1997–98 Heineken Cup
| 1997–1998 Heineken Cup | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Countries |  Stade Lescure, Bordeaux |
| Attendance | 36,500 |
| Champions | Bath (1st title) |
| Runners-up |  Brive |
→ | |
The 1997–98 Heineken Cup was the third edition of the
Heineken Cup European rugby union club competition. Competing professional club teams from France, Ireland, Italy, Wales, England and Scotland
, were divided into five pools of four, in which teams played home and away matches against each other. The pool winners automatically qualified for the knock-out stages. The five runners-up and the best third placed team entered the play-offs, where they competed for the remaining three quarter final positions.
Teams
| England
|
 Ireland
|
 Italy
|
France
|
 Scotland
|
 Wales
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pool stage
In the pool matches teams received
- 2 points for a win
- 1 points for a draw
| Winner of each pool advances to quarter-final stage
| |
| Advance to quarter-final playoffs
|
Pool 1
| Team | P | W | D | L | Tries for | Tries against | Try diff | Points for | Points against | Points diff | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toulouse
|
6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 25 | 12 | 13 | 200 | 121 | 79 | 10 |
| Leicester
|
6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 16 | 14 | 2 | 163 | 117 | 46 | 8 |
| Leinster
|
6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 15 | 19 | −4 | 137 | 167 | −30 | 4 |
| Milan
|
6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 15 | 26 | −11 | 111 | 206 | −95 | 2 |
Pool 2
| Team | P | W | D | L | Tries for | Tries against | Try diff | Points for | Points against | Points diff | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wasps
|
6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 12 | 19 | 243 | 104 | 139 | 12 |
| Glasgow
|
6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 14 | 15 | −1 | 132 | 167 | −35 | 6 |
| Swansea
|
6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 15 | 16 | −1 | 157 | 161 | −4 | 4 |
| Ulster
|
6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 6 | 23 | −17 | 95 | 195 | −100 | 2 |
Pool 3
| Team | P | W | D | L | Tries for | Tries against | Try diff | Points for | Points against | Points diff | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bath
|
6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 12 | 0 | 141 | 119 | 22 | 10 |
| Brive
|
6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 24 | 13 | 11 | 210 | 146 | 64 | 9 |
| Pontypridd
|
6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 17 | 13 | 4 | 154 | 147 | 7 | 5 |
| Scottish Borders
|
6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 14 | 29 | −15 | 129 | 222 | −93 | 0 |
Pool 4
| Team | P | W | D | L | Tries for | Tries against | Try diff | Points for | Points against | Points diff | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Harlequins
|
6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 21 | 12 | 9 | 198 | 141 | 57 | 8 |
| Cardiff
|
6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 17 | 15 | 2 | 184 | 146 | 38 | 8 |
| Bourgoin
|
6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 14 | 21 | −7 | 141 | 180 | −39 | 4 |
| Munster
|
6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 11 | −4 | 93 | 149 | −56 | 4 |
Pool 5
| Team | P | W | D | L | Tries for | Tries against | Try diff | Points for | Points against | Points diff | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pau
|
6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 27 | 8 | 19 | 203 | 89 | 114 | 8 |
| Llanelli
|
6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 15 | 18 | −3 | 144 | 142 | 2 | 8 |
| Benetton Treviso
|
6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 18 | 19 | −1 | 146 | 162 | −16 | 4 |
| Caledonia
|
6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 23 | −15 | 89 | 189 | −100 | 4 |
Seeding
| Seed | Pool Winners | Pts | TF | +/− |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | London Wasps
|
12 | 31 | +139 |
| 2 | Toulouse
|
10 | 25 | +79 |
| 3 | Bath
|
10 | 12 | +22 |
| 4 | Pau
|
8 | 27 | +114 |
| 5 | Harlequins
|
8 | 21 | +57 |
| Seed | Pool Runners-up (and best third place) | Pts | TF | +/− |
| 6 | Brive
|
9 | 24 | +64 |
| 7 | Cardiff
|
8 | 17 | +38 |
| 8 | Leicester Tigers
|
8 | 16 | +46 |
| 9 | Llanelli
|
8 | 15 | +2 |
| 10 | Glasgow
|
6 | 14 | −35 |
| 11 | Pontypridd
|
5 | 17 | +7 |
Knockout stage
Quarter-final play-offs
| 1 November 1997 16:30 |
| Brive Parc Municipal des Sports Attendance: 13,000 |
Quarter-finals
| 8 November 1997 14:15 |
| Bath Recreation Ground Attendance: 8,200 |
| 8 November 1997 15:30 |
| Toulouse Stade Municipal Attendance: 18,000 |
| 9 November 1997 14:15 |
| London Wasps Loftus Road Stadium Attendance: 10,481 |
| 9 November 1997 15:20 |
| Pau Stade Municipal du Hameau Attendance: 12,000 |
Semi-finals
| 20 December 1997 14:00 |
| Bath Recreation Ground Attendance: 8,200 |
| 21 December 1997 15:20 |
| Toulouse Stade Municipal Attendance: 26,000 |
Brive advance to final on try count (two tries to one)
Final
| 31 January 1998 15:30 |
Jim Fleming (Scotland ) |