2009 Heineken Cup Final
Encyclopedia
The 2009 Heineken Cup Final was the final match of the 2008–09 Heineken Cup, the 14th season of Europe's top club rugby union
competition. The match was played on 23 May 2009 at Murrayfield Stadium
in Edinburgh
; this was the second time that the Heineken Cup final had been held at Murrayfield after the 2005 final
, when Toulouse
beat Stade Français 18–12 after extra time.
The match was contested by Leicester Tigers
of England
and Leinster
of Ireland
. While Leinster were making their first appearance in the Heineken Cup final, Leicester were playing in their fifth, having won the competition twice, though not since 2002
; they did, however, finish as runners-up in 2007
.
Leinster won the match 19–16; Leinster took the lead via an early drop goal from Brian O'Driscoll
, only for Julien Dupuy
to equalise with a penalty a couple of minutes later. Leinster then moved 9–3 ahead with a drop goal from the halfway line and a penalty from Jonathan Sexton
. However, after Stan Wright
was sin-binned on the half-hour mark for an off-the-ball challenge on Sam Vesty
, Leicester reduced the deficit to three points with another Dupuy penalty, before taking a 13–9 half-time lead via a converted try from Ben Woods
. Dupuy increased Leicester's lead to seven points with a third penalty goal just after the interval, but a converted try from Jamie Heaslip
brought the teams level with half an hour left to play. Then, with ten minutes left on the clock, Jonathan Sexton squeezed a penalty inside the right-hand upright to win the match for Leinster.
was chosen as the venue for the 2009 Heineken Cup Final on 19 May 2008. The 2009 final was the second Heineken Cup final to be hosted by the 67,778-capacity stadium, following the 2005 final
, when Toulouse
beat Stade Français 18–12 after extra time in front of 51,000 spectators.
The 2009 final was Leinster's first Heineken Cup final, although they had reached the semi-final stage on three other occasions: in 1995–96, 2002–03 and 2005–06, when they were knocked out by Cardiff RFC
, Perpignan
and Munster
respectively. Leicester, however, had reached the final on four other occasions: 1997
, 2001
, 2002
and 2007
; they won the competition in 2001 and 2002, beating Stade Français and Munster, but lost out to Brive
in 1997 and London Wasps
in 2007.
Nigel Owens
of Wales was named as the match referee for the 2009 final on 13 May 2009, making him the second official to referee consecutive Heineken Cup finals after England's Chris White
. Frenchman Christophe Berdos
was appointed as fourth official.
; each group would consist of one team from each tier, and no country could have more than one team in the same group – with the exception of France
, which would have two teams in one group. Leinster was placed in Tier 2, which would mean that they would avoid being drawn with teams like Gloucester, Sale Sharks
and the Scarlets, but they could still be drawn with Toulouse
, Stade Français, the Ospreys and the Cardiff Blues
. They ended up being drawn in Pool 2 alongside London Wasps
, Castres
and Edinburgh.
Leinster won four of their pool stage matches, but a Matchday 5 defeat to Wasps meant that they had to equal or better the London side's result on the final matchday to be guaranteed a place in the knockout stage as group winners. In the end, Leinster's 12–3 win over Edinburgh made the Wasps result irrelevant and Leinster qualified as the sixth seeds for the quarter-finals, meaning that they would have to play away to third seeds Harlequins
in the quarter-finals.
Leinster's quarter-final against Harlequins was the last of the quarter-finals to be played, and also the lowest-scoring: Harlequins responded to two first-half penalties from Felipe Contepomi
with a 65th-minute try
from Mike Brown; Chris Malone
had the chance to give Harlequins the lead, but his conversion attempt went wide of the far post. Brown also missed with a long-range penalty
, while an injured Nick Evans, who had come on as a blood replacement
under dubious circumstances
, sent a last-minute drop goal attempt wide to give Leinster a 6–5 win.
The draw for the semi-finals was also made in January 2009, with the winners of Leinster's quarter-final due to play against either Munster
or the Ospreys. Munster came through their quarter-final comfortably, beating the Ospreys 43–9 to set up an all-Irish semi-final. As Heineken Cup holders and newly crowned champions of the Celtic League, Munster went into the game as favourites, but Leinster drew first blood with an early drop goal from fly-half Felipe Contepomi. Ronan O'Gara
equalised with a penalty shortly after. Several minutes later, Leinster suffered a major blow when Contepomi went down with what proved to be a cruciate ligament injury. A penalty from Contepomi's replacement, Jonathan Sexton
, and an unconverted try from Gordon D'Arcy
gave Leinster an 11–3 lead; a second penalty from O'Gara reduced Leinster's half-time lead to 11–6. Another try for Leinster, this time from Luke Fitzgerald
, just after the interval put them two scores ahead, before Brian O'Driscoll
intercepted a pass from Ronan O'Gara to score under the posts and round off a 25–6 win for Leinster. The match marked the first time that a club rugby match had been played at Croke Park
, and the 82,208 attendance for the match set a new world record in club Rugby Union.
