-ups qualify for the quarter-finals. The quarter –final will be played at the higher seeded team. However, the semi-finals and the final will be played at a neutral stadium. For the semi-final, however, the location is in the country of the first team picked in a draw. The Final for the 2012/13 Heineken Cup will be hosted at the Aviva stadium in Dublin.
Heineken Cup Pools 2012-13
Pool 1: Munster Rugby, Edinburgh Rugby, Saracens, Racing Metro 92
Pool 2: Toulouse, Leicester Tigers, Ospreys, Benetton Treviso
Pool 3: Biarritz Olympique, Harlequins, Connacht Rugby, Zebre
Pool 4: Northampton Saints, Ulster Rugby, Glasgow Warriors, Castres Olympique
Pool 5: Leinster Rugby, ASM Clermont Auvergne, Scarlets, Exeter Chiefs
Pool 6: Cardiff Blues, RC Toulon, Sale Sharks, Montpellier
Current Situation
In 2011/12, Leinster beat Ulster in a great final at Twickenham Stadium in front of 81,774 rugby fans with 42-14. The game broke multiple records and became the highest attended rugby game in the history of the Heineken Cup. Leinster became the first team to win back to back titles.
Currently the teams at the top of their pools include Saracens, Toulouse, Harlequins, Ulster, ASM Clermont Auvergne and Toulon. Round 3 of the fixtures will be played on December 7th 8th and 9th with the final being played on May 18th 2013 at the Aviva Stadium. The Aviva Stadium holds over 51,000 spectators and guarantees a great Heineken Cup final for all rugby fans.
No shows booked at the moment.
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