1996–97 Heineken Cup pool stage

Today, 1996–97 Heineken Cup pool stage is a topic of great relevance and interest to a wide public. Since its emergence, it has captured the attention of experts and fans alike, generating continuous debate around its nature and relevance in various fields. Whether due to its impact on society, its influence on popular culture or its importance in technological development, 1996–97 Heineken Cup pool stage has proven to be a topic worthy of study and reflection. In this article, we will explore different aspects related to 1996–97 Heineken Cup pool stage, offering a comprehensive and detailed vision that seeks to contribute to the understanding and appreciation of this phenomenon.

1996–97 Heineken Cup pool stage
Season	1996–97 Heineken Cup
Date	12 October 1996 – 2 November 1996
Qualifiers
Seed 1	Leicester
Seed 2	Brive
Seed 3	Toulouse
Seed 4	Dax
Seed 5	Harlequins
Seed 6	Cardiff RFC
Seed 7	Bath
Seed 8	Llanelli RFC
← 1995–96 (Previous) 1997–98 → (Next)

Main article: 1996–97 Heineken Cup

The 1996–97 Heineken Cup pool stage was played during October and November 1996. The top two teams in each group qualified for the quarter-finals.

All times are local to the game site.

Key to colours

Top two teams in each group advance to quarter-finals

Pool 1

Team	P	W	D	L	Tries for	Tries against	Try diff	Points for	Points against	Points diff	Pts
Dax	4	3	0	1	16	2	14	141	69	72	6
Bath	4	3	0	1	15	8	7	136	88	48	6
Pontypridd	4	3	0	1	7	3	4	97	60	37	6
Benetton Treviso	4	1	0	3	13	15	−2	106	135	−29	2
Edinburgh	4	0	0	4	6	29	−23	71	199	−128	0

12 October 1996 14:30

Pontypridd	28–22	Benetton Treviso

Sardis Road Attendance: 3,500

12 October 1996 15:00

Bath	55–26	Edinburgh

Recreation Ground Attendance: 6,500

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16 October 1996 19:00

Edinburgh	10–32	Pontypridd

Myreside Attendance: 3,000

16 October 1996 20:00

Benetton Treviso	14–34	Dax

Stadio Comunale di Monigo Attendance: 1,000

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19 October 1996 14:30

Pontypridd	19–6	Bath

Sardis Road Attendance: 7,000

20 October 1996 14:30

Dax	69–12	Edinburgh

Parc Municipal des Sports Attendance: 8,000

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26 October 1996 15:00

Bath	25–16	Dax

Recreation Ground Attendance: 8,000

27 October 1996 14:30

Edinburgh	23–43	Benetton Treviso

Myreside Attendance: 1,500

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2 November 1996 14:30

Benetton Treviso	27–50	Bath

Stadio Comunale di Monigo Attendance: 2,500

2 November 1996 19:30

Dax	22–18	Pontypridd

Parc Municipal des Sports Attendance: 9,000

Pool 2

Team	P	W	D	L	Tries for	Tries against	Try diff	Points for	Points against	Points diff	Pts
Leicester	4	4	0	0	14	3	11	114	43	71	8
Llanelli	4	2	0	2	9	9	0	97	81	16	4
Leinster	4	2	0	2	9	12	−3	86	109	−23	4
Pau	4	1	0	3	19	10	9	137	103	34	2
Scottish Borders	4	1	0	3	7	24	−17	80	178	−98	2

12 October 1996 14:30

Llanelli	34–17	Leinster

Stradey Park Attendance: 2,800

12 October 1996 17:00

Pau	85–28	Borders

Stade Municipal du Hameau Attendance: 3,000

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16 October 1996 18:45

Leinster	10–27	Leicester Tigers

Lansdowne Road Attendance: 3,500

16 October 1996 19:00

Borders	24–16	Llanelli

Mansfield Park Attendance: 2,000

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19 October 1996 14:30

Llanelli	31–15	Pau

Stradey Park Attendance: 3,000

19 October 1996 14:30

Leicester Tigers	43–3	Borders

Welford Road Attendance: 4,609

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26 October 1996 14:30

Borders	25–34	Leinster

The Greenyards Attendance: 3,500

26 October 1996 16:45

Pau	14–19	Leicester

Stade Municipal du Hameau Attendance: 9,000

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2 November 1996 14:30

Leinster	25–23	Pau

Donnybrook Attendance: 4,000

2 November 1996 15:00

Leicester Tigers	25–16	Llanelli

Welford Road Attendance: 11,000

Pool 3

Team	P	W	D	L	Tries for	Tries against	Try diff	Points for	Points against	Points diff	Pts
Brive	4	4	0	0	13	8	5	106	65	41	8
Harlequins	4	3	0	1	20	8	12	131	95	36	6
Neath	4	2	0	2	10	16	−6	83	109	−26	4
Ulster	4	1	0	3	6	10	−4	75	87	−12	2
Caledonia	4	0	0	4	13	20	−7	117	156	−39	0

