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2019 European Rugby Champions Cup Final
The 2019 European Rugby Champions Cup Final was the final match in the 2018–19 European Rugby Champions Cup, and the twenty-fourth European club rugby final in general. The final was between defending champions and four-time winners Leinster, and two-time winners Saracens. Saracens defeated Leinster to claim their third title, overcoming a ten-point deficit to tie the score at half-time, before taking the lead in the second half to secure victory with a final result of 20–10. Background Both Leinster and Saracens entered into the 2019 final with significant championship pedigree, having won six of the past ten top-tier European cup tournaments between them. Defending champions Leinster, who shared the accolade of most wins in tournament history (four) with Toulouse, had previously won the title in 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2018, and were looking for a record fifth trophy. Meanwhile, Saracens, who had gone undefeated in Europe this season, were aiming to win the cup for the third t ...
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2018–19 European Rugby Champions Cup
The 2018–19 European Rugby Champions Cup (known as the Heineken Champions Cup for sponsorship reasons) is the fifth season of the European Rugby Champions Cup, the annual club rugby union competition run by European Professional Club Rugby (ECPR) for teams from the top six nations in Europe. It is the 24th season of pan-European professional club rugby competition. This competition is the first to be sponsored by Heineken since the 2013–14 season. The tournament started on 12 October 2018. The final, featuring the last two winners of the event, Saracens and Leinster, took place on 11 May 2019 at St James' Park in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, with Saracens being crowned champions for the third time. Teams Twenty clubs from the three major European domestic and regional leagues competed in the Champions Cup. Nineteen of these qualified directly as a result of their league performance. In a change to previous seasons, the play-off to decide the 20th team was not held. The fin ...
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2018–19 European Rugby Champions Cup Pool Stage
The 2018–19 European Rugby Champions Cup pool stage is the first stage of the 24th season of European club rugby union, and the fifth under the European Rugby Champions Cup format. The competition involves twenty teams, across five pools of four teams, for eight quarter-final places – awarded to the five pool winners and the three top-ranked pool runners-up. The pool stage began on the weekend of 12-14 October 2018, and ended following 6 rounds of games, on the weekend of 18-20 January 2019. Seeding The twenty competing teams are seeded and split into four tiers, each containing five teams. For the purpose of creating the tiers, clubs are ranked based on their domestic league performances and on their qualification for the knockout phases of their championships. For example, a losing quarter-finalist would be seeded below a losing semi-finalist, even if they finished above them in the regular season.http://archive.ercrugby.com/news/28791.php ERCRugby.com. Accessed 8 J ...
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Tadhg Furlong
Tadhg Furlong (born 14 November 1992) is an Irish rugby union player for Leinster in the Pro14 and European Rugby Champions Cup. His preferred position is tighthead prop. Internationally, Furlong has represented Ireland and, in 2017 and 2021, the British & Irish Lions. Furlong is an elite scrummager who also possesses good ball handling and running skills, and is considered one of the best front row forwards in world rugby. Early life Furlong comes from a farming family in the parish of Horeswood in County Wexford. He started his rugby playing underage at New Ross RFC in County Wexford. Furlong also played Gaelic football and Hurling for Horeswood for which he was coached by Jimmy Furlong. Professional Furlong made his senior debut for Leinster Rugby in November 2013 as a replacement against the Dragons. He was part of the Leinster A team which won the 2013–14 British and Irish Cup. Ahead of the 2014–15 season, Furlong was promoted from the Leinster Academy to the seni ...
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Titi Lamositele
Titi Lamositele (born February 11, 1995) is an American rugby union player who plays at prop for Montpellier and the United States national team. Club career Lamositele made his professional debut on March 22, 2015, playing 9 minutes off the bench for Saracens in an LV= Cup loss to Exeter Chiefs. He helped Saracens win the European Champions Cup in 2017 and 2019, featuring in both finals. On 20 February 2020, Lamositele signed for French giants Montpellier in the Top 14 ahead of the 2020–21 season. International career Lamositele debuted for the U.S. in 2013. Lamositele scored his first try for the United States in the 2015 Pacific Nations Cup against Samoa. Lamositele played for the U.S. at the 2015 and 2019 Rugby World Cups. In 2023 Lamositele debut for Samoa in the Pacific Nations Cup, switching nations due to World Rugbys Eligibility law change. Honours Saracens *Premiership Rugby: 3 ( 2015–16, 2017–18, 2018–19) *European Rugby Champions Cup: 3 ( 2015–16, ...
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Mako Vunipola
Mako Vunipola (born 14 January 1991) is a professional rugby union player who plays as a loosehead prop for English club Saracens and the England national team. Born in New Zealand to Tongan parents, he qualified for England through residency. Vunipola made his England debut in 2012 and has since won 67 caps. He toured with the British & Irish Lions in 2013, 2017 and 2021, winning 9 caps. He won the award for England Player of the Year in 2018. Early life Born in Wellington, New Zealand, Vunipola was raised for much of his childhood in Wales and attended Porth Junior School, and later West Monmouth School. He started playing rugby in Wales, and played alongside brother Billy for New Panteg RFC. His family then moved to Thornbury, Gloucestershire, and he attended the local comprehensive The Castle School and then Millfield. Club career Bristol Vunipola began his professional career at Bristol Rugby, and began to build his reputation in the South West, where his loose p ...