, Stade Français and holders Munster
. They were eventually drawn into Pool 3 with Perpignan
, the Ospreys and Benetton Treviso
.
Four wins in their first five matches meant that Leicester went into their final pool match against the Ospreys needing only a point to reach the knockout stage. Within 15 minutes of the match kicking off, they were already 6–3 down; the score remained that way until half-time, after which the two teams continued to trade penalties, resulting in a final score of 15–9 to the Ospreys. The six-point margin gave the Tigers the losing bonus point they needed and they qualified for the quarter-finals as pool winners. Their pool record meant that they were given the fourth seed for the quarter-finals, meaning that they would face a home match against the fifth seeds, Bath
.
Leicester went into the quarter-finals as the joint-top try scorers from the pool stage, while Bath had the second-lowest number of tries. Nevertheless, it was Bath substitute Shaun Berne
who scored the first try of the quarter-final, going 7–6 up after Sam Vesty
had scored two penalties in the first quarter of the game. After half-time, the two teams traded penalties before Joe Maddock crossed for Bath's second try in the 64th minute. Vesty levelled the scores at 15–15 soon after, but just as the match looked like it was heading to extra time, Leicester's replacement scrum-half Julien Dupuy
feinted to pass back to Vesty in the pocket for a match-winning drop goal before scurrying through a gap at the base of the ruck on the edge of Bath's 22-metre line to score a try. Leicester's 20–15 win secured them a place in the semi-finals, where they would play the Cardiff Blues
, who had beaten Toulouse 9–6 earlier that day.
The Blues were the only team to come through the pool stage unbeaten and, going into the quarter-finals, they were the joint-top try scorers in the competition, along with Leicester themselves. Ben Blair
gave Cardiff the lead with a penalty before the 15-minute mark, but Leicester responded with a converted try from Scott Hamilton and a Julien Dupuy penalty to take the score to 10–3. Cardiff hit back with three penalties of their own before Dupuy slotted over to give Leicester a 13–12 half-time lead. After half-time, Leicester increased their lead with a converted try from Geordan Murphy
and two more penalties from Dupuy; however, only a few minutes later, the Tigers were hit with two quick-fire sin-binnings, and the Blues took full advantage by scoring two converted tries from Jamie Roberts
and Tom James
to tie the scores at 26–26 and send the game into extra time. Aside from two missed drop goal attempts from Johne Murphy
and Aaron Mauger
, extra time was largely uneventful and the match went to the first penalty shootout
in Heineken Cup history. The first seven kicks in the shootout were all successful, giving Cardiff a 4–3 lead before Johne Murphy stepped up; however, the Irish winger missed the target, giving Tom James a chance to win the shootout for the Blues, only for the Welshman to miss his kick, allowing Scott Hamilton to convert and take the shootout to sudden death. Both teams successfully converted two more kicks before Martyn Williams
wildly hooked his attempt wide and Jordan Crane
slotted over to send Leicester into the final.
and Johnny Sexton
and a penalty by Sexton. They then had Stan Wright
sin-binned, with Leicester moving into a 13–9 lead at half-time thanks to a Ben Woods
try. Leinster's Jamie Heaslip
scored a try to level the scores in the second half, with Sexton scoring another penalty to win the match ten minutes before the end.
Brian Cowen
attended the match and said he was "absolutely delighted" and that it was a "real pleasure" to be present at a "hugely exciting match". He said it had been part of "a golden year" for the sport in Ireland.
John Gormley
, leader of the Irish Green Party
, said the team deserved "the country's fullest praise and admiration" for lifting themselves "to the very heights of the international game".
The British media reported in the aftermath that "everything Irish rugby touches at the moment turns to gleaming silver".
The Leinster team were welcomed back at a special ceremony in their regular home ground, the RDS Arena
, on 24 May 2009. Spectators did not have to pay to attend this celebration, which also featured live music and family activities.
Leicester were reported to have taken "their considerable disappointment on the chin".
