The 2000–01 Heineken Cup was the sixth edition of the Heineken Cup, a rugby union tournament. Competing teams from France, Ireland, Italy, Wales, England and Scotland, were divided into six pools of four, in which teams played home and away matches against each other. The pool winners and two best runners-up qualified for the knock-out stages.
Teams France England Wales Scotland Ireland ItalyBiarritz Olympique Stade Français Toulouse Castres Colomiers PauNorthampton London Wasps Saracens Bath Gloucester Rugby Leicester TigersSwansea Cardiff Newport Llanelli PontypriddEdinburgh Reivers Glasgow CaledoniansLeinster Ulster MunsterL'Aquila Roma
Pool stage In the pool matches teams received 2 points for a win 1 points for a draw
Pool 1 TeamPWDLTries forTries againstTry diffPoints forPoints againstPoints diffPts Biarritz Olympique64021320−7164152128 Edinburgh Reivers631217125154141137 Leinster 63121314−1149156−77 Northampton 610517143138156−182
Edinburgh finished above Leinster despite having a lower points difference, as the first tie-breaker was the results in the two matches between the teams.ERC Rugby – Key Rules
Pool 2 TeamPWDLTries forTries againstTry diffPoints forPoints againstPoints diffPts Stade Français6501364322978521210 Swansea 64022811172441231218 Wasps630320146175156196 L'Aquila6006358−5540392−3520
Pool 3 TeamPWDLTries forTries againstTry diffPoints forPoints againstPoints diffPts Cardiff640218135182146368 Saracens 640214131174140348 Toulouse621319154171182−115 Ulster61141121−10146205−593
Cardiff won the pool despite having a lower points difference than Saracens, as the first tie-breaker was the results in the two matches between the teams.ERC Rugby – Key Rules
Pool 4 TeamPWDLTries forTries againstTry diffPoints forPoints againstPoints diffPts Munster 650115781541094510 Bath640214113139106338 Newport62041022−12122183−614 Castres 610514131135152−172
Pool 5 TeamPWDLTries forTries againstTry diffPoints forPoints againstPoints diffPts Gloucester 641113112186140469 Llanelli640218810187103848 Colomiers631214113148120287 Roma 60061025−1588246−1580
Pool 6 TeamPWDLTries forTries againstTry diffPoints forPoints againstPoints diffPts Leicester 650115961781057310 Pau640219109154142128 Pontypridd6204912−313613154 Glasgow Caledonians 61051224−12137227−902
Seeding SeedPool WinnersPtsTF+/−1 Stade Français1036+2122 Leicester Tigers 1015+733 Munster 1015+454 Gloucester 913+465 Cardiff 818+366 Biarritz Olympique813+12SeedPool Runners-upPtsTF+/−7 Swansea 828+1218 Pau819+12 – Llanelli 818+84 – Saracens 814+34 – Bath814+33 – Edinburgh Reivers717+13
Knockout stage
Quarter-finals
Semi-finals
Final
Going into the final stages of the game, the scores were level at 27–27. A drop goal from Diego Domínguez then put Stade three points ahead. Meanwhile, Leicester brought on replacement scrum-half Jamie Hamilton for starting fly-half Andy Goode, with starting scrum-half Austin Healey switching to fly-half. Glenn Gelderbloom was also brought on at outside centre, with Leon Lloyd switching from outside centre to wing.
Leicester won a penalty just inside their own half and kicked to the left-hand touchline. The resulting line-out throw was too high and but it was cleaned up by Neil Back at the back of the line. Back passed the ball to out to Healey, though the pass forced Healey to check his run to gather the ball. With the two sets of opposing backs 20 metres apart for the line-out, the Tigers backs executed a pre-called backs move. Healey would dummy scissors with inside centre Pat Howard, another dummy scissors with outside centre Glenn Gelderbloom before the ball would be passed to the big full back Tim Stimpson who would take the ball into contact. Howard drew Domínguez and Gelderbloom drew the Stade inside centre, but the Stade outside centre who had only been on the field a few minutes, drifted onto Stimpson. Healey broke the Stade defensive line through the gap, before drawing the full back and putting Leon Lloyd in the right hand corner.
Lloyd's second try of the game gave Leicester a two-point lead, with the conversion to come. If Stimpson missed, another goal would give Stade the lead. If he scored the conversion, however, Stade would need a try. The kick from the right-hand touchline was from the most difficult position on the field for a right-footed kicker. Stimpson however hit the conversion straight between the posts, and Leicester were able to hang on to their lead for victory.
References