2012 Heineken Cup Final

The 2012 Heineken Cup Final was the final match of the 2011–12 Heineken Cup, the 17th season of Europe's top club rugby union competition. The match was played on 19 May 2012 at Twickenham Stadium in London, England. The final was between Ulster and defending champions Leinster.[2][3] Leinster triumphed, with captain Leo Cullen becoming the first person to raise the trophy three times. The match broke many records, including the largest winning margin in a Heineken Cup final and the most points scored. It led to media reports suggesting Leinster were the greatest European club team of all time.[4][5]

2012 Heineken Cup Final
Event2011–12 Heineken Cup
Leinster Rugby Ulster Rugby
42 14
Date19 May 2012
VenueTwickenham Stadium, London
RefereeNigel Owens (Wales)[1]
Attendance81,774

Background

It was confirmed on 1 May that the match was an 82,000 sell-out. 7,500 tickets were assigned to each province for the final with a Leinster spokesman saying that demand for tickets had outstripped supply with Ulster selling their remaining tickets to new 2012-13 season ticket holders.[6][7]

Under rules of the competition organiser, European Rugby Cup (ERC), the winner of the Heineken Cup Final receives an automatic place in the following year's competition, apart from the normal allocation for the winning team's country. If the champion is already qualified through performance in its domestic or regional league, the cup holder's place (normally) passes to another team from its country.[8] Because Leinster and Ulster had already qualified for the 2012–13 Heineken Cup by their performance in Pro12, the fourth Irish place passed to Connacht. Leinster, the first team since Toulouse (in 2005) to make back-to-back finals, stood to become the second team, and first since Leicester in 2002, to win back-to-back titles.[9]

Match

Summary

Leinster beat Ulster by five tries to one. Leinster flanker Seán O'Brien and prop Cian Healy scored first half tries and the team scored a penalty try early in the second half. Leinster's replacement prop Heinke van der Merwe and Seán Cronin both scored tries late on and Fergus McFadden converted Cronin's try, completing the largest winning margin in a Heineken Cup final. Leinster fly-half Jonathan Sexton scored 15 points in total (from three conversions and three penalties).[4][10]

The result represented both a record winning points total and a record winning margin for a Heineken Cup Final.[4] Leinster become only the second team to defend the title successfully and the first to win it three times in four years.[11][12] Leo Cullen became the first captain to raise the trophy three times.[13]

Details
19 May 2012
17:00 BST
Leinster 42 – 14 Ulster
Try: O'Brien 12' c
Healy 31' c
penalty try 44' c
van der Merwe 76' m
Cronin 80' c
Con: Sexton (3/3)
McFadden (1/2)
Pen: Sexton (3/4) 51', 67', 73'
 Report Try: Tuohy 60' m
Pen: Pienaar (3/3) 7', 40', 49'
Twickenham Stadium, London
Attendance: 81,774
Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)
FB15 Rob Kearney
RW14 Fergus McFadden
OC13 Brian O'Driscoll
IC12 Gordon D'Arcy
LW11 Isa Nacewa
FH10 Jonathan Sexton
SH9 Eoin Reddan
N88 Jamie Heaslip
OF7 Seán O'Brien
BF6 Kevin McLaughlin
RL5 Brad Thorn
LL4 Leo Cullen (c)
TP3 Mike Ross
HK2 Richardt Strauss
LP1 Cian Healy
Substitutions:
HK16 Seán Cronin
PR17 Heinke van der Merwe
PR18 Nathan White
LK19 Devin Toner
FL20 Shane Jennings
SH21 John Cooney
FH22 Ian Madigan
CE23 Dave Kearney
Coach:
Josef Schmidt
FB15 Stefan Terblanche
RW14 Andrew Trimble
OC13 Darren Cave
IC12 Paddy Wallace
LW11 Craig Gilroy
FH10 Paddy Jackson
SH9 Ruan Pienaar
N88 Pedrie Wannenburg
OF7 Chris Henry
BF6 Stephen Ferris
RL5 Dan Tuohy
LL4 Johann Muller (c)
TP3 John Afoa
HK2 Rory Best
LP1 Tom Court
Substitutions:
HK16 Nigel Brady
PR17 Paddy McAllister
PR18 Declan Fitzpatrick
LK19 Lewis Stevenson
FL20 Willie Faloon
SH21 Paul Marshall
FH22 Ian Humphreys
CE23 Adam D'Arcy
Coach:
Brian McLaughlin

Touch judges:
Romain Poite
Jérôme Garcès
Television match official:
Jim Yuille

See also

References
  1. "Nigel Owens from Wales will be the man in charge when Leinster face Ulster in the Heineken Cup final". RTÉ Sport. RTÉ. 9 May 2012. Retrieved 15 May 2012.
  2. "Leinster dig deep to set up all-Irish final". ESPN. 29 April 2012. Archived from the original on 1 May 2012. Retrieved 1 May 2012.
  3. "Pienaar steers Ulster past Edinburgh". ESPN. 28 April 2012. Archived from the original on 1 May 2012. Retrieved 1 May 2012.
  4. "Leinster 42-14 Ulster". RTÉ Sport. RTÉ. 19 May 2012. Retrieved 19 May 2012.
  5. "Leinster redefine Euro boundaries after third Heineken Cup triumph". BBC Sport. BBC. 19 May 2012. Retrieved 19 May 2012.
  6. "Heineken Cup final 'sells out'". The Irish Times. Irish Times Trust. 1 May 2012. Archived from the original on 1 May 2012. Retrieved 1 May 2012.
  7. "Heineken Cup: Tickets for final not an issue but cost of flights soaring". Irish Independent. Independent News & Media. 30 April 2012. Retrieved 15 May 2012.
  8. "Heineken Cup Final facts and figures". ERC Rugby. 10 May 2012. Retrieved 15 May 2012.
  9. "Ulster and Leinster's Heineken Cup success puts focus on Celtic league". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. 12 May 2012. Retrieved 15 May 2012.
  10. "Ulster v Leinster, Heineken Cup final: live". Daily Telegraph. 21 May 2012. Retrieved 22 May 2012.
  11. "Leinster claim back-to-back titles". ESPN Scrum. 21 May 2012. Retrieved 22 May 2012.
  12. "Heineken Cup final - as it happened". BBC Sport. 21 May 2012. Retrieved 22 May 2012.
  13. "Blue army toasts victory as Leinster heroes take Heineken Cup win in stride". Irish Independent. 21 May 2012. Retrieved 22 May 2012.
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