Investec Champions Cup How Leinster neutralised 'long-in-the-tooth' La Rochelle
The Irish province slew their great foe, prompting questions about the serial champions' age profile.
By Nick Bishop 
By Nick Bishop By Nick Bishop FEATURED
Leinster set for 'hugely exciting' stadium move next season
Leinster have announced that they will play their home matches in the United Rugby Championship and Investec Champions Cup next season at the Aviva Stadium while the RDS Arena undergoes a revamp.
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The Champions Cup (also known as the European Rugby Champions Cup) is the pinnacle of domestic rugby union in Europe. Every year, elite domestic teams from the countries that take part in the Six Nations Championship battle for supremacy, with the winner of the Heineken Champions Cup widely recognised as the best domestic rugby team in Europe.
Looking forward to this year’s Heineken Champions Cup? Explore below to discover even more about the tournament, including all the latest results and fixtures, news and teams, as well as stats, standings and FAQs.
Table Standings
Investec Champions Cup
Pool 1
P
W
L
D
PF
PA
PD
BP T
BP-7
BP
Total
1
Bordeaux
4
3
1
0
172
83
89
4
1
5
17
2
Bulls
4
3
1
0
132
102
30
2
1
3
15
3
Lyon
4
2
2
0
121
123
-2
3
1
4
12
4
Saracens
4
2
2
0
125
142
-17
2
0
2
10
5
Connacht
4
1
3
0
88
140
-52
2
0
2
6
6
Bristol
4
1
3
0
80
128
-48
1
0
1
5
Pool 2
P
W
L
D
PF
PA
PD
BP T
BP-7
BP
Total
1
Toulouse
4
4
0
0
178
69
109
4
0
4
20
2
Harlequins
4
3
1
0
151
109
42
3
0
3
15
3
Bath
4
3
1
0
124
102
22
3
0
3
15
4
Racing 92
4
1
3
0
116
117
-1
2
2
4
8
5
Ulster
4
1
3
0
88
147
-59
1
0
1
5
6
Cardiff Rugby
4
0
4
0
80
193
-113
2
1
3
3
Pool 3
P
W
L
D
PF
PA
PD
BP T
BP-7
BP
Total
1
Northampton
4
4
0
0
137
75
62
2
0
2
18
2
Exeter Chiefs
4
3
1
0
87
99
-12
1
0
1
13
3
Glasgow
4
2
2
0
77
63
14
1
1
2
10
4
Munster
4
1
2
1
93
93
0
2
1
3
9
5
Bayonne
4
1
2
1
82
107
-25
1
1
2
8
6
Toulon
4
0
4
0
60
99
-39
0
2
2
2
Pool 4
P
W
L
D
PF
PA
PD
BP T
BP-7
BP
Total
1
Leinster
4
4
0
0
123
53
70
3
0
3
19
2
Stormers
4
3
1
0
102
99
3
2
0
2
14
3
La Rochelle
4
2
2
0
111
73
38
2
2
4
12
4
Leicester
4
2
2
0
84
122
-38
1
0
1
9
5
Sale
4
1
3
0
103
110
-7
1
1
2
6
6
Stade Francais
4
0
4
0
56
122
-66
0
2
2
2
Fixtures & Results
Champions Cup History & Format
The Heineken Champions Cup was first played in 1995-96, when it was known simply as the Heineken Cup. Although the Five Nations Committee wanted to promote cross-border competition, English and Scottish teams did not take part during the inaugural tournament and Romanian and Italian teams joined instead. However, English and Scottish teams joined the next year and, in 1997, a home-and-away pools format was introduced for the first time.
Today, there are usually 24 teams that compete in the Heineken Champions Cup: eight teams from England, eight teams from France, and a further eight teams from Ireland, Italy, Scotland, South Africa and Wales combined. These 24 teams are placed into pools, where they play four rounds of matches. The top 16 teams then progress to the knockout stage while the bottom eight drop into the Challenge Cup.
Tournament Stats
Tries
Louis Bielle-Biarrey
Bordeaux
6
Tries
Tackles
Will Evans
Harlequins
90
Tackles
Kicks
Antoine Dupont
Toulouse
68
Kicks
Points
Marcus Smith
Harlequins
74
Points
Champions Cup Sponsorship Changes
In 2014-15, Heineken’s title sponsorship of the tournament came to an end and the tournament officially became known as the European Champions Cup, or simply the European Cup. However, as the competition was popular, most fans still simply referred to the competition as the Heineken Cup.
Heineken returned as a title sponsor in 2018, when the tournament became known as the Heineken Champions Cup. Now, the Heineken Champions Cup is universally recognised as the elite domestic rugby competition in Europe and fans regularly travel internationally to watch their teams play. In several seasons, crowds of over 80,000 have packed into stadiums to watch the prestigious final.
In 2023 the title sponsorship changed again, the official sponsor of the Champions Cup is now Investec.
