European Cup
Ahead of this month’s Champions Cup f inal, we look back on memorable moments f rom 25 years of European rugby
DIVE TIME
Chris Ashton produces his familiar ‘Ash Splash’ as he scores the opening try of the 2017 final, where Saracens beat Clermont 28-17 – the second of their three European titles. Ashton is the record try-scorer in European history, with 40.
POWER LIFT
Martin Johnson shows the Heineken Cup to Leicester fans at the Millennium Stadium after the Tigers had secured back-to-back European titles with a 15-9 victory over Munster. At the time, Leicester were the only team to have lifted the trophy more than once.
YELLOW ARMY
Clermont fans march from the city centre to the Stade Marcel-Michelin ahead of their pool match with Munster, which they won 26-19. The French club's supporters are renowned for the atmosphere they create, helping Clermont to a European Cup win rate of more than 80% at home.
HIGH DRAMA
Back-row Jordan Crane kicks the winning penalty for Leicester during their extraordinary semi-final against Cardiff Blues at the Millennium Stadium. The scores were level at 26-26 after extra-time, so the match went to an historic penalty shootout. The Tigers came out on top after misses by Tom James and Martyn Williams.
APRIL SHOWER
‘Sarrie the Camel’ sits aboard a hovercraft clearing snow from the Vicarage Road pitch ahead of the Saracens-Ospreys quarter-final. It was rather bizarre weather for April and Saracens upset the form book by beating the Welsh region 19-10.
THE LATE SHOW
Wasps scrum-half Rob Howley capitalises on an error by Toulouse full-back Clément Poitrenaud to touch down his own grubber kick for the match-winning try at Twickenham. Mark van Gisbergen slotted the last-minute conversion to make the final score 27-20.
JOHNNY BE GOOD
Johnny Sexton scores one of his two second-half tries that helped Leinster seal a remarkable comeback to beat Northampton 33-22, having trailed 6-22 at the break. The contrasting emotions of the two teams can be seen in the faces of Brian O’Driscoll and Calum Clark.
NEW GROUND
David Denton can’t hide his emotion as Edinburgh book their place in the Heineken Cup semi-finals for the first time with a 19-14 victory over Toulouse. It was Mike Blair’s try within two minutes that got the Scottish side off to a brilliant start.
TASTE OF SUCCESS
Bath crack open the beers in the changing room in Bordeaux after becoming the first English club to be crowned European champions. They beat defending champions Brive 19-18 thanks to a late penalty by Jon Callard.
TAKE A STAND
Thomond Park pays tribute to Anthony ‘Axel’ Foley with a minute’s silence before Munster’s pool match against Glasgow. Former No 8 Foley had moved into the province’s coaching team and died suddenly of a heart disorder while in Paris ahead of a game against Racing. He was 42.
MIRACLE MATCH
John Kelly celebrates his crucial second try in a 33-6 win over Gloucester at Thomond Park. Munster went into their final pool game needing to win by four tries and with a 27-point margin to book a quarter-final spot – and they did just that, hence the match’s now famous moniker.
FIRST ACT
Toulouse are crowned the inaugural Heineken Cup winners after beating Cardiff 21-18 at the Arms Park thanks to Christophe Deylaud’s extra-time penalty. The trophy has changed a lot since then, when players were also awarded individual ‘mini trophies’!
PULL THE STRINGS
Peter Stringer catches Biarritz off guard by darting down the blind side off a scrum to score Munster’s second try in Cardiff.
The 23-19 victory banished the pain of agonising defeats in 2000 and 2002, Munster lifting the Heineken Cup for the first time in front of their adoring masses.
MAKE SOME NOISE
Biarritz fans build an atmosphere at Estadio Anoeta in San Sebastián. Their quarter-final against Munster, which they won 19-10, was the first time a Heineken Cup match had been played in Spain, which became the eighth country to host a fixture after England, France, Ireland, Italy, Romania, Scotland and Wales.
REIGN IN SPAIN
Leinster enjoy their fourth European Cup – check out
James Lowe jumping into the shot from the back! This title was won at San Mamés Stadium in Bilbao, where they beat Racing 15-12 in a rain-sodden affair – Isa Nacewa’s 78th-minute penalty sealed it.
ALL HAIL
Exeter’s Dave Ewers, Nic White and Jonny Hill run off the Sandy Park pitch last December as their match against Sale Sharks is halted due to a heavy hailstorm. Play was suspended for five minutes in the second half, but it didn’t stop the Chiefs going on to win 35-10.
SUITS YOU
Northampton’s playing and non-playing squad come together for a pile-on after Saints’ gritty 9-8 win over Munster at Twickenham. It was the first trophy in the club’s 120-year history and was clinched by three Paul Grayson penalties.