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
competition. The match was played on 23 May 2009 at Murrayfield Stadium
Murrayfield Stadium
Murrayfield Stadium is a sports stadium located in the west end of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Its all-seater capacity was recently reduced from 67,800 to 67,130 to incorporate the largest permanent "big screen" in the country though it still remains the largest stadium in Scotland and one...
in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
; this was the second time that the Heineken Cup final had been held at Murrayfield after the 2005 final
2005 Heineken Cup Final
The 2005 Heineken Cup Final was the final match of the 2004–05 Heineken Cup, the tenth season of Europe's top club rugby union competition. The match was played on 22 May 2005 at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh. The match was contested by Stade Français and Toulouse, both of France. Toulouse...
, when Toulouse
Stade Toulousain
Stade Toulousain, also referred to as Toulouse, is a French rugby union club from Toulouse in Midi-Pyrénées. Toulouse is one of the finest rugby clubs in Europe, having won the Heineken Cup four times – in 1996, 2003, 2005 and 2010. They were also runners-up in 2004 and 2008 against London Wasps...
beat Stade Français 18–12 after extra time.
The match was contested by Leicester Tigers
Leicester Tigers
Leicester Tigers is an English rugby union club that plays in the Aviva Premiership.Leicester are the most successful English club since the introduction of league rugby in 1987, a record 9 times English champions - 3 more than either Bath or Wasps, the last of which was in 2010...
of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and Leinster
Leinster Rugby
Leinster Rugby, usually referred to simply as Leinster, is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Dublin, representing the Irish province of Leinster, that competes in the RaboDirect Pro 12 and also competes in the Heineken Cup...
of Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. While Leinster were making their first appearance in the Heineken Cup final, Leicester were playing in their fifth, having won the competition twice, though not since 2002
2002 Heineken Cup Final
The 2002 Heineken Cup Final was the final match of the 2001–02 Heineken Cup, the seventh season of Europe's top club rugby union competition. The match was played on 25 May 2002 at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. The match was contested by the Leicester Tigers of England and Munster of Ireland...
; they did, however, finish as runners-up in 2007
2007 Heineken Cup Final
The 2007 Heineken Cup Final was the final match of the 2006–07 Heineken Cup, the 12th season of Europe's top club rugby union competition. The match was played on 20 May 2007 at Twickenham Stadium in London. The match was contested by the Leicester Tigers and London Wasps, both of England. Wasps...
.
Leinster won the match 19–16; Leinster took the lead via an early drop goal from Brian O'Driscoll
Brian O'Driscoll
Brian O'Driscoll is an Irish professional rugby union player. He is the current captain of the Ireland Rugby team and captained Leinster Rugby until the start of 2008 season. He also captained the British and Irish Lions for their 2005 tour of New Zealand...
, only for Julien Dupuy
Julien Dupuy
Julien Dupuy born 19 December 1983 is a rugby union player for Stade Français in the Top 14.Julien Dupuy plays as a Scrum-half.Julien Dupuy played for Biarritz and Toulouse in the French Top 14 for 7 seasons before joining Leicester Tigers in 2008...
to equalise with a penalty a couple of minutes later. Leinster then moved 9–3 ahead with a drop goal from the halfway line and a penalty from Jonathan Sexton
Jonathan Sexton
Jonathan Sexton , is a rugby union player for Leinster Rugby in the Celtic League and Heineken Cup. Sexton is a nephew of former Garryowen, Munster and Ireland rugby player Willie Sexton.Sexton is registered to St...
. However, after Stan Wright
Stan Wright
Stan Wright born 29 September 1978 is a Cook Island international rugby union player and his current club is Stade Francais in France....
was sin-binned on the half-hour mark for an off-the-ball challenge on Sam Vesty
Sam Vesty
Samuel Brook Vesty is an English rugby union footballer who plays utility back for Bath Rugby.Vesty is the fourth generation of his family to play for the Tigers...
, Leicester reduced the deficit to three points with another Dupuy penalty, before taking a 13–9 half-time lead via a converted try from Ben Woods
Ben Woods
Ben Woods is a rugby union player for Leicester Tigers in the Aviva Premiership as an openside flanker....
. Dupuy increased Leicester's lead to seven points with a third penalty goal just after the interval, but a converted try from Jamie Heaslip
Jamie Heaslip
James Peter Richard "Jamie" Heaslip is a Leinster & Irish rugby union player.- Early life :Heaslip was born in Tiberias, Israel, while his father, retired Brigadier General Richard Heaslip, was there on duty with UNIFIL. He attended Newbridge College before starring at the 2004 U-21 World Cup in...
brought the teams level with half an hour left to play. Then, with ten minutes left on the clock, Jonathan Sexton squeezed a penalty inside the right-hand upright to win the match for Leinster.
