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Brewery giant Heineken is once again the sponsor of the European Cup. Congratulations to Toulouse this years winner. This season the final was played for the first time at Murrayfield. Previous finals have been played in France, England, Wales and Ireland. No Scottish side has progressed to the knockout stages until Edinburgh reached the quarter-finals last season.
The qualifying Teams were:
ENGLAND – 7 teams (London Wasps, Bath Rugby, Northampton Saints, NEC
Harlequins, Newcastle Falcons, Gloucester, Leicester Tigers)
FRANCE - 6 teams (Perpigan / Stade Français Paris, Castres
Olympique, Toulouse, Bourgoin, Biarritz Olympique)
WALES – 4 teams (Llanelli Scarlets, Newport Gwent Dragons, Neath-Swansea
Ospreys, Cardiff Blues)
IRELAND – 3 teams (Munster, Leinster, Ulster)
SCOTLAND – 2 teams (Edinburgh Rugby, Glasgow Rugby)
ITALY – 2 teams (Benetton Treviso, Rugby Calvisano)
Planet Rugby have a special web site dedicated to the competition as do Scrum.com
The Official Site of European Rugby can be found at www.ercrugby.com
Once again, the teams were devided into Six Pools for the initial stages of the tournament. The six Pool winners and two best placed runners-up* qualified for the quarter-finals, thus eight teams in all. (*ERC had said that no sides placed third in their Pool can qualify as a "runner-up"). The Pool winner was the club with the highest number of Pool points within that Pool.
The best placed runners-up were the two clubs from all the six Pools
with the highest number of Pool points.
POOL 1
Biarritz Olympique
Calvisano
Leicester Tigers
London Wasps
Dewi Morris regarded Calvisano as making up the numbers in this Pool. Biarritz were flying high in the French Championship and had got a superb back row of Thomas Lievremont, Serge Betsen and Imanol Harinordoquy within a mighty pack and had try machine Jimmy Marlu out wide. Leicester wanted to get back to former glories, but Morris backed Wasps to go through from this Pool.
POOL 2
Bath
Treviso
Bourgoin
Leinster
Morris felt the only way Treviso would progress was by wining all their home games, which he felt looked highly unlikely. Leinster had not been going well in the Celtic League but have all their stars were back after their enforced rest by the Irish Rugby Union.They had a dynamic midfield combination of Brian O'Driscoll and Gordon D'Arcy. Morris felt Bath looked one-dimensional, although they hinted against Leicester that they might be finding some fluency behind their big pack, and Bourgoin do not travel well.
POOL 3
Glasgow Rugby
Llanelli Scarlets
Northampton Saints
Toulouse
Toulouse were the bookies' favourites and had been on top form in the French Championship. There was a plethora of talent there, with new Wales captain Gareth Thomas the latest signing. Llanelli had struggled this season in the Celtic League. Stephen Jones' departure to France was an enourmous loss
Glasgow provided a difficult test at Hughenden for all comers. Morris considered that Northampton had been playing rubbish in the lead-up to European action.
POOL 4
Castres Olympique
Harlequins
Munster
Neath-Swansea Ospreys
Munster were struggling and new recruits Simon Maling and Geo Cronje were not available for the Heineken Cup. Quins had to go out and play but Morris could n't see them coming out of this tough group. Christian Cullen was back on form and that's why Munster were his tip to win this pool and the Cup!
The Ospreys lead the Celtic League going into the competition with an in form Gavin Henson. Castres were not doing well in the French Championship, but Morris thought they had got some big guys in Mario Ledesma, Richard Dourthe and David Bory and former Wasps Paul Volley and Mark Denney.
POOL 5
Edinburgh Rugby
Newcastle Falcons
Newport Gwent Dragons
Perpignan
Morris said the injury to Jonny Wilkinson cast a shadow over this pool. His views on Jonny's curent form were well documented and he did n't even think a fully first Wilkinson could take Newcastle through this Pool. The Dragons lay second in the Celtic League going in to the tournament, having won five out of five. Edinburgh would find the going tough.
