The 2014 Heineken Cup Final was the final match of the
2013–14 Heineken Cup
The 2013–14 Heineken Cup was the 19th and final season of the Heineken Cup, the annual rugby union European club competition for clubs from the top six nations in European rugby.
The pool stage began on 11 October 2013 and ran through to 17–19 ...
, the 19th and final season of Europe's top club
rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...
competition. The Heineken Cup was replaced by a new top-level competition, the
European Rugby Champions Cup
The European Rugby Champions Cup (known as the Heineken Champions Cup for sponsorship reasons) is an annual rugby union tournament organised by European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR). It is the top-tier competition for clubs who compete in a pre ...
, effective in 2014–15. The match, between
Toulon
Toulon (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Tolon , , ) is a city on the French Riviera and a large port on the Mediterranean coast, with a major naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, and the Provence province, Toulon is th ...
and
Saracens
file:Erhard Reuwich Sarazenen 1486.png, upright 1.5, Late 15th-century Germany in the Middle Ages, German woodcut depicting Saracens
Saracen ( ) was a term used in the early centuries, both in Greek language, Greek and Latin writings, to refer ...
, was played on 24 May 2014 in the
Millennium Stadium
The Millennium Stadium ( cy, Stadiwm y Mileniwm), known since 2016 as the Principality Stadium ( cy, Stadiwm Principality) for sponsorship reasons, is the national stadium of Wales. Located in Cardiff, it is the home of the Wales national rug ...
in
Cardiff
Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...
,
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
, kicking off at 5 pm (16:00 UTC).
Toulon
Toulon (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Tolon , , ) is a city on the French Riviera and a large port on the Mediterranean coast, with a major naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, and the Provence province, Toulon is th ...
were the
defending champions. Previously,
Saracens
file:Erhard Reuwich Sarazenen 1486.png, upright 1.5, Late 15th-century Germany in the Middle Ages, German woodcut depicting Saracens
Saracen ( ) was a term used in the early centuries, both in Greek language, Greek and Latin writings, to refer ...
had only reached the semi-finals of the Heineken Cup. The final result was 23–6 for Toulon to retain their title.
Route to final
Toulon
Toulon went into the knock-out stage seed 3, after earning five out of six victories in the pool stage. They topped pool 2 with 24 points respectively. They opened their campaign with a home 51–28 bonus point win over
Glasgow Warriors
Glasgow Warriors are a professional rugby union side from Scotland. The team plays in the United Rugby Championship league and in the European Professional Club Rugby tournaments. In the 2014–15 season they won the Pro12 title and became t ...
, scoring six tries. They did however concede four tries, to give Glasgow a bonus point of their own. In round 2, they played
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 ...
at the
Cardiff Arms Park
Cardiff Arms Park ( cy, Parc yr Arfau Caerdydd), also known as The Arms Park, is situated in the centre of Cardiff, Wales. It is primarily known as a rugby union stadium, but it also has a bowling green. The Arms Park was host to the British E ...
. Cardiff earned a surprise 19–15 victory over the defending champions. Toulon failed to score any tries in this match, the first time Toulon has done this since their 24–12 win over
Saracens
file:Erhard Reuwich Sarazenen 1486.png, upright 1.5, Late 15th-century Germany in the Middle Ages, German woodcut depicting Saracens
Saracen ( ) was a term used in the early centuries, both in Greek language, Greek and Latin writings, to refer ...
in 2013. Their third game was a 14–9 victory over
Exeter Chiefs
Exeter Chiefs (officially Exeter Rugby Club) is an England, English professional rugby union club based in Exeter, Devon. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby.
The club was founded in 1871 and since 2006 has played i ...
at
Sandy Park
Sandy Park is a rugby union stadium and conference and banqueting centre in Exeter, England. It is the home ground of Exeter Chiefs, who from the 2010–11 season have been playing in the Gallagher Premiership, the top flight of the English rug ...
, in which Toulon failed to gain a bonus point. They however earned a bonus point in the return home fixture in round four, after scoring four tries in a 32–20 win over Exeter. Round five saw Toulon beat Cardiff Blues 43–20 at home to secure a knock-out stage seed. They finished their pool stage with a 15–8 win over Glasgow Warriors at
Scotstoun, to confirm their knock-out seed and positioning.
