Today marks the 17th anniversary of the first ever Heineken Cup match. No surprises that Toulouse were involved, though their opponents Farul Constanta of Romania are not quite as well known.
By Declan Whooley
The Romanian Black Sea resort of Constanta may seem like an unlikely venue to kick off what has become such a prestigious competition, but that was where the French kingpins took on the local side Farul Constanta.
Just 3,000 fans were there to witness their own bit of history as Toulouse put the Romanians to the sword 54-10 with back row Jean Luc Cester taking the honour of scoring the very first try in the competition.
While Romanian rugby was more competitive then when the game was just turning professional, the scoreline is a credit to the home side considering the glittering array of talent at the disposal of the French outfit.
Emile Ntamack, Thomas Castaignede, the Carbonneau brothers and Christian Califano were just some of the household names in the squad for the trip to Eastern Europe.
Captain Emile NTamack lifts the inaugural Heineken Cup in 1996
Toulouse went on the win the competition outright that season, beating Cardiff 21-18 after extra-time at the Cardiff Arms Park. That season there were just fifteen matches as English and Scottish clubs abstained, but they were to join ranks the following season.
It is hard to imagine in today’s professional environment that Romania hosted the very first game of this illustrious competition. When Clermont host Leinster in the next round of pool fixtures in December, it will have the distinction of becoming the 1,250th game of the Heineken Cup.
It really has changed dramatically since that historic day in Romania.
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