POOL 6
Cardiff Blues
Gloucester
Stade Francais
Ulster
Morris felt Stade Francais, with the contrasting talents of David Auradou and Christophe Dominici, were the aristocrats of the French game and were massively hard to beat at home. He predicted them to come through. Ulster were very strong at Ravenhill. Cardiff had all the talent and a big support base but could n't seem to do it when it mattered. As to Gloucester, Morris felt they were not as dynamic as they had been up front and needed their front five to recapture the rampaging form of two seasons ago.
Results
31 Oct 2004 Edinburgh vs Gwent Dragons 13-17 Edinburgh (Murrayfield)
31 Oct 2004 Newcastle vs Perpignan 19-14 Newcastle
31 Oct 2004 Neath-Swansea Ospreys vs Munster 18-20 Neath
30 Oct 2004 Northampton vs Llanelli Scarlets 25-3 Northampton
30 Oct 2004 Amatori Calvisano vs Wasps 22-31 Calvisano
30 Oct 2004 Harlequins vs Castres 23-23 London (The Stoop)
30 Oct 2004 Gloucester vs Ulster 55-13 Gloucester
30 Oct 2004 Biarritz vs Leicester 23-8 Biarritz
30 Oct 2004 Leinster vs Bath 30-11 Dublin (Lansdowne Rd)
29 Oct 2004 Bourgoin vs Treviso 0-34 Bourgoin
29 Oct 2004 Cardiff Blues vs Stade Francais/CASG 15-38 Cardiff (Arms
Park)
29 Oct 2004 Toulouse vs Glasgow 43-17 Toulouse (Ernest Wallon)
24 Oct 2004 Glasgow vs Northampton 9-13 Glasgow (Hughenden)
24 Oct 2004 Wasps vs Biarritz 25-12 High Wycombe
23 Oct 2004 Gwent Dragons vs Newcastle 6-10 Newport
23 Oct 2004 Bath vs Bourgoin 22-12 Bath
23 Oct 2004 Treviso vs Leinster 9-25 Treviso
23 Oct 2004 Leicester vs Amatori Calvisano 37-6 Leicester (Welford
Rd)
23 Oct 2004 Stade Francais/CASG vs Gloucester 39-31 Paris (Stade Jean
Bouin)
23 Oct 2004 Munster vs Harlequins 15-9 Limerick (Thomond Park)
23 Oct 2004 Castres vs Neath-Swansea Ospreys 38-17 Castres
22 Oct 2004 Llanelli Scarlets vs Toulouse 6-9 Llanelli
22 Oct 2004 Ulster vs Cardiff Blues 21-16 Belfast (Ravenhill)
22 Oct 2004 Perpignan vs Edinburgh 23-0 Perpignan
3/12/04 Castres Olympique 19-12 Munster Stade Pierre-Antoine
4/12/04 Stade Francais 30-10 Ulster Stade Jean-Bouin
4/12/04 Benetton Treviso 29-23 Bath Rugby Stadio Comunale di
Monigio
4/12/04 Dragons 27-14 Perpignan Rodney Parade e
4/12/04 Northampton Saints 23-21 Toulouse Franklin's Gardens
4/12/04 Leinster 92-17 Bourgoin Lansdowne Road
4/12/04 Biarritz Olympique 41-10 Calvisano Parc des Sports Aquiléra
4/12/04 Gloucester 23-19 Cardiff Blues Kingsholm 1
5/12/04 Glasgow Rugby 26-29 Llanelli Scarlets Hughenden
5/12/04 1Newcastle Falcons 34-24 Edinburgh Rugby Kingston Park Stadium
5/12/04 London Wasps 31-37 Leicester Tigers Causeway Stadium
5/12/04 Ospreys 24-7 NEC Harlequins St Helens