Following the final pool stage match, the draw was made for the semi-finals. Toulon was drawn at home for the semi-final, should they win their quarter-final, which meant they would be the only team to have a home semi and quarter-final. Toulon faced top seed
Leinster
Leinster ( ; ga, Laighin or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, situated in the southeast and east of Ireland. The province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige. Following the 12th-century Norman invasion of Ir ...
on 6 April. Toulon stormed into the semis with a 29–14 victory over the Irish Province. Toulon then faced another Irish province in
Munster
Munster ( gle, an Mhumhain or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the south of Ireland. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" ( ga, rí ruirech). Following the ...
. Toulon decided they would play this match at
Stade Vélodrome
The Stade Vélodrome (; oc, Estadi Velodròm, ), known as the Orange Vélodrome for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose stadium in Marseille, France. It is home to the Olympique de Marseille football club of Ligue 1 since it opened in 1937, ...
in
Marseille
Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...
. Munster indiscipline gave Toulon 21 of their 24 points though penalties, with
Jonny Wilkinson
Jonathan Peter Wilkinson, Commander of the Order of the British Empire, CBE (born 25 May 1979) is an English former rugby union player. A Fly-half (rugby union), fly-half, he played for Newcastle Falcons and RC Toulonnais, Toulon and represente ...
's drop goal as the other Toulon score. In a tight match, Toulon only conceded four kickable penalties and one try to give Munster 16 points. This meant, Toulon would advance to the final on the back of a 24–16 win.
Saracens
Saracens went into the knock-out stage bottom of the seed table (8). They only won four matches during the pool stage, the first being a 23–17 win over
Connacht
Connacht ( ; ga, Connachta or ), is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms (Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, Conmhaícne, and Delbhn ...
away. Round two saw Saracens take their home match to
Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 200 ...
, instead of
Allianz Park
Barnet Copthall is a sports venue on the Hendon-Mill Hill borders in London, which houses several complexes, including a local authority-owned swimming pool and gymnasium facilities, a golf-driving range with 9 hole pitch and putt run by Metro ...
, to face
Toulouse
Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Par ...
. A record British attendance for a Heineken Cup pool game, saw Saracens narrowly lose to Toulouse 16–17, but managed to pick a single bonus point by virtue of losing by seven points or less. Saracens next played
Zebre
Zebre Parma (, meaning "Zebras") are an Italian professional rugby union team competing in the United Rugby Championship and EPCR competitions from the 2012–13 season. They are based in Parma (Emilia-Romagna), Italy. They are operated by the ...
at
Stadio XXV Aprile. It was believed that Saracens would walk away with this match, but Saracens were only able to put 29 points over the Italian side, winning 39–10. The return fixture however saw Saracens thrash Zebre 64–3, scoring nine tries and conceding just two penalties. They then went to
Stade Ernest-Wallon to play Toulouse away. They lost again to the French side 21–11, put their strong defence kept Toulouse try-less. But their indiscipline, gave Toulouse 21 point though kick at goals. Their final match was at home, against Connacht. In a match where Saracens scored ten tries, Saracens booked their place a knock-out seed with a 64–6 victory over the Irish province.
Their quarter-final saw Saracens travel to
Ulster
Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United King ...
, who were the only team to win six from six in the pool stages. However, in a controversial match, through the
Jared Payne
Jared Benjamin Payne (born 13 October 1985) is a retired rugby union centre who played for Ulster and the Ireland national team. He was a member of the 2017 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand, but did not play a test match. Since his ...
red card, Saracens scored 17 points to Ulster's 15 to progress to the semi-final. Due to the draw that followed the pool stage, Saracens had a home semi-final who choose to play the match at
Twickenham
Twickenham is a suburban district in London, England. It is situated on the River Thames southwest of Charing Cross. Historically part of Middlesex, it has formed part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames since 1965, and the boroug ...
. Saracens faced early favorites and last years runners-up
Clermont at the RFU home stadium. The match saw Saracens earn a record, for the biggest winning margin in a Heineken Cup semi-final. Saracens overtook
Leicester Tigers
Leicester Tigers (officially Leicester Football Club) are a professional rugby union club based in Leicester, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby.
