Heineken Cup

right
The Heineken Cup sponsored bi Heineken (kent as the H Cup in Fraunce acause o alcohol adverteesin laws) is an annual rugby union cup wi major club, regional an provincial teams frae the Sax Nations: England, Fraunce, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, an Italy. It is ane o the maist presteegious cups in sport.

The tournament wis lenched in the European simmer o 1995 on the ineetiative o the auld Five Nations Comattee for tae mak a new level o profeesional cross mairch competeetion. The current chaimpions is the Irish rugby team, Munster that beat Biarritz in the feenal at Cardiff.

Format
 Qualification 
Places in the Heineken Cup is allocate tae the sax competin nations on the follaein basis:

6 Fraunce (tap 6 in Tap 14)

6 England (tap 5 in Guinness Premiership, an winner o the Anglo-Welsh Cup an aw if English)

3 Ireland (tap 3 Irish sides in the Celtic League)

3 Wales (tap 3 Welsh sides in the Celtic League)

2 Scotland (tap 2 Scots sides in the Celtic League)

2 Italy (tap 2 in Super 10)

The ither twa places in the 24 team tournament is allocate as follaes:

Ane frae Fraunce, England or Italy; the place is allocate tae the kintra that's team progressed faurer in the afore gane saison's cup.  Syne Toulouse wan the 2004-05 cup, thare wis sieven French teams in the 2005-06 competeetion. Seemilar, thare will be sieven French teams in the 2006-07 competeetion, courtesy o Biarritz makkin it tae the cup feenal agin the Irish side Munster.

The ither team is the winner o a pleyaff in Italy agin

(a) the best-placed team in the Celtic League that haesna syne qualifee'd, an

(b) the team feenishin 3rd in the Italian Super 10.

In 2005-06, this team wis Cardiff that beat Viadana in the pleyaff.

In 2006-07, this team wis Overmach Parma that beat Newport Gwent Draigons in the pleyaff.

Ilk nation sets its ain criteria for qualification for the Heineken Cup, but maun gie places tae the Cup winners an the winners o the European Chailenge Cup. Teams that daesna qualifee for the Heineken Cup can enter the European Chailenge Cup.

Frae 2005 ae team fae ilk nation will be seedit?.

Rules
Sax puils o fower teams pleys baith hame an awa gemmes. Fower pynts is awairdit for a win an twa pynts for a draw.

A bonus pynt is awairdit for a loss by sieven pynts or less, or for scorin fower tries or mair.

Quarter-feenals
The sax Puil winners (rankit 1-6 bi nummer o pynts scored) an twa best placed rinners-up (rankit 7 an 8) qualifee's for the Quarter-Feenals.

Teams rankit 1-4 haes hame advantage. The Quarter-Feenals is: Team 1 v Team 8; Team 2 v Team 7; Team 3 v Team 6; Team 4 v Team 5.

Hauf-feenals an feenal
Aw matches is pleyed at nominally neutral venues. Ilk o the twa hauf feenal venues is in the kintra o the foremaist team oot o the hat whan the draw is makkit. For example, in 2004, Munster v London Wasps wis pleyed at Lansdowne Road in Dublin, yit Stade Toulousain v Biarritz Olympique was pleyed in Bordeaux.

The hauf feenal venue maun meet the follawin addeetional criteria an aw:
 It maun be in the same kintra as the designatit "hame" team. Houaniver, the Buird o the ERC (European Rugby Cup) that organises the competeetion, micht allou exceptions. In 2005-06, Biarritz, locate in a ceety less nor 20 km fae the Spanis mairch, wis alloued tae haud a hauf feenal ower the mairch at Estadio Anoeta in San Sebastián.
 The venue maun be able tae haud at least 20,000.

The feenal is hauden at a predetermined site, neist saison it's Twickenham

2006/07 groups
150px|right|thumb|The Heineken Cup trophy.
Puil 1: Benetton Treviso, Perpignan, Wasps, Castres

Puil 2: Edinburgh, SU Agen, Gloucester Rugby, Leinster

Puil 3: Sale Sharks, Stade Français, Calvisano, Ospreys

Puil 4: Cardiff Blues, Bourgoin, Leicester Tigers, Munster

Puil 5: Ulster, Toulouse, London Irish, Llanelli Scarlets

Puil 6: Biarritz, Northampton Saints, Overmach Rugby Parma, Border Reivers

 Winners 
 By year 
For mair details, see Heineken Cup feenals.
SeasonWinnerScoreRunner-upVenueCrowd1995/96Details Toulouse21-18CardiffCardiff Arms Park, Cardiff 21,8001996/97Details Brive28-9Leicester TigersCardiff Arms Park, Cardiff 41,6641997/98Details Bath19-18BriveStade Lescure, Bordeaux 36,5001998/99Details Ulster21-6ColomiersLansdowne Road, Dublin 49,0001999/00Details Northampton Saints9-8MunsterTwickenham, Lunnon 68,4412000/01DetailsLeicester Tigers34-30Stade FrançaisParc des Princes, Paris 44,0002001/02DetailsLeicester Tigers15-9MunsterMillennium Stadium, Cardiff74,0002002/03DetailsToulouse22-17PerpignanLansdowne Road, Dublin 28,6002003/04DetailsLondon Wasps27-20ToulouseTwickenham, Lunnon 73,0572004/05DetailsToulouse18-12Stade FrançaisMurrayfield, Edinburgh 51,3262005/06DetailsMunster23-19BiarritzMillennium Stadium, Cardiff 74,534

 See an aw 
Celtic League

Category:Rugby