10/12/04 Bourgoin 23-26 Leinster Stade Pierre Rajon
11/12/04 Ulster 18-10 Stade Francais Ravenhill
11/12/04 Calvisano 17-48 Biarritz Olympique Centro Sportivo San
Michele
11/12/04 Bath Rugby 47-7 Benetton Treviso The Recreation Ground
11/12/04 Cardiff Blues 16-23 Gloucester Cardiff Arms Park
11/12/04 NEC Harlequins 19-46 Ospreys The Stoop Memorial Ground
11/12/04 Toulouse 25-12 Northampton Saints Stade Ernest Wallon
11/12/04 Munster 36-8 Castres Olympique Thomond Park
11/12/04 Edinburgh Rugby 10-13 Newcastle Falcons Murrayfield
11/12/04 Perpignan 32-9 Dragons Stade Aime Giral 1
12/12/04 Llanelli Scarlets 38-22 Glasgow Rugby Stradey Park
12/12/04 Leicester Tigers 35-27 London Wasps Welford Road
7/1/05 Glasgow Rugby 10-30 Toulouse Hughenden
7/1/05 Ulster 14-12 Gloucester Ravenhill
7/1/05 Stade Francais 35-16 Cardiff Blues Stade Jean-Bouin
8/1/05 Bath Rugby 23-27 Leinster The Recreation Ground
8/1/05 Benetton Treviso 40-29 Bourgoin Stadio Comunale di Monigio
8/1/05 Dragons 48-5 Edinburgh Rugby Rodney Parade
8/1/05 Castres Olympique 58-13 NEC Harlequins Stade Pierre-Antoine
8/1/05 Perpignan 33-12 Newcastle Falcons Stade Aime Giral
8/1/05 Munster 20-10 Ospreys Thomond Park 1
9/1/05 Llanelli Scarlets 20-22 Northampton Saints Stradey Park
9/1/05 Leicester Tigers 17-21 Biarritz Olympique Welford Road
9/1/05 London Wasps 45-14 Calvisano Causeway Stadium
14/1/05 Northampton Saints 33-23 Glasgow Rugby Franklin's Gardens
14/1/05 Toulouse 53-36 Llanelli Scarlets Stade Ernest Wallon
15/1/05 NEC Harlequins 10-18 Munster Twickenham
15/1/05 Ospreys 20-11 Castres Olympique The Gnoll
15/1/05 Biarritz Olympique 18-15 London Wasps Parc des Sports
Aquiléra 9
15/1/05 Calvisano 10-62 Leicester Tigers Campo Comunale di Rovato
15/1/05 Leinster 57-17 Benetton Treviso Lansdowne Road
15/1/05 Bourgoin 17-23 Bath Rugby Stade Pierre Rajon
16/1/05 Edinburgh Rugby 40-17 Perpignan Murrayfield
16/1/05 Newcastle Falcons 25-17 Dragons Kingston Park Stadium
16/1/05 Cardiff Blues 16-12 Ulster Cardiff Arms Park
16/1/05 Gloucester 0-27 Stade Francais Kingsholm
QUARTER-FINALISTS:
1/4/05 Toulouse 37-9 Northampton Saints Stadium Municipal
2/4/05 Stade Francais 48-8 Newcastle Falcons Parc des Princes
2/4/05 Leinster 13-29 Leicester Tigers Lansdowne Road
3/4/05 Biarritz Olympique 19-10 Munster Estadio Anoeta
SEMI-FINALS:
April 24, 2005
Leicester 19-27 Toulouse at the Walkers Stadium
April 23, 2005
Stade Francais 20-17 Biarritz
FINAL:
Murrayfield May 22, 2005
Stade Francais 12-18 Toulouse
After Extra Time
For details of the previous European Cup competitions See below:
European Cup 2004
European Cup 2003
European Cup 2002
European Cup 2001
European Cup 2000