# 2010–11 Heineken Cup

The 2010–11 Heineken Cup was the 16th season of the Heineken Cup, the annual rugby union European club competition for clubs from the top six nations in European rugby. It started with three matches on 8 October 2010 and ended on 21 May 2011 with the final at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium where Leinster beat Northampton Saints 33 – 22.

## 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
* Ireland and Wales: 3 teams each, based on regular-season finish in the Celtic League
* Italy and Scotland: 2 teams each, based on participation in the Celtic League
The remaining two places are filled by the winners of the previous year's Heineken Cup 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). The only exception is when teams from England or France win both cups, which did not happen in 2009–10.
Because 2010 Heineken Cup winners Toulouse were already qualified for this season's Heineken Cup by virtue of their fourth-place regular-season finish in the 2009–10 Top 14, the extra place for France went to seventh-placed Biarritz (who were also Toulouse's defeated opponent in the Heineken Cup Final). Because Amlin Challenge Cup winners Cardiff Blues were already qualified for the Heineken Cup by finishing second among the four Welsh teams in the 2009–10 Celtic League, the extra Welsh place went to the lowest-placed Welsh team in the league, Scarlets.
| England | France | Wales | Ireland | Italy | Scotland |
| Leicester Tigers London Wasps Northampton Saints Bath London Irish Saracens | Toulouse Biarritz Clermont Perpignan Castres Toulon Racing Métro | Cardiff Blues Ospreys Scarlets Newport Gwent Dragons | Munster Leinster Ulster | Benetton Treviso Aironi | Glasgow Warriors Edinburgh |

## Seeding

The seeding system was the same as in the 2009–10 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 2009–10 season. Aironi inherited the ranking of Viadana, the principal shareholders in the new Celtic League team.
| Tier 1 | Munster (1) | Toulouse (2) | Leinster (3) | Leicester Tigers (4) | Biarritz (5) | Cardiff Blues (6) |
| Tier 2 | London Wasps (7) | Clermont (9) | Ospreys (10) | Northampton Saints (11) | Bath (12) | Scarlets (13) |
| Tier 3 | Perpignan (15) | London Irish (16) | Saracens (17) | Ulster (19) | Glasgow Warriors (21) | Edinburgh (23) |
| Tier 4 | Newport Gwent Dragons (24) | Benetton Treviso (28) | Castres (29) | Toulon (30) | Aironi (34) | Racing Métro (40) |

## Pool stage

The draw for the pool stage took place on 8 June 2010.
Under rules of the competition organiser, European Rugby Cup, tiebreakers 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 tiebreakers, 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
Key to colours :
* Winner of each pool, and best two pool runners-up, advance to quarter-finals. Seed # in parentheses
* Third- through fifth- highest-scoring second-place teams parachute into the knockout stage of the European Challenge Cup. Seed # in brackets

### Pool 1

| Team | P | W | D | L | Tries for | Tries against | Try diff | Points for | Points against | Points diff | TB | LB | Pts |
| Northampton Saints (1) | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 7 | +9 | 155 | 87 | +68 | 1 | 0 | 25 |
| Cardiff Blues | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 8 | −2 | 107 | 113 | −6 | 0 | 2 | 14 |
| Castres | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 12 | −2 | 105 | 115 | −10 | 0 | 3 | 11 |
| Edinburgh | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 10 | 15 | −5 | 98 | 150 | −52 | 0 | 4 | 8 |

### Pool 2

| Team | P | W | D | L | Tries for | Tries against | Try diff | Points for | Points against | Points diff | TB | LB | Pts |
| Leinster (2) | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 21 | 9 | +12 | 179 | 104 | +75 | 3 | 1 | 24 |
| Clermont [6] | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 14 | 9 | +5 | 114 | 94 | +20 | 2 | 1 | 19 |
| Racing Métro | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 17 | −8 | 104 | 151 | −47 | 0 | 1 | 9 |
| Saracens | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 9 | 18 | −9 | 107 | 155 | −48 | 0 | 2 | 6 |