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Maro Itoje
Oghenemaro Miles "Maro" Itoje (born 28 October 1994) is an English professional rugby union player, who plays as a lock or as a blindside flanker for Gallagher Premiership club Saracens and the England national team. He signed his first professional contract with Saracens in 2012, and made his first appearance the following year. He received his first-call up to the England team in 2016 ahead of the annual Six Nations Championship, and became a firm favourite to both Saracens and England fans. So far in his rugby career, he has won four English Premiership titles with Saracens, three European Rugby Champions Cup titles, and three Six Nations Championship titles. Itoje has been selected for two British & Irish Lions tours and in the second tour was voted the Lions Player of the series by his peers. Early life Maro Itoje was born in Camden, North London to Nigerian parents. He attended Salcombe Preparatory School in Southgate, North London at a primary level, before mov ...
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Cian Healy
Cian Healy (born 7 October 1987) is an Irish rugby union rugby player. He plays for Leinster, and has also won over 100 caps for the Ireland national team. He was named as part of the Lions squad for the 2013 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia, but withdrew due to injury playing only twice. He was educated in Belvedere College, Dublin and won a Leinster Schools Senior Cup medal in 2005. He is registered to Clontarf who play in All-Ireland League. Leinster Healy made his Leinster debut at 19 years old in the 2006–07 season against Border Reivers, when he came of the bench. He transitioned to first choice at his position for Leinster in the 2008–09 season. When as a 21-year-old, Healy was a key part of the Leinster team that won the 2009 Heineken Cup in a 19–16 win against Leicester Tigers. As a 23-year-old he also played a key part of the 2011 Heineken Cup Final winning team who beat Northampton Saints 33–22. Following that up with another Heineken Cup win the ...
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Johnny Sexton
Jonathan Jeremiah Sexton (born 11 July 1985) is an Irish rugby union player who plays as a fly-half for Leinster Rugby and Ireland, and he also captains both teams. He represented the British & Irish Lions in both 2013 and 2017 and has scored over 1,000 points in his international career, making him one of the highest points-scorers in rugby union history. Sexton was the winner of World Rugby Player of the Year in 2018, having previously been a nominee for the award in 2014 and then again in 2022. He is the second Irish player in history to win the award, after inaugural winner Keith Wood, in 2001. Sexton became the 106th player to captain Ireland when he led the team out at their 2019 Rugby World Cup 3rd Pool A group match at the Kobe Misaki Stadium in Japan on Thursday 3 October 2019. He was officially named captain for the 2020 Six Nations Championship. Early years Sexton was born in Rathgar, Dublin, but has family ties to North Kerry and West Clare; he is a nephew of f ...
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Munster Rugby
Munster Rugby ( ga, Rugbaí Mumhan) is one of the four professional provincial rugby teams from the island of Ireland. They compete in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup. The team represents the IRFU's Munster Branch, which is responsible for rugby union throughout the Irish province of Munster. The team motto is "To the brave and faithful, nothing is impossible." This is derived from the motto of the MacCarthy clan – "Forti et Fideli nihil difficile". Their main home ground is Thomond Park, Limerick, though some games are played at Musgrave Park, Cork. History Foundation and early years Munster was officially founded in 1879, at the same time as Leinster and Ulster, with Connacht being founded ten years later in 1889. The first interprovincial matches between Leinster, Ulster and Munster, however, were held in 1875. The founding of the Munster branch of the IRFU was intended to organise and oversee the game within the province and prevent an ...
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Ulster Rugby
Ulster Rugby is one of the four professional provincial rugby teams from the island of Ireland. They compete in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup. The team represents the IRFU Ulster Branch, which is one of the four primary branches of the IRFU and is responsible for rugby union throughout the geographical Irish province of Ulster, comprising Northern Ireland ( Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Londonderry and Tyrone) and three counties in the Republic of Ireland which are Donegal, Monaghan and Cavan. History Foundation (1868–1879) A number of clubs were operating in Ulster prior to the foundation of the Irish Rugby Football Union and the Ulster branch. The Belfast-based Northern Ireland F.C., founded in 1868, was the earliest club to operate in the province. Clubs from this era still in existence include Dungannon and Queen's University. The first Irish inter-provincial game took place in 1875 between Ulster and Leinster, with Ulster b ...
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Bath Rugby
Bath Rugby is a professional rugby union club in Bath, Somerset, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby. Founded in 1865 as Bath Football Club, since 1894 the club has played at the Recreation Ground in the city centre. The club has won 18 major trophies and was particularly successful between 1984 and 1998 when it won 10 Domestic Cups, 6 League titles and were the first English side to win the European Cup in 1998. In 2008 they also won the European Challenge Cup, the continent's second tier of competition. Bath is one of only three clubs never to have been relegated from the top division of English rugby. For the 2022–23 Premiership Rugby season, Bath will also compete in the 2022–23 European Rugby Challenge Cup. The current Head of Rugby is Johann van Graan, having started in role ahead of the 2022-23 pre-season in July 2022. History Amateur era Bath Football Club is one of the oldest clubs in existence, having been founded in ...
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Cardiff Blues
Cardiff Rugby ( cy, Rygbi Caerdydd) are one of the four professional Welsh rugby union teams. They compete in the United Rugby Championship and in European Professional Club Rugby competitions. Based in Cardiff, the team play at Cardiff Arms Park and are the professional arm of Cardiff Rugby Ltd. From 2003 to 2021 the first team was known as the Cardiff Blues before reverting to Cardiff Rugby prior to the start of the 2021-22 season. They won European Challenge Cup titles in 2010 and 2018, beating Toulon Rugby and Gloucester Rugby respectively. They most recently made the knockout stages of the European Rugby Champions Cup in 2012. Between 2005 and 2018, they also competed in the Anglo-Welsh Cup and won the 2009 title, beating Gloucester at Twickenham. History Origins The first reliably recorded Rugby club in Cardiff were Tredegarville, who began playing around 1870. By 1874 a team named Glamorgan FC had been formed and in 1876 they merged with Cardiff Wanderers to ...
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