1995: Rugby Union Goes Continental

In this piece, we travel back to 1995 and take a look at the inaugural season of Rugby Union's European Cup, now known as the European Champions Cup. 

In the late 1890s, as the bitter civil war regarding the game of Rugby was at it's height and the wheels were in motion for the northern clubs to break away and form their own game, the staunchly amateur southern clubs and ultimately the union shied away from establishing cross-country competitions in fears that it would lead to professionalism. 

Fast forward 100 years and times and attitudes have changed immeasurably. Rugby Union was now professional with Francois Pienaar holding aloft the World Cup in South Africa not just being a poignant moment in the country's post-apartheid reaccepting to the rest of the sporting world but also a signifier of the end of Rugby's amateur era. 

By this point, the Five Nations committee had begun exploring avenues for a club competition similar to the annual international tournament and in the summer of 1995 the European Cup (later to be known as the Heineken Cup for sponsorship purposes) was born with teams from France, Ireland, Italy, Romania and Wales taking part with English and Scottish clubs conspicuous by their absence. 

Despite winning the Premiership at the end of the 1994-95 season, Leicester Tigers would not take part in the inaugural season of the European Cup

Three teams each from France, Ireland and Wales took part alongside two from Italy with the numbers being made up by Romanian champions Farul Constanta. The twelve clubs were divided into four groups of three with the top team from each group qualifying for the semi-finals. 

On the competition's launch night on October 31st 1995, Toulouse got their campaign off to an emphatic start with a 54-10 win over Farul in Constanta. European Rugby didn't get much better for the Romanians as they tumbled out of the competition in their second group game when they were thumped 86-8 by Benetton Treviso at the Stadio Communale. The Italian club's victory set up a winner take all final group game when they travelled to France to face Toulouse. Eventually it would be the French side who progressed to the semis via an 18-9 win in a tight encounter.

Thomas Castaignede grabbed himself a try to help Toulouse defeat Farul Constanta in the inaugural European Cup game on October 31st 1995

In Group B, Cardiff needed a superior points difference to qualify for the semi-finals at the expense of French club Bégles-Bordeaux. The two sides fought out a 14-all draw before both registering wins over bottom club Ulster. Cardiff's 46-8 win over the Irish province ultimately proved pivotal especially when Bégles-Bordeaux were only able to win 29-16 on their visit to Belfast. 

Despite Ulster's failure to progress, Leinster ensured there would be an Irish presence in the knockout phase as they registered a 100% record, winning their two games although they were made to work for their efforts. Much like Group A both Leinster and Pontypridd had beaten Milan to set up a decisive encounter at Lansdowne Road. The Irish side eventually qualified for the last four thanks to edging a tight affair by 23 points to 22. 

Conor O'Shea scored a try in each of Leinster's group games as the Lansdowne Road side qualified for the semi-finals. 

All three sides in Group D suffered a defeat but also won a match in what proved to be the tightest group which needed to be settled by points difference. Munster's 17-13 win over Swansea at Thormond Park gave the province the advantage and could have qualified with a win when they visited Castres. Instead they were eliminated following a close 19-12 defeat at the hands of the French side. The win then put Castres in the driving seat as they prepared to face Swansea. Castres then suffered a similar fate to Munster when they fell to a 22-10 defeat in Wales, thus making Swansea the only side to qualify for the semi-finals despite losing a group game. 

On December 30th 1995, the four group winners took part in the semi-finals with Toulouse and Leinster receiving home advantage by virtue of their superior group stage records. 

Cardiff progressed from their semi final after defeating Leinster 23-14 at Lansdowne Road. A try each for Mike Hall and Hemi Taylor alongside two conversions, a penalty and a drop goal from Adrian Davies were enough for the Welsh side to qualify for the final, which would take place on their own Cardiff Arms Park turf. 

Dreams of an all-Welsh final were put to sleep by Toulouse in the second semi-final when they demolished Swansea at the Stade Des Sept Deniers with a resounding 30-3 win. A 100% performance from the boot of fly-half Christophe Deylaud went some way to helping the French side overcome their opponents who could only muster a penalty from Aled Williams in reply. 

January 6th 1996 was the date for the inaugural European Cup final as just short of 22,000 fans converged on the Cardiff Arms Park to see Toulouse and Cardiff take to the field to battle for the right to become club Rugby's first European Champions. 

Toulouse blasted into the game, shellshocking Cardiff with two tries inside the opening ten minutes from Castaignede and Jerome Cazalbou although the kicking of Adrian Davies kept Cardiff in the game. As time ticked past 80 minutes, Davies kept his nerve with the score at 15-12 and booted over a penalty to send the final into extra time. In the extra period, both sides traded scores via penalties and in the final seconds, Cardiff's indiscipline was punished when Irish referee David McHugh penalised them for using hands in the ruck. Christophe Deylaud kicked the resulting penalty over to give his side the victory and thus write their names in the history books as the first winners of Rugby Union's European Cup by a 21-18 scoreline. 

A bona fide pan-European sporting occasion had well and truly been born. 

Jubilant Toulouse players celebrate as they receive the trophy following their 21-18 victory over Cardiff in the inaugural Rugby Union European Cup final. 

Thanks for taking a look at this piece, remember to drop me a follow on Twitter @DanBarkerGray for more 1990s sporting nostalgia.