Background
Murrayfield StadiumMurrayfield Stadium
Murrayfield Stadium is a sports stadium located in the west end of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Its all-seater capacity was recently reduced from 67,800 to 67,130 to incorporate the largest permanent "big screen" in the country though it still remains the largest stadium in Scotland and one...
was chosen as the venue for the 2009 Heineken Cup Final on 19 May 2008. The 2009 final was the second Heineken Cup final to be hosted by the 67,778-capacity stadium, following the 2005 final
2005 Heineken Cup Final
The 2005 Heineken Cup Final was the final match of the 2004–05 Heineken Cup, the tenth season of Europe's top club rugby union competition. The match was played on 22 May 2005 at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh. The match was contested by Stade Français and Toulouse, both of France. Toulouse...
, when Toulouse
Stade Toulousain
Stade Toulousain, also referred to as Toulouse, is a French rugby union club from Toulouse in Midi-Pyrénées. Toulouse is one of the finest rugby clubs in Europe, having won the Heineken Cup four times – in 1996, 2003, 2005 and 2010. They were also runners-up in 2004 and 2008 against London Wasps...
beat Stade Français 18–12 after extra time in front of 51,000 spectators.
The 2009 final was Leinster's first Heineken Cup final, although they had reached the semi-final stage on three other occasions: in 1995–96, 2002–03 and 2005–06, when they were knocked out by Cardiff RFC
Cardiff RFC
Cardiff Rugby Football Club is a rugby union football club based in Cardiff, the capital city of Wales. The club was founded in 1876 and played their first few matches at Sophia Gardens, but soon relocated to Cardiff Arms Park where they have been based ever since...
, Perpignan
USA Perpignan
Union Sportive des Arlequins Perpignanais or Unió eSportiva Arlequins de Perpinyà , generally abbreviated as USAP in both languages, is a French rugby union club that plays in the city of Perpignan in Pyrénées-Orientales. The club currently competes in the Top 14, the top level of the French...
and Munster
Munster Rugby
Munster Rugby is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Munster, that competes in the RaboDirect Pro12 and Heineken Cup.The team represents the Irish Rugby Football Union Munster Branch which is one of four primary branches of the IRFU, and is responsible for rugby union in the Irish...
respectively. Leicester, however, had reached the final on four other occasions: 1997
1997 Heineken Cup Final
The 1997 Heineken Cup Final was the final match of the 1996–97 Heineken Cup, the second season of Europe's top club rugby union competition. The match was played on 25 January 1997 at the Arms Park in Cardiff. The match was contested by Brive of France and Leicester of England...
, 2001
2001 Heineken Cup Final
The 2001 Heineken Cup Final was the final match of the 2000–01 Heineken Cup, the sixth season of Europe's top club rugby union competition. The match was played on 19 May 2001 at the Parc des Princes in Paris. The match was contested by Stade Français of France and Leicester Tigers of England...
, 2002
2002 Heineken Cup Final
The 2002 Heineken Cup Final was the final match of the 2001–02 Heineken Cup, the seventh season of Europe's top club rugby union competition. The match was played on 25 May 2002 at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. The match was contested by the Leicester Tigers of England and Munster of Ireland...
and 2007
2007 Heineken Cup Final
The 2007 Heineken Cup Final was the final match of the 2006–07 Heineken Cup, the 12th season of Europe's top club rugby union competition. The match was played on 20 May 2007 at Twickenham Stadium in London. The match was contested by the Leicester Tigers and London Wasps, both of England. Wasps...
; they won the competition in 2001 and 2002, beating Stade Français and Munster, but lost out to Brive
CA Brive
Club Athlétique Brive Corrèze Limousin is a French rugby union team founded in 1910 and based in Brive-la-Gaillarde in the département of Corrèze of the Limousin région . They wear black and white and play in the Stade Amédée-Domenech .- History :The club was created on 15 March 1910 established on...
in 1997 and London Wasps
London Wasps
London Wasps is an English professional rugby union team. The men's first team, which forms London Wasps, was derived from Wasps Football Club who were formed in 1867 at the now defunct Eton and Middlesex Tavern in North London, at the turn of professionalism in 1999...
in 2007.
Nigel Owens
Nigel Owens
Nigel Owens is a Welsh international rugby union referee. He is an international and Heineken Cup referee and was the only Welsh referee at the 2007 Rugby World Cup in France....
of Wales was named as the match referee for the 2009 final on 13 May 2009, making him the second official to referee consecutive Heineken Cup finals after England's Chris White
Chris White (referee)
Chris White is an English international rugby referee. He is one of England's top rugby referees and has refereed at three Rugby World Cups....
