- Ask Steven
The luck of the Irish
John GriffithsMay 21, 2014
What's Munster's overall Heineken Cup record and how far did they progress season-by season - Pat G, Ireland
Munster's overall record in Heineken Cup history reads: Played 138 Won 97 Drawn 1 Lost 40.
They have competed in every season of the tournament, progressing beyond the pool stage 15 times in their 19 attempts:
1995-96 Beat Swansea but lost to Castres (away) in pool. Failed to qualify because of inferior points difference - all three teams in the pool finishing with one win out of two games.
1996-97 Lost away to both Cardiff and Toulouse (no home & away returns in those days) so finished fourth in their pool (of five) and failed to qualify.
1997-98 First time home/away returns featured in pool play. Beat Bourgoin & Harlequins at home but lost four games (Cardiff beat them twice, including Munster's first-ever home defeat in pool play). Failed to qualify.
1998-99 Reached the QF, losing 23-9 to Colomiers.
1999-2000 Finalists. Lost 9-8 to Northampton at Twickenham.
2000-01 Reached the SF, losing 16-15 to Stade Francais.
2001-02 Finalists. Lost 15-9 to Leicester in the "Hand of Back" Final at Cardiff
2002-03 Reached the SF, losing 13-12 to Toulouse
2003-04 Reached the SF, losing 37-32 to Wasps
2004-05 Reached the QF, losing 19-10 to Biarritz
2005-06 WINNERS Won 23-19 against Biarritz in the Final at Cardiff.
2006-07 Reached the QF, losing 24-15 to Llanelli
2007-08 WINNERS Won 16-13 against Toulouse in the Final at Cardiff
2008-09 Reached the SF, losing 25-6 to Leinster (in the famous Croke Park match before 82,208 spectators - the tournament attendance record)
2009-10 Reached the SF, losing 18-7 to Biarritz
2010-11 Lost their three away pool matches - 23-17 to L Irish; 19-15 to Ospreys; 32-16 to Toulon, failing to qualify for the first time for thirteen years.
2011-12 Reached the QF, losing 22-16 to Ulster.
2012-13 Reached the SF, losing 16-10 to Clermont-Auvergne
2013-14 Reached the SF, losing to 24-16 Toulon
John Griffiths is a widely respected rugby historian and is the author of several sports books, a regular contributor to the Daily Telegraph and co-author of the IRB International Rugby Yearbook. He has provided insight for Scrum.com since 1999.
