2022 European Rugby Champions Cup final
The 2022 European Rugby Champions Cup Final was the final match of the 2021–22 European Rugby Champions Cup, and the twenty-seventh European club rugby final in general. The final was contested between La Rochelle and Leinster with La Rochelle winning the game with a late try.[1][2][3][4][5]
| Event | 2021–22 European Rugby Champions Cup | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Date | 28 May 2022 | ||||||
| Venue | Stade Vélodrome, Marseille | ||||||
| Player of the Match | Dillyn Leyds (La Rochelle) | ||||||
| Referee | Wayne Barnes (England) | ||||||
| Attendance | 59,682 | ||||||
| Weather | Sunny | ||||||
Despite having hosted a number of Champions Cup semi-finals, the Stade Vélodrome hosted its first European final, two years later than expected after it was rearranged from 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Background
Both Leinster and La Rochelle entered the final on similar form, with both teams having won 7 out of their 8 games in the Championship, with both losses being a default result due to cancellations earlier in the campaign.
This was Leinster's sixth appearance in the Champions Cup Final, winning four and losing one, their last win being in 2018. If Leinster had won, it would have been a record equalling victory for them, joining Toulouse with five European titles to their name. For La Rochelle, this was the second time they have made the final, after they made the final in the previous year. They became the first team since Leinster to appear in back-to-back finals after the Irish side achieved this in 2018 and 2019. La Rochelle's victory was the first major trophy for the club.
The two sides had met just once before in the Champions Cup, with La Rochelle triumphing 32–23 in last season’s semi-finals and it was the fifth time that an Irish team faced a TOP 14 club in the European Cup final, with Irish sides having won on each of the previous four occasions.
Route to the final
Note: In all results below, the score of the finalist is given first (H: home; A: away).
| La Rochelle | Round | Leinster | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Opponent | Result | Pool stage | Opponent | Result | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Glasgow Warriors | 20–13 (H) | Matchday 1 | Bath | 45–20 (H) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bath | 0–0 (A) (Cancelled) |
Matchday 2 | Montpellier | 0–28 (A) (Cancelled) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bath | 39–21 (H) | Matchday 3 | Montpellier | 89–7 (H) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Glasgow Warriors | 38–20 (A) | Matchday 4 | Bath | 64–7 (A) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Final standings | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Opponent | Result | Knockout stage | Opponent | Result | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bordeaux | 31–13 (A) | Round of 16 Leg 1 | Connacht | 26–21 (A) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bordeaux | 31–23 (H) | Round of 16 Leg 2 | Connacht | 56–20 (H) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Montpellier | 31–19 (H) | Quarter-finals | Leicester Tigers | 14–23 (A) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Racing 92 | 13–20 (A) | Semi-finals | Toulouse | 40–17 (H) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Match
La Rochelle
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Leinster
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Details
| 28 May 2022 17:45 |
| La Rochelle | 24–21 | Leinster |
| Try: Rhule 9' c Bourgarit 60' c Retière 79' c Con: West (3/3) 11', 61', 80' Pen: West (1/1) 41' | Report | Pen: Sexton (6/6) 4', 8', 22', 40+2', 47', 53' R. Byrne (1/1) 64' |
| Stade Vélodrome, Marseille Attendance: 59,682 Referee: Wayne Barnes: (England) |
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Star of the Match:
Assistant referees:
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References
- "2022 European Rugby Champions Cup Final". EPC Rugby.com. 23 May 2022. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
- "Sublime Leinster dethrone Toulouse to march into Champions Cup final". The 42. 14 May 2022. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
- "La Rochelle win 20-13 at Racing 92 to reach second successive final". BBC Sport. 15 May 2022. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
- "Leinster 21-24 La Rochelle: Champions Cup final – as it happened". Guardian. 22 May 2022. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
- "Ronan O'Gara leads La Rochelle to first Champions Cup title with stunning last-gasp victory over Leinster". The 42. 22 May 2022. Retrieved 1 February 2023.