. Frenchman Christophe Berdos
Christophe Berdos
Christophe Berdos is a full-time international rugby union referee with the French Rugby Federation and is one of the two French representatives on the IRB's International Referees Panel....
was appointed as fourth official.
Leinster
For the pool stage draw, the 24 entrants were divided up into four tiers based on their European Rugby Club rankingEuropean Rugby Club Rankings
The European Rugby Club Rankings were introduced for the 2008-09 European season. They are based on the points earned by teams in the Heineken Cup and the European Challenge Cup over the past four years. They are used to aid in the seeding process for the Heineken Cup and the European Challenge...
; each group would consist of one team from each tier, and no country could have more than one team in the same group – with the exception of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, which would have two teams in one group. Leinster was placed in Tier 2, which would mean that they would avoid being drawn with teams like Gloucester, Sale Sharks
Sale Sharks
Sale Sharks are a professional rugby union club who play in England in the Aviva Premiership.The club is an offshoot of Sale FC, which is based at Heywood Road in Sale, Greater Manchester, but Sharks currently play in Stockport at Edgeley Park, ground sharing with Stockport County F.C.Part of the...
and the Scarlets, but they could still be drawn with Toulouse
Stade Toulousain
Stade Toulousain, also referred to as Toulouse, is a French rugby union club from Toulouse in Midi-Pyrénées. Toulouse is one of the finest rugby clubs in Europe, having won the Heineken Cup four times – in 1996, 2003, 2005 and 2010. They were also runners-up in 2004 and 2008 against London Wasps...
, Stade Français, the Ospreys and the Cardiff Blues
Cardiff Blues
Cardiff Blues are one of the four professional Welsh regional rugby union teams. Based in Cardiff, the capital of Wales, the team have played at Cardiff City Stadium since the start of the 2009/2010 season and are owned by Cardiff Rugby Football Club....
. They ended up being drawn in Pool 2 alongside London Wasps
London Wasps
London Wasps is an English professional rugby union team. The men's first team, which forms London Wasps, was derived from Wasps Football Club who were formed in 1867 at the now defunct Eton and Middlesex Tavern in North London, at the turn of professionalism in 1999...
, Castres
Castres Olympique
Castres Olympique is a French rugby union club located in the Midi-Pyrénées city of Castres and currently competing in the top level of the French league system.Founded in 1898, the club took its current name in 1906...
and Edinburgh.
Leinster won four of their pool stage matches, but a Matchday 5 defeat to Wasps meant that they had to equal or better the London side's result on the final matchday to be guaranteed a place in the knockout stage as group winners. In the end, Leinster's 12–3 win over Edinburgh made the Wasps result irrelevant and Leinster qualified as the sixth seeds for the quarter-finals, meaning that they would have to play away to third seeds Harlequins
Harlequin F.C.
The Harlequin Football Club is an English rugby union team who play in the top level of English rugby, the Aviva Premiership. Their ground in London is Twickenham Stoop...
in the quarter-finals.
Leinster's quarter-final against Harlequins was the last of the quarter-finals to be played, and also the lowest-scoring: Harlequins responded to two first-half penalties from Felipe Contepomi
Felipe Contepomi
Felipe Contepomi is an Argentine rugby union footballer. A fly-half and centre, he currently plays for Stade Francais of the French Top 14; he made his debut for the club in November 2009 after recovering from a torn ACL suffered in a 2008–09 Heineken Cup match with his previous club, Magners...
with a 65th-minute try
Try
A try is the major way of scoring points in rugby league and rugby union football. A try is scored by grounding the ball in the opposition's in-goal area...
from Mike Brown; Chris Malone
Chris Malone
Christopher "Chris" Malone is an Australian rugby union footballer. A fly-half, he is currently playing for London Irish in England's Guinness Premiership. Before signing for London Irish from Harlequins, Malone played for Bath Rugby, Bristol Rugby, Exeter Chiefs, Sydney University and Manly...
had the chance to give Harlequins the lead, but his conversion attempt went wide of the far post. Brown also missed with a long-range penalty
Penalty (rugby)
In rugby football, the penalty is the main disciplinary sanction available to the referee to penalise players who commit deliberate infringements. The team who did not commit the infringement are given possession of the ball and may either kick it towards touch , attempt a place kick at goal, or...
, while an injured Nick Evans, who had come on as a blood replacement
Blood replacement
In both rugby union and rugby league, a blood replacement is a special kind of substitution which can be used in the case of a player having to leave the field of play temporarily to have a wound attended to.- Rugby union :In rugby union, blood replacements are provided for by Law 3.10 of the...
under dubious circumstances
Bloodgate
Bloodgate is the nickname for a rugby union scandal involving the English team Harlequins in their Heineken Cup match against the Irish side Leinster on 12 April 2009...
