From international action during the Six Nations to the best international club competition in the world, Cardiff and the Principality Stadium is synonymous with great rugby weekends – and the Welsh capital will once again be at the heart of the action on Friday 23 and Saturday 24 May, as hosts of the highly anticipated EPCR Finals weekend.
Cardiff will welcome the 2025 Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup Finals, marking a significant return to the city 11 years after the last Finals were held there in 2014, when RC Toulon triumphed with Jonny Wilkinson lifting the trophy.
This year’s Finals will also celebrate a historic milestone – the 30th edition of the Champions Cup, which first began with the 1995/96 season with Cardiff hosting the inaugural final. The city will continue its legacy, having previously hosted seven previous finals including some of the most iconic moments in the tournament’s history.
As Cardiff prepares to shine once again, we reflect on the city’s long-standing role in the Champions Cup over the past three decades.
1996 – Champions Cup lifts off in Cardiff
First introduced into the rugby calendar for the 1995/96 season, there was no better place to welcome the maiden final of the Champions Cup than the famously rugby-loving city of Cardiff.
The former National Stadium provided the perfect backdrop for what promised to be a memorable day, and it was then over to Stade Toulousain and Cardiff Rugby to provide the action. Treating the world to a real spectacle, Cardiff’s Adrian Davies forced extra-time but it was the French side who clinched victory, after two Christophe Deylaud extra-time penalties edged Cardiff out at home, 21-18.
In becoming the first holders of the coveted trophy, Stade Toulousain were laying the foundations for what has become a true love affair with the competition. Now boasting a record six Champions Cup titles, time will tell if the French side add to their collection this May, having gone undefeated in the pool stage this season.
2006 – Ronan O’Gara heroics help Munster breakthrough
Following two Finals defeats in seeking their first Champions Cup title, Irish side Munster Rugby took to the Millennium Stadium, now the Principality Stadium, in 2006 to break the spell and prove the third time is indeed a charm.
Beating Biarritz Olympique 23-19 on the day, current Stade Rochelais head coach Ronan O’Gara’s 13 points from the boot helped Munster claim the European crown.
Still the record-holder for points scored in the competition’s history, O’Gara now faces his old side for the first time as Les Maritimes host Munster in this year’s Investec Champions Cup Round of 16 on April 5, when either the legendary No 10 or his former side will take a step closer to returning to Cardiff in May – a mouthwatering “ROG Derby” to watch.
2011 – Johnny Sexton inspires Leinster’s best comeback ever
Five years later, Ireland’s Leinster Rugby and Northampton Saints battled for a second crown in Cardiff, a match-up which certainly did not disappoint.
Trailing 22-6 at the break, Leinster produced one of the finest halves of club rugby ever to turn the tie on its head and beat Saints 33-22.
It was Johnny Sexton’s tally of 28 points – two tries, three conversions and four penalties – that earned him a deserved Man of the Match award that day as well as stealing the headlines.
The legendary flyhalf inspired Leinster to an unprecedented 27 unanswered points in the second half, in turn earning the Irish side their second Champions Cup title in three years as their legacy in the competition grew.
And with Leinster still unbeaten in this year’s Investec Champions Cup – and indeed undefeated in the United Rugby Championship thus far – together with a finals weekend at none other than the Principality Stadium once more, the Irish side are surely one of the favourites to head to Cardiff this season but will need to beat Harlequins in their Round of 16 clash to move one step closer to another historic final.
2014 – Jonny Wilkinson masterclass as RC Toulon go back-to-back
France’s RC Toulon and England’s Saracens played out yet another unforgettable final at the Millennium Stadium in 2014 for a tie which ended 23-6 in Toulon’s favour.
Claiming what was to be the second of three consecutive Champions Cup titles in Cardiff that day, it was a particularly memorable outing for legendary flyhalf Jonny Wilkinson.
In what was his last ever game on British soil and thanks to his stellar performance with two conversions, two penalties and one drop goal, he was bid an emotional farewell by the Welsh capital. Being subbed off to the noise of his name ringing around the Millennium Stadium and another Champions Cup trophy soon to be added to his collection, it was the perfect culmination to an incredible rugby career.
His former side will once again come up against Saracens in their Round of 16 match at home.
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