### Pool 3

| Team | P | W | D | L | Tries for | Tries against | Try diff | Points for | Points against | Points diff | TB | LB | Pts |
| Toulon (6) | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 13 | 0 | 143 | 134 | +9 | 1 | 0 | 17 |
| Munster [7] | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 17 | 9 | +8 | 143 | 122 | +21 | 2 | 2 | 16 |
| Ospreys | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 11 | −4 | 117 | 113 | +4 | 0 | 2 | 14 |
| London Irish | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 13 | −4 | 107 | 141 | −34 | 0 | 1 | 9 |

### Pool 4

| Team | P | W | D | L | Tries for | Tries against | Try diff | Points for | Points against | Points diff | TB | LB | Pts |
| Biarritz (4) | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 16 | 9 | +7 | 140 | 85 | +55 | 4 | 2 | 22 |
| Ulster (8) | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 8 | +7 | 145 | 93 | +52 | 2 | 0 | 22 |
| Bath | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 20 | 8 | +12 | 147 | 108 | +39 | 2 | 4 | 14 |
| Aironi | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 30 | −26 | 65 | 211 | −146 | 0 | 0 | 4 |

### Pool 5

| Team | P | W | D | L | Tries for | Tries against | Try diff | Points for | Points against | Points diff | TB | LB | Pts |
| Perpignan (3) | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 23 | 9 | +14 | 196 | 112 | +84 | 4 | 0 | 22 |
| Leicester Tigers (7) | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 25 | 10 | +15 | 215 | 118 | +97 | 3 | 1 | 22 |
| Scarlets | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 16 | 24 | −8 | 149 | 191 | −42 | 3 | 0 | 15 |
| Benetton Treviso | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 11 | 32 | −21 | 109 | 248 | −139 | 0 | 1 | 1 |

### Pool 6

| Team | P | W | D | L | Tries for | Tries against | Try diff | Points for | Points against | Points diff | TB | LB | Pts |
| Toulouse (5) | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 6 | +10 | 155 | 85 | +70 | 1 | 1 | 22 |
| London Wasps [5] | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 15 | 6 | +8 | 145 | 106 | +59 | 2 | 1 | 19 |
| Glasgow Warriors | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 15 | −5 | 116 | 141 | −25 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| Newport Gwent Dragons | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 18 | −13 | 77 | 161 | −84 | 0 | 2 | 2 |

### Seeding and runners-up

* Bare numbers indicate Heineken Cup quarterfinal seeding.
* Numbers with "C" indicate Challenge Cup quarterfinal seeding.
| Seed | Pool Winners | Pts | TF | +/− |
| 1 | Northampton Saints | 25 | 16 | +68 |
| 2 | Leinster | 24 | 21 | +75 |
| 3 | Perpignan | 22 | 23 | +84 |
| 4 | Biarritz | 22 | 16 | +55 |
| 5 | Toulouse | 22 | 15 | +70 |
| 6 | Toulon | 17 | 11 | +21 |
| Seed | Pool Runners-up | Pts | TF | +/− |
| 7 | Leicester Tigers | 22 | 25 | +97 |
| 8 | Ulster | 22 | 15 | +52 |
| 5C | London Wasps | 19 | 15 | +39 |
| 6C | Clermont | 19 | 14 | +20 |
| 7C | Munster | 16 | 17 | +21 |
| – | Cardiff Blues | 14 | 6 | −6 |

## Knockout stage

The semi-final draw for both the Heineken Cup and Amlin Challenge Cup was conducted on 23 January at the press box of Adams Park in High Wycombe shortly after the London Wasps–Toulouse match.
All times are local times.