The club was founded in 1880 and since 1892 plays its hom ...
37 point winning margin over
London Wasps
Wasps Rugby Football Club is a professional rugby union team. They last played in Premiership Rugby, the top division of English rugby until being suspended on 12 October 2022. On 17 October 2022 the club entered administration, resulting in r ...
, by three, after they won 46–6 over Clermont. They kept Clermont scoreless in the second half, and scored six tries in the 80 minutes. This meant they would final progress to the Heineken Cup Final, and would face the defending champions.
[
]
Match
Summary
Under a closed roof at the Millennium Stadium
The Millennium Stadium ( cy, Stadiwm y Mileniwm), known since 2016 as the Principality Stadium ( cy, Stadiwm Principality) for sponsorship reasons, is the national stadium of Wales. Located in Cardiff, it is the home of the Wales national rug ...
in Cardiff, the match kicked off at 5pm. Within three minutes, Owen Farrell
Owen Andrew Farrell (born 24 September 1991) is an English professional rugby union player, currently captain of Gallagher Premiership side Saracens. Farrell has played international rugby for England since 2012. Farrell is one of the top poi ...
had put Saracens into the lead with a penalty. Despite early pressure from Toulon, they conceded a second penalty in the 12th minute, but Marcelo Bosch
Marcelo Bosch (born January 7, 1984) was an Argentine rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of ...
failed to convert, the score remaining 3–0. On 21 minutes, Toulon's Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe
Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe (born 19 November 1981 in Buenos Aires) is an Argentine rugby union footballer. He currently plays for Toulon in the French Top 14, having moved from Sale Sharks in England's Guinness Premiership. He previously p ...
was sin-binned for pulling down Alistair Hargreaves
Alistair John Hargreaves (born 29 April 1986 in Durban, South Africa) is a former rugby union player that played as a lock. He attended the Durban High School, where he was captain of rugby and headboy in 2004. During his time at the school Har ...
under a high kick, but Farrell failed to convert the resulting penalty. In the 29th minute, a chip into space from Matt Giteau
Matthew James Giteau (born 29 September 1982) is an Australian rugby union professional player who is playing with the LA Giltinis of Major League Rugby (MLR). Giteau joined the Giltinis after a short playing stint with the Gungahlin Eagles in ...
found Drew Mitchell
Drew Alan Mitchell (born 26 March 1984) is a former Australian rugby union professional player. He played on the wing or as fullback. Up to the 2006 season he played for the Queensland Reds. He played for the Western Force for the 2007–09 Sup ...
who, after beating the tackle of Alex Goode
Alexander David Goode (born 7 May 1988) is an English professional rugby union player playing for Saracens in Premiership Rugby.
Biography
All-rounder Goode appeared at the national schools athletics finals, played county tennis and was part ...
, passed back to Giteau who scored the first try of the final, converted by Jonny Wilkinson
Jonathan Peter Wilkinson, Commander of the Order of the British Empire, CBE (born 25 May 1979) is an English former rugby union player. A Fly-half (rugby union), fly-half, he played for Newcastle Falcons and RC Toulonnais, Toulon and represente ...
, and taking the score to 7–3 in Toulon's favour. Fernández Lobbe returned from the sin-bin and three minutes later, Wilkinson scored a drop goal, to take the score to 10–3 at half time.
Five minutes after the restart, and after a strong showing from Saracens, Farrell scored another penalty after a collapsed scrum, reducing the deficit to four points. However, on 53 minutes, Wilkinson restored the seven point lead with another penalty. Six minutes later, Toulon's Mathieu Bastareaud made a break and supplied Juan Smith with the ball, and after an exchange with Fernández Lobbe, Smith scored Toulon's second try, which Wilkinson converted to take the score to 20–6. A third penalty, three minutes later, took Wilkinson's tally to eleven points and Toulon's advantage to 17 points. Despite late pressure from Saracens, no further points were scored as Toulon won the match, and the final Heineken Cup, 23–6.
Details
References
External links
Official web site
{{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017
Final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event
** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
Heineken Cup Final
Saracens F.C. matches
RC Toulonnais matches