The European Stage Part 4 Trivia Quiz

Answer: Cardiff RFC

Cardiff gained entry to the inaugural Heineken Cup competition through their victory in the 1994-95 Welsh Premier Division. In the first competition, only twelve teams took part, which saw just the winners of each pool advance to the semi-finals. Cardiff advanced by winning their pool with a record of one win and one draw on the basis of a better points difference to their closest rivals.

In the semi-final they beat Irish side Leinster to reach the first Heineken Cup final, which was played at the National Stadium in Cardiff on 6 January 1996.

Their opponents were the French side Toulouse, who ended up winning the game 21-18 after extra time. Cardiff were the first Welsh club side to reach a European final, and the only one to get to the final of European rugby's premier tournament prior to the advent of the Welsh provincial sides in 2003.

Answer: Ulster

Ulster Rugby qualified for the 1998-99 Heineken Cup as a result of their third place finish in the previous season's Irish Interprovincial Championship. They came top of their pool through winning four of their six games, drawing one and losing the other.

In the knockout stages, they exclusively faced French opposition, beating former champions Toulouse in the quarter-final, and Stade Francais in the semi, facing Colomiers in the final, which was held at Lansdowne Road in Dublin on 30 January 1999. Ulster won the game 21-6, to become the first Irish side to win a European trophy. Ulster returned to European rugby's showpiece occasion in 2012, in what was the first all Irish final, when they lost to Leinster.

Answer: Munster

Munster's place in the 1999-2000 Heineken Cup came about through their victory in the Irish Interprovincial Championship the previous season. Winning their pool with a record of five wins and just one defeat, they reached the knockout stage, playing against French opposition in both the quarter- and semi-final, before reaching the final, where they faced English side Northampton Saints.

The final was played at Twickenham Stadium on 27 May 2000, the first time European rugby's showpiece took place at the end of the season rather than at its mid-point.

The game finished 9-8 to Northampton, leaving Munster unable to emulate the achievement of Ulster the previous year. Munster returned to the final two years later, again losing to English opposition, before they won their first European title in 2006.

Answer: Pontypridd

Pontypridd achieved a place in the 2001-02 Challenge Cup following their 9th place finish in the 2000-01 Welsh-Scottish League. The team finished top of their pool by virtue of a better points difference over their nearest rival, English club Leeds Tykes, and thus reached the knock-out stage of the competition. Getting past English opposition in both the quarter and semi-final, Pontypridd became only the second Welsh club to reach a European final when they faced another English club, Sale Sharks. Played at Oxford's Kassam Stadium on 26 May 2002, Pontypridd ended up losing 25-22.

Answer: Caerphilly

Caerphilly gained a place in the 2002-03 Challenge Cup as a result of their finish in the previous season's Celtic League. This was the first season of the tournament not to feature a pool stage, with instead each round up to and including the semi-final featuring two-legged ties in a straight knockout format.

As a result of Caerphilly's 1st round defeat, they dropped into the European Shield along with the other fifteen 1st round losers. Playing against Italian opposition in each of the three rounds of the competition, Caerphilly reached their first European final, where they faced French side Castres Olympique.

In the final, played at the Madejski Stadium in Reading on 25 May 2003, Caerphilly lost 40-12. Caerphilly's appearance in the final was the last by a traditional Welsh club side prior to the establishment of the Welsh provincial sides for the 2003-04 season.

Answer: London Irish

London Irish's qualification for the 2005-06 Challenge Cup came through their 10th place finish in the 2004-05 Zurich Premiership. Having won their pool with a perfect record of six wins out of six to reach the knock-out stage, they got past French club Bayonne in the quarter-final to become one of four English sides to reach the semi-finals.

In the semi, they beat Premiership rival Newcastle Falcons to reach their first European final, where they faced another Premiership side, Gloucester. The final, played at the Twickenham Stoop on 21 May 2006, saw Gloucester win 36-34.

Answer: Leinster

Leinster entered the 2008-09 Heineken Cup as a result of their position in the previous season's Celtic League. Winning their pool with a record of four wins and two defeats, they defeated English club Harlequins in the quarter-final, before knocking out Irish rivals Munster in the semi-final, allowing them to reach their first European final, where they played English side Leicester Tigers.

In the final, played on 23 May 2009 at Murrayfield in Edinburgh, Leinster became the the third Irish side to win European rugby's senior competition, defeating their opponents 19-16. Over the next decade, Leinster would go on to reach another four finals, only suffering their first defeat in 2019.

Answer: Cardiff Blues

Cardiff Blues participation in the 2009-10 Challenge Cup came as a result of their failure to reach the knock-out stages of that season's Heineken Cup. As a result of their second place pool finish in the senior competition, they dropped into the knock-out stage of the Challenge Cup. Having got past English opposition in the quarter and semi-finals, Cardiff became the first Welsh provincial side to reach a European final, and the first Welsh side of any kind to do so since 2003, when they played French club Toulon.

The final, which was held at Marseille's Stade Olympique on 23 May 2010, saw Cardiff run out 28-21 winners, becoming the first Welsh side to win a European trophy. They won the renamed European Rugby Challenge Cup for a second time in 2018.

Answer: Edinburgh

Edinburgh gained a place in the 2014-15 Challenge Cup by virtue of their 8th place finish in the previous season's RaboDirect Pro12. Reaching the knock-out stages by winning their pool, they got past opposition from England and Wales to reach the final, the first Scottish side to get to a European final since the start of European competition in the mid-1990s.

In the final, held at the Twickenham Stoop on 1 May 2015, Edinburgh ended up losing to English side Gloucester 19-13.

Answer: Bristol Bears

Bristol reached the 2019-20 Challenge Cup through their 9th place finish in the Zurich Premiership the previous season. Winning their pool following five wins and just a single defeat, they were drawn against Welsh side Dragons in the quarter-final. Original scheduled for April 2020, the competition was subsequently suspended owing to the COVID-19 outbreak, only resuming in September 2020. Bristol got past their quarter-final opponents, and French side Bordeaux Bègles in the semi-final to reach the final against Toulon. Played at the Stade Maurice David in Aix-en-Provence on 16 October 2020, it saw Bristol win 32-19 to win their first European trophy.