### Quarter-finals

* 9 April 2011 16:30
| Perpignan | 29–25 | Toulon |
| Try: Planté 51' c Freshwater 73' c Con: Porical (2/2) Pen: Porical (5/8) 30', 37', 42', 62', 68' | Report | Try: Smith 39' m van Niekerk 53' c Cibray 80'+1' c Con: Wilkinson (2/3) Pen: Wilkinson (2/2) 3', 35' |
* Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, Barcelona, Spain Attendance: 55,000 Referee: Alain Rolland (Ireland)
* 9 April 2011 18:00
| Leinster | 17–10 | Leicester Tigers |
| Try: Nacewa 48' m Pen: Sexton (4/4) 3', 15' 36', 73' | Report | Try: Hawkins 76' c Con: Flood (1/1) Pen: Flood (1/2) 5' |
* Aviva Stadium, Dublin Attendance: 49,762 Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)
* 10 April 2011 14:00
| Northampton Saints | 23–13 | Ulster |
| Try: Tongaʻuiha 2' c Dickson 55' c Con: Myler (2/2) 3', 56' Pen: Myler (3/5) 40', 48', 65' | Report | Try: Trimble 32' c Con: Humphreys (1/1) 33' Pen: Humphreys (2/2) 7', 14' |
* Stadium:mk, Milton Keynes Attendance: 21,309 Referee: Romain Poite (France)
* 10 April 2011 17:30
| Biarritz | 20 – 27 (a.e.t) | Toulouse |
| Try: Bolakoro 78' m Pen: Yachvili (5/6) 41', 46', 57', 67', 97' | Report | Try: Heymans 16' c Médard 26' c Nyanga 99' c Con: Skrela (2/2) Bézy (1/1) Pen: Skrela (2/2) 36', 83' |
* Estadio Anoeta, San Sebastián, Spain Attendance: 32,051 Referee: Wayne Barnes (England)

### Semi-finals

* 30 April 2011 15:30 (UTC)
| Leinster | 32–23 | Toulouse |
| Try: Heaslip 30' c O'Driscoll 59' c Con: Sexton (2/2) Pen: Sexton (6/6) 10', 14', 40'+1', 47', 54', 80' | Report | Try: Fritz 4' c Picamoles 43' c Con: Skrela (2/2) Pen: Skrela (1/2) 37' Bézy (1/1) 75' Drop: Skrela (1/1) 11' |
* Aviva Stadium, Dublin Attendance: 50,073 Referee: Dave Pearson (England)
* 1 May 2011 15:00 (UTC)
| Northampton Saints | 23–7 | Perpignan |
| Try: Foden 14' c Clarke 30' c Con: Myler (2/2) Pen: Myler (3/5) 24', 37', 49' | Report | Try: Guirado 39' c Con: Porical (1/1) Drop: Laharrague (0/1) |
* Stadium:mk, Milton Keynes Attendance: 18,231 Referee: George Clancy (Ireland)

### Final

* 21 May 2011 17:00
| Northampton Saints | 22–33 | Leinster |
| Try: Dowson 7' c Foden 30' c Hartley 39' m Con: Myler (2/3) Pen: Myler (1/1) 20' | Report | Try: Sexton (2) 43' c, 52' c Hines 64' c Con: Sexton (3/3) Pen: Sexton (4/5) 13', 35', 56', 60' |
* Millennium Stadium, Cardiff Attendance: 72,456 Referee: Romain Poite (France)

## Individual statistics
### Top points scorers

Final Standings (correct as of 21 May 2011)
| Pos | Player | Team | Points |
| 1 | Johnny Sexton | Leinster | 138 |
| 2 | Stephen Myler | Northampton Saints | 101 |
| 3 | David Skrela | Toulouse | 94 |
| 4 | Jérôme Porical | Perpignan | 86 |
| 5 | Dimitri Yachvili | Biarritz | 80 |
| 6 | Ian Humphreys | Ulster | 72 |
| 7 | Ruaridh Jackson | Glasgow Warriors | 71 |
| 8 | Dave Walder | London Wasps | 70 |
| 8 | Jonny Wilkinson | Toulon | 70 |
| 10 | Toby Flood | Leicester Tigers | 67 |

### Top try scorers

Final Standings (Correct as of 21 May 2011)
| Pos | Player | Team | Tries |
| 1 | Paul Diggin | Northampton Saints | 6 |
| 2 | Matt Banahan | Bath | 5 |
| 2 | Tommaso Benvenuti | Benetton Treviso | 5 |
| 2 | Tom Biggs | Bath | 5 |
| 2 | Thierry Dusautoir | Toulouse | 5 |
| 2 | Takudzwa Ngwenya | Biarritz | 5 |
| 2 | Johnny Sexton | Leinster | 5 |
| 8 | Ben Foden | Northampton Saints | 4 |
| 8 | Seán O'Brien | Leinster | 4 |
| 8 | Andrew Trimble | Ulster | 4 |
| 8 | Alesana Tuilagi | Leicester Tigers | 4 |
| 8 | Tom Varndell | London Wasps | 4 |