, sent a last-minute drop goal attempt wide to give Leinster a 6–5 win.
The draw for the semi-finals was also made in January 2009, with the winners of Leinster's quarter-final due to play against either Munster
Munster Rugby
Munster Rugby is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Munster, that competes in the RaboDirect Pro12 and Heineken Cup.The team represents the Irish Rugby Football Union Munster Branch which is one of four primary branches of the IRFU, and is responsible for rugby union in the Irish...
or the Ospreys. Munster came through their quarter-final comfortably, beating the Ospreys 43–9 to set up an all-Irish semi-final. As Heineken Cup holders and newly crowned champions of the Celtic League, Munster went into the game as favourites, but Leinster drew first blood with an early drop goal from fly-half Felipe Contepomi. Ronan O'Gara
Ronan O'Gara
Ronan John Ross O'Gara is an Irish rugby union player, playing at fly-half for both Munster and Ireland. He is the all time highest point scorer for both Munster and Ireland. In addition to his prolific point-scoring, he has captained Munster, Ireland and the British and Irish Lions...
equalised with a penalty shortly after. Several minutes later, Leinster suffered a major blow when Contepomi went down with what proved to be a cruciate ligament injury. A penalty from Contepomi's replacement, Jonathan Sexton
Jonathan Sexton
Jonathan Sexton , is a rugby union player for Leinster Rugby in the Celtic League and Heineken Cup. Sexton is a nephew of former Garryowen, Munster and Ireland rugby player Willie Sexton.Sexton is registered to St...
, and an unconverted try from Gordon D'Arcy
Gordon D'Arcy
Gordon William D'Arcy is an Irish rugby player, more specifically an inside centre. He is registered to Lansdowne RFC and plays for provincial and RaboDirect Pro12 side Leinster.-Career:...
gave Leinster an 11–3 lead; a second penalty from O'Gara reduced Leinster's half-time lead to 11–6. Another try for Leinster, this time from Luke Fitzgerald
Luke Fitzgerald
Luke Matthew Fitzgerald is a Rugby Union footballer. He currently plays at winger or centre for Leinster. Having previously studied at Blackrock College he won two Leinster Schools Senior Cups, in 2004 and 2006. He won his first cap for Ireland in November 2006...
, just after the interval put them two scores ahead, before Brian O'Driscoll
Brian O'Driscoll
Brian O'Driscoll is an Irish professional rugby union player. He is the current captain of the Ireland Rugby team and captained Leinster Rugby until the start of 2008 season. He also captained the British and Irish Lions for their 2005 tour of New Zealand...
intercepted a pass from Ronan O'Gara to score under the posts and round off a 25–6 win for Leinster. The match marked the first time that a club rugby match had been played at Croke Park
Croke Park
Croke Park in Dublin is the principal stadium and headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association , Ireland's biggest sporting organisation...
, and the 82,208 attendance for the match set a new world record in club Rugby Union.
Leicester Tigers
Based on their European Club Rugby ranking, Leicester Tigers were placed in Tier 1 for the pool stage draw, meaning that they would avoid being drawn with ToulouseStade Toulousain
Stade Toulousain, also referred to as Toulouse, is a French rugby union club from Toulouse in Midi-Pyrénées. Toulouse is one of the finest rugby clubs in Europe, having won the Heineken Cup four times – in 1996, 2003, 2005 and 2010. They were also runners-up in 2004 and 2008 against London Wasps...
, Stade Français and holders Munster
Munster Rugby
Munster Rugby is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Munster, that competes in the RaboDirect Pro12 and Heineken Cup.The team represents the Irish Rugby Football Union Munster Branch which is one of four primary branches of the IRFU, and is responsible for rugby union in the Irish...
. They were eventually drawn into Pool 3 with Perpignan
USA Perpignan
Union Sportive des Arlequins Perpignanais or Unió eSportiva Arlequins de Perpinyà , generally abbreviated as USAP in both languages, is a French rugby union club that plays in the city of Perpignan in Pyrénées-Orientales. The club currently competes in the Top 14, the top level of the French...
, the Ospreys and Benetton Treviso
Benetton Rugby Treviso
Benetton Rugby Treviso are an Italian professional rugby union club currently competing in the RaboDirect Pro12 and the Heineken Cup.They are based in Treviso in Veneto, and owned by the Benetton clothing company....
.
