Heineken Cup Century For Leinster
Last week in France, Leinster reached a milestone by playing their 100th match in the Heineken Cup, and tournament organisers, ERC, recognised that outstanding achievement at the Aviva Stadium last Saturday.
Round 3 of the Heineken Cup marked a special landmark weekend for 2009 champions Leinster as their bonus point defeat to Clermont Auvergne at Stade Marcel Michelin was their 100th match in the tournament’s history.
Leicester Tigers, the team they beat in the 2009 final in Edinburgh, also reached the century mark that same weekend. Leinster and Leicester join Toulouse and Munster as Heineken Cup centurions.
To mark Leinster’s achievement, ERC Chairman Jean-Pierre Lux and Chief Executive Derek McGrath presented a specially commissioned plaque to Leinster Rugby Chief Executive Mick Dawson and Branch President Kevin Fitzpatrick at the Aviva Stadium last Saturday.
Leinster’s 24-8 home win over Clermont Auvergne was watched by a crowd totalling 44,873 spectators, which was a record attendance for a Heineken Cup pool match in Ireland.
Indeed, it is the third highest attendance for a pool fixture in Heineken Cup history, behind the Saracens v Leinster game at Wembley in October (45,892) and the Stade Francais v Harlequins clash at Stade de France during the 2008/09 season (76,569).