The 2012–13 Heineken Cup was the 18th season of the
Heineken Cup
The European Rugby Champions Cup (known as the Investec 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 ...
, the annual rugby union European club competition for clubs from the top six nations in European rugby. The tournament began with two pool matches on 12 October 2012 and ended with the final at the
Aviva Stadium in
Dublin
Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
on 18 May 2013.
Leinster, who became one of only two clubs ever to win two consecutive Heineken Cups in
2012
2012 was designated as:
*International Year of Cooperatives
*International Year of Sustainable Energy for All
Events January
*January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins.
* January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...
, attempted to become the first club ever to win the competition three straight years. However, they were eliminated at the pool stages,
the first defending champions to do so since
London Wasps in
2007–08.
Toulon
Toulon (, , ; , , ) is a city in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of southeastern France. Located on the French Riviera and the historical Provence, it is the prefecture of the Var (department), Var department.
The Commune of Toulon h ...
won an all-French final 16–15 against
Clermont.
Teams
The default allocation of teams is as follows:
* England: 6 teams, based on performance in the
Aviva Premiership and
Anglo–Welsh Cup
* France: 6 teams, based on regular-season finish in the
Top 14
The Top 14 () is a professional rugby union club competition that is played in France. Created in 1892, the Top 14 is at the top of the national league system operated by the National Rugby League (France), France National Rugby League, also ...
* Ireland: 3 teams, based on regular-season finish in
Pro12
* Wales: 3 teams, based on regular-season finish in
Pro12
* Italy and Scotland: 2 teams each, based on participation in Pro12 (as there are only 2 from each nation)
The remaining two places are filled by the winners of the previous year's
Heineken Cup
The European Rugby Champions Cup (known as the Investec 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 ...
and
Amlin Challenge Cup. If the cup winners are already qualified through their domestic league, an additional team from their country will claim a Heineken Cup place (assuming another team is available). Accordingly,
Biarritz claimed the Challenge Cup winner's berth, and since Heineken Cup winners Leinster were already qualified through Pro12, the extra Irish berth went to
Connacht
Connacht or Connaught ( ; or ), is the smallest of the four provinces of Ireland, situated in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms (Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, C ...
.
Teams are listed in the order they are presented to Heineken Cup organiser
European Rugby Cup by their respective leagues. In the cases of England and France, this does not necessarily match the teams' placement in their national leagues in the preceding season.
Seeding
The seeding system was the same as in the
2011–12 tournament. The 24 competing teams are ranked based on past Heineken Cup and European Challenge Cup performance, with each pool receiving one team from each quartile, or Tier. The requirement to have only one team per country in each pool, however, still applies (with the exception of the inclusion of the seventh French team).
The brackets show each team's
European Rugby Club Ranking at the end of the 2011–12 season.
Pool stage
The draw for the pool stage took place on 12 June 2012 at the Aviva Stadium.
Under the rules of the competition organiser,
European Rugby Cup, tie–breakers within each pool are as follows.
* Competition points earned in head–to–head matches
* Total tries scored in head–to–head matches
* Point differential in head–to–head matches
ERC has four additional tie–breakers, used if tied teams are in different pools, or if the above steps cannot break a tie between teams in the same pool:
* Tries scored in all pool matches
* Point differential in all pool matches
* Best disciplinary record (fewest players receiving red or yellow cards in all pool matches)
* Coin toss
Pool 1
Pool 2
Pool 3
Pool 4
Pool 5
Pool 6
Seeding and runners–up
* Bare numbers indicate Heineken Cup quarter–final seeding.
* Numbers with "C" indicate Challenge Cup quarter–final seeding.
Knock–out stages
All kick–off times are local to the match location.
Quarter–finals
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Semi–finals
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Final
See also
*
2012–13 European Challenge Cup
References
External links
Official Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:2012-13 Heineken Cup
Heineken Cup seasons
Heineken
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