Four wins in their first five matches meant that Leicester went into their final pool match against the Ospreys needing only a point to reach the knockout stage. Within 15 minutes of the match kicking off, they were already 6–3 down; the score remained that way until half-time, after which the two teams continued to trade penalties, resulting in a final score of 15–9 to the Ospreys. The six-point margin gave the Tigers the losing bonus point they needed and they qualified for the quarter-finals as pool winners. Their pool record meant that they were given the fourth seed for the quarter-finals, meaning that they would face a home match against the fifth seeds, Bath
Bath Rugby
Bath Rugby is an English professional rugby union club that is based in the city of Bath. They play in the Aviva Premiership league...
.
Leicester went into the quarter-finals as the joint-top try scorers from the pool stage, while Bath had the second-lowest number of tries. Nevertheless, it was Bath substitute Shaun Berne
Shaun Berne
Shaun Berne born 8 January 1979 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia is a rugby union player for Leinster Rugby in the Magners League.Berne joined Leinster Rugby from Bath where he enjoyed two successful spells . In total he made 119 appearances for Bath in all competitions , including 27 European...
who scored the first try of the quarter-final, going 7–6 up after Sam Vesty
Sam Vesty
Samuel Brook Vesty is an English rugby union footballer who plays utility back for Bath Rugby.Vesty is the fourth generation of his family to play for the Tigers...
had scored two penalties in the first quarter of the game. After half-time, the two teams traded penalties before Joe Maddock crossed for Bath's second try in the 64th minute. Vesty levelled the scores at 15–15 soon after, but just as the match looked like it was heading to extra time, Leicester's replacement scrum-half Julien Dupuy
Julien Dupuy
Julien Dupuy born 19 December 1983 is a rugby union player for Stade Français in the Top 14.Julien Dupuy plays as a Scrum-half.Julien Dupuy played for Biarritz and Toulouse in the French Top 14 for 7 seasons before joining Leicester Tigers in 2008...
feinted to pass back to Vesty in the pocket for a match-winning drop goal before scurrying through a gap at the base of the ruck on the edge of Bath's 22-metre line to score a try. Leicester's 20–15 win secured them a place in the semi-finals, where they would play the Cardiff Blues
Cardiff Blues
Cardiff Blues are one of the four professional Welsh regional rugby union teams. Based in Cardiff, the capital of Wales, the team have played at Cardiff City Stadium since the start of the 2009/2010 season and are owned by Cardiff Rugby Football Club....
, who had beaten Toulouse 9–6 earlier that day.
The Blues were the only team to come through the pool stage unbeaten and, going into the quarter-finals, they were the joint-top try scorers in the competition, along with Leicester themselves. Ben Blair
Ben Blair
Ben Austin Blair is a rugby union footballer who plays at a full-back for the Cardiff Blues, and previously played six games for the All Blacks. On his All Blacks debut in 2001, he scored 37 points against Ireland A at Ravenhill in Belfast, however as this was not a test match he was not capped...
gave Cardiff the lead with a penalty before the 15-minute mark, but Leicester responded with a converted try from Scott Hamilton and a Julien Dupuy penalty to take the score to 10–3. Cardiff hit back with three penalties of their own before Dupuy slotted over to give Leicester a 13–12 half-time lead. After half-time, Leicester increased their lead with a converted try from Geordan Murphy
Geordan Murphy
Geordan Edward Andrew Murphy is an Irish rugby union rugby player and plays fullback or wing for the English club Leicester Tigers and Ireland....
and two more penalties from Dupuy; however, only a few minutes later, the Tigers were hit with two quick-fire sin-binnings, and the Blues took full advantage by scoring two converted tries from Jamie Roberts
Jamie Roberts
Jamie Roberts is a Welsh international rugby union footballer currently playing for Cardiff Blues in the RaboDirect Pro12. He also plays for the Wales and the British and Irish lions.Roberts' position of choice is as a centre....
and Tom James
Tom James (rugby player)
Tom James is a Welsh rugby union footballer.He was a former Welsh athlete before turning to rugby. His older brother, Robbie, is a professional welterweight boxer and former Welsh ABA Champion....
to tie the scores at 26–26 and send the game into extra time. Aside from two missed drop goal attempts from Johne Murphy
Johne Murphy
Johne Murphy is an Irish rugby union footballer who plays Wing, Full-back or Centre for Munster Rugby in the RaboDirect Pro12...
and Aaron Mauger
Aaron Mauger
Aaron Joseph Douglas Mauger is a former rugby union player who played at centre for Leicester Tigers. He previously played first five-eighths and second five-eighths for Canterbury , the Crusaders and the New Zealand All Blacks...