12 October 1996 17:15

Brive	34–19	Neath

Parc Municipal des Sports Attendance: 5,000

13 October 1996 14:30

Caledonia	34–41	Ulster
Try: Rowen Shepherd Paul Rouse Stuart Grimes Con: Rowen Shepherd (2) Pen: Rowen Shepherd (4) Drop: Jonathan Newton	Report	Try: David Humphreys (2) Jan Cunningham (2) Stephen McKinty Con: David Humphreys (2) Pen: David Humphreys (2) Stuart Laing Drop: David Humphreys

McDiarmid Park Attendance: 2,400 Referee: J. C. Gastou

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16 October 1996 19:00

Ulster	15–21	Harlequins
Pen: David Humphreys (4) Drop: David Humphreys	Report	Try: Mick Watson Daren O'Leary Con: Will Carling Pen: Will Carling (2)

Ravenhill Attendance: 8,000 Referee: I. Ramage

16 October 1996 19:15

Neath	27–18	Caledonia

The Gnoll Attendance: 2,000

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19 October 1996 15:00

Harlequins	44–22	Neath

Twickenham Stoop Attendance: 3,500

20 October 1996 15:00

Caledonia	30–32	Brive

McDiarmid Park Attendance: 2,000

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26 October 1996 14:30

Neath	15–13	Ulster
Try: Steve Williams Leighton Gerrard Con: Geraint Davies Pen: Geraint Davies	Report	Try: Andrew Matchett Con: David Humphreys Pen: David Humphreys (2)

The Gnoll Attendance: 2,000

27 October 1996 16:15

Brive	23–10	Harlequins

Parc Municipal des Sports Attendance: 13,000

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2 November 1996 14:30

Ulster	6–17	Brive
Pen: David Humphreys Drop: David Humphreys	Report	Try: Francois Duboisset Sebastian Carrat Sébastien Viars Con: David Venditti

Ravenhill Attendance: 3,500 Referee: H. Lewis

2 November 1996 14:30

Harlequins	56–35	Caledonia

Twickenham Stoop Attendance: 3,751

Pool 4

Team	P	W	D	L	Tries for	Tries against	Try diff	Points for	Points against	Points diff	Pts
Toulouse	4	3	0	1	21	13	8	157	142	15	6
Cardiff	4	3	0	1	16	7	9	135	97	38	6
London Wasps	4	2	0	2	17	14	3	156	115	41	4
Munster	4	2	0	2	11	22	−11	109	135	−26	4
Milan	4	0	0	4	6	15	−9	73	141	−68	0

12 October 1996 15:00

Munster	23–5	Milan
	Report

Musgrave Park Attendance: 1,500

13 October 1996 15:00

London Wasps	24–26	Cardiff

Loftus Road Attendance: 6,000

---

16 October 1996 19:15

Cardiff	48–18	Munster
	Report

Cardiff Arms Park Attendance: 4,000

16 October 1996 20:30

Milan	26–44	Toulouse

Stadio Comunale Giuriati Attendance: 500

---

19 October 1996 15:30

Munster	49–22	London Wasps
	Report

Thomond Park Attendance: 6,000

19 October 1996 15:30

Toulouse	36–20	Cardiff

Les Sept Deniers Attendance: 10,000

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26 October 1996 15:00

London Wasps	77–17	Toulouse

Loftus Road Attendance: 8,000

27 October 1996 15:00

Cardiff	41–19	Milan

Arms Park Attendance: 3,000

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2 November 1996 14:30

Milan	23–33	London Wasps

Stadio Comunale Giuriati Attendance: 1,200

2 November 1996 16:00

Toulouse	60–19	Munster
	Report

Les Sept Deniers Attendance: 14,000

Seeding

Seed	Pool Winners	Pts	TF	+/−
1	Leicester	8	14	+71
2	Brive	8	13	+41
3	Toulouse	6	21	+15
4	Dax	6	16	+72
Seed	Pool Runners-up	Pts	TF	+/−
5	Harlequins	6	20	+36
6	Cardiff RFC	6	16	+38
7	Bath	6	15	+48
8	Llanelli RFC	4	9	+16

See also

• 1996–97 Heineken Cup

References

1. ^ Bill Leith, "Rugby Union: Topping grabs spoils", The Independent, 13 October 1996
2. ^ "Humphreys points the way for Ulster", Irish Independent, 14 October 1996
3. ^ Jim Stokes, "Defiant Ulster lose to late Harlequins try", Irish Independent, 17 October 1966
4. ^ "Ulster rue missed chances as Neath steal it", Sunday Independent, 27 October 1996
5. ^ "Ulster challenge fades tamely", Sunday Independent, 3 November 1996