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]
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.
Pool stage
The draw for the pool stages took place on 17 June 2008 in Dublin.
Pool 1
Pool 2
Pool 3
Pool 4
Pool 5
Pool 6
Seeding and runners-up
Knockout stage
The draw for the quarter-finals took place on 27 January at Murrayfield Stadium.[8]
Quarter-finals
- 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
Final
Notes and references
- ^ Thornley, Gerry. "Leinster soar highest in bluest of blue days". The Irish Times. Retrieved 10 August 2011.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Heineken Cup – Key Tournament Rules". European Rugby Cup. Archived from the original on 17 May 2008. Retrieved 8 May 2008.
- ^ "Heineken Cup Pool Draw Confirmed". European Rugby Cup. 11 June 2007. Archived from the original on 14 December 2007. Retrieved 8 May 2008.
- ^ "ERC European Rankings (May 2008)". European Rugby Cup. Archived from the original on 11 May 2008. Retrieved 8 May 2008.
- ^ "ERC Draw Regulations (June 2008)". European Rugby Cup. Archived from the original on 20 June 2008. Retrieved 16 June 2008.
- ^ "Heineken Cup semi-final draw completed". European Rugby Cup. 27 January 2009. Archived from the original on January 31, 2009. Retrieved 27 January 2009.
- ^ Benammar, Emily (2009-08-18). "Dean Richards ban: how 'Bloodgate' saga unfolded". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 2009-08-18.