, extra time was largely uneventful and the match went to the first penalty shootout
Penalty shootout
The shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to penalty shots in that a single player takes one shot on goal...
in Heineken Cup history. The first seven kicks in the shootout were all successful, giving Cardiff a 4–3 lead before Johne Murphy stepped up; however, the Irish winger missed the target, giving Tom James a chance to win the shootout for the Blues, only for the Welshman to miss his kick, allowing Scott Hamilton to convert and take the shootout to sudden death. Both teams successfully converted two more kicks before Martyn Williams
Martyn Williams
Martyn Elwyn Williams is a Welsh international rugby union player. A flanker, he plays for Cardiff Blues and the Wales national rugby union team as an open-side flanker...
wildly hooked his attempt wide and Jordan Crane
Jordan Crane
Jordan Crane is an American comics creator.Crane first emerged in 1996 with the anthology NON, which he edited, contributed to, and published. This anthology combines influences from Art Spiegelman’s RAW and newer comics artists...
slotted over to send Leicester into the final.
Match
Leinster beat Leicester 19–16. They led Leicester 9–3 within 30 minutes following drop goals by Brian O'DriscollBrian O'Driscoll
Brian O'Driscoll is an Irish professional rugby union player. He is the current captain of the Ireland Rugby team and captained Leinster Rugby until the start of 2008 season. He also captained the British and Irish Lions for their 2005 tour of New Zealand...
and Johnny Sexton
Jonathan Sexton
Jonathan Sexton , is a rugby union player for Leinster Rugby in the Celtic League and Heineken Cup. Sexton is a nephew of former Garryowen, Munster and Ireland rugby player Willie Sexton.Sexton is registered to St...
and a penalty by Sexton. They then had Stan Wright
Stan Wright
Stan Wright born 29 September 1978 is a Cook Island international rugby union player and his current club is Stade Francais in France....
sin-binned, with Leicester moving into a 13–9 lead at half-time thanks to a Ben Woods
Ben Woods
Ben Woods is a rugby union player for Leicester Tigers in the Aviva Premiership as an openside flanker....
try. Leinster's Jamie Heaslip
Jamie Heaslip
James Peter Richard "Jamie" Heaslip is a Leinster & Irish rugby union player.- Early life :Heaslip was born in Tiberias, Israel, while his father, retired Brigadier General Richard Heaslip, was there on duty with UNIFIL. He attended Newbridge College before starring at the 2004 U-21 World Cup in...
scored a try to level the scores in the second half, with Sexton scoring another penalty to win the match ten minutes before the end.
Match details
Reaction
Ireland's TaoiseachTaoiseach
The Taoiseach is the head of government or prime minister of Ireland. The Taoiseach is appointed by the President upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas , and must, in order to remain in office, retain the support of a majority in the Dáil.The current Taoiseach is...
Brian Cowen
Brian Cowen
Brian Cowen is a former Irish politician who served as Taoiseach of Ireland from 7 May 2008 to 9 March 2011. He was head of a coalition government led by Fianna Fáil which until 23 January 2011 had the support of the Green Party and independent TDs.Cowen was also leader of Fianna Fáil from 7 May...
attended the match and said he was "absolutely delighted" and that it was a "real pleasure" to be present at a "hugely exciting match". He said it had been part of "a golden year" for the sport in Ireland.
John Gormley
John Gormley
John Gormley is an Irish politician. He was the leader of the Irish Green Party from 2007 to 2011, and was a Teachta Dála for the Dublin South East constituency from 1997 to 2011. He served as Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government from 2007–11...
, leader of the Irish Green Party
Green Party (Ireland)
The Green Party is a green political party in Ireland. It was founded as the Ecology Party of Ireland in 1981 by Dublin teacher Christopher Fettes. The party became the Green Alliance in 1983 and in 1987 was renamed to its current title in English...
, said the team deserved "the country's fullest praise and admiration" for lifting themselves "to the very heights of the international game".
The British media reported in the aftermath that "everything Irish rugby touches at the moment turns to gleaming silver".
The Leinster team were welcomed back at a special ceremony in their regular home ground, the RDS Arena
RDS Arena
RDS Arena is a multi-purpose sports stadium, owned by the Royal Dublin Society and located in the Dublin suburb of Ballsbridge, Ireland.The arena was originally developed to host equestrian events, including the annual Dublin Horse Show, which was first held there in 1868. The site was acquired in...
, on 24 May 2009. Spectators did not have to pay to attend this celebration, which also featured live music and family activities.
Leicester were reported to have taken "their considerable disappointment on the chin".