Investec Champions Cup - 2024 final preview

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   The two most decorated clubs in EPCR history, Leinster Rugby and Stade Toulousain, will both be appearing in their eighth tournament final. Stade Toulousain lead the way with five Champions Cup titles while Leinster have four. 

• Leinster will be playing in a third Champions Cup final in succession equalling the feats of Stade Toulousain in 2003, 2004 and 2005, RC Toulon (2013, 2014, 2015) and Stade Rochelais (2021, 2022, 2023).

• If Cian Healy, who has appeared in a record seven finals to date, is selected in Leinster’s
match day 23 for the final, and if the Irish province are victorious at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, he will become the first player in history to win the tournament five times. 

• Saturday’s final will be the seventh between Irish and French clubs with the Irish currently leading the way with four victories to two. 

• Antoine Dupont’s impressive all-round ability is reflected is this season’s tournament statistics. The Stade Toulousain captain is top of the carries (110) and offloads (20) categories, is second for both metres (534) and line breaks (13), and is in joint-third place for turnovers (9).

• Leo Cullen and Ugo Mola have each won the tournament as a player and as a head coach. Cullen captained Leinster to victories in 2009, 2011 and 2012 before winning as a coach in 2018 while Mola came off the bench for Stade Toulousain in the inaugural 1996 final and then led the club to the title in 2021. 

• James Lowe’s scoring
exploits have moved him up into the top 10 on the tournament’s all-time list. The Leinster wing, who became the first player to score a semi-final hat-trick with his treble against Northampton Saints at Croke Park, is now in joint eighth place with 27 tries from just 35 appearances.

• Players from 10 different countries – Argentina, Australia, England, France, Ireland, New Zealand, Samoa, Scotland, South Africa and Spain – are likely to feature in the showpiece match which will be watched by TV viewers in more than 150 countries worldwide. 

• Investec Player of the Year nominee, Jamison Gibson-Park, is one of 12 players who have won the northern-southern hemisphere double of Champions Cup (Leinster 2018) and Super Rugby (Hurricanes 2016) titles. 

• Emile Ntamack who captained Stade Toulousain in the 1996 final, and Romain Ntamack, a winner in 2021, are the only father and son combination to have won the tournament. 

•
Leinster hooker, Dan Sheehan, who scored two tries in last season’s final, is one of only five players to have achieved the feat in the tournament’s deciding match. The others are: Sebastien Carrat (CA Brive v Bath Rugby 1998), Leon Lloyd (Leicester Tigers v Stade Français Paris 2001), Johnny Sexton (Leinster Rugby v Northampton Saints 2011) and Simon Zebo (Racing 92 v Exeter Chiefs 2020).

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Transvaal Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Admin Group Joined: 30-Mar-2016 Status: Offline Points: 39964	Post Options Post Reply Quote Transvaal Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: Investec Champions Cup - 2024 final preview Posted: 21-May-2024 at 12:34pm
	The two most decorated clubs in EPCR history, Leinster Rugby and Stade Toulousain, will both be appearing in their eighth tournament final. Stade Toulousain lead the way with five Champions Cup titles while Leinster have four. • Leinster will be playing in a third Champions Cup final in succession equalling the feats of Stade Toulousain in 2003, 2004 and 2005, RC Toulon (2013, 2014, 2015) and Stade Rochelais (2021, 2022, 2023). • If Cian Healy, who has appeared in a record seven finals to date, is selected in Leinster’s match day 23 for the final, and if the Irish province are victorious at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, he will become the first player in history to win the tournament five times. • Saturday’s final will be the seventh between Irish and French clubs with the Irish currently leading the way with four victories to two. • Antoine Dupont’s impressive all-round ability is reflected is this season’s tournament statistics. The Stade Toulousain captain is top of the carries (110) and offloads (20) categories, is second for both metres (534) and line breaks (13), and is in joint-third place for turnovers (9). • Leo Cullen and Ugo Mola have each won the tournament as a player and as a head coach. Cullen captained Leinster to victories in 2009, 2011 and 2012 before winning as a coach in 2018 while Mola came off the bench for Stade Toulousain in the inaugural 1996 final and then led the club to the title in 2021. • James Lowe’s scoring exploits have moved him up into the top 10 on the tournament’s all-time list. The Leinster wing, who became the first player to score a semi-final hat-trick with his treble against Northampton Saints at Croke Park, is now in joint eighth place with 27 tries from just 35 appearances. • Players from 10 different countries – Argentina, Australia, England, France, Ireland, New Zealand, Samoa, Scotland, South Africa and Spain – are likely to feature in the showpiece match which will be watched by TV viewers in more than 150 countries worldwide. • Investec Player of the Year nominee, Jamison Gibson-Park, is one of 12 players who have won the northern-southern hemisphere double of Champions Cup (Leinster 2018) and Super Rugby (Hurricanes 2016) titles. • Emile Ntamack who captained Stade Toulousain in the 1996 final, and Romain Ntamack, a winner in 2021, are the only father and son combination to have won the tournament. • Leinster hooker, Dan Sheehan, who scored two tries in last season’s final, is one of only five players to have achieved the feat in the tournament’s deciding match. The others are: Sebastien Carrat (CA Brive v Bath Rugby 1998), Leon Lloyd (Leicester Tigers v Stade Français Paris 2001), Johnny Sexton (Leinster Rugby v Northampton Saints 2011) and Simon Zebo (Racing 92 v Exeter Chiefs 2020).