The European rugby season has provided drama, excitement and tries by the bucketload and it’s all set for a thrilling conclusion with the 2014 Heineken Cup and Amlin Challenge Cup finals both exclusively live on Sky Sports.
Saracens face reigning champions Toulon in their first Heineken Cup final on Saturday, May 24, live from a packed Milennium Stadium in Cardiff, while on the night before, Bath meet Northampton Saints at the neighbouring Cardiff Arms Park to contest an all-English Amlin Challenge Cup final.
Cardiff hosted the very first Heineken Cup Final back in 1997, so it’s fitting that the Welsh capital and the Millennium Stadium should host the very last final of this European competition in its current guise.
In a final of farewells, English rugby legend Jonny Wilkinson could sign off his spectacular career in glorious fashion by taking back-to-back Heineken Cup trophies back to Toulon.
Wilkinson, arguably England’s greatest ever fly-half, kicked 21 points in Toulon’s semi-final against Munster and also played an instrumental role when the Frenchmen met Saracens in the semi-finals last year.
The former British & Irish Lion kicked a record 24 points to take his side into their first final, comfortably eclipsing the 12-point haul of Owen Farrell.
Sarries will make their Heineken Cup final debut and could become the fifth English side to lift the trophy.
The Premiership leaders booked their place in the final with a hugely impressive win over Clermont Auvergne, running in six tries on their way to a 46-6 victory – the largest winning margin in a Heineken Cup semi-final.
Chris Ashton crossed twice to take his tally to 11 tries in the competition this term – a record for one player in a European season – and will be desperate to add more in the final as he looks to push back into the England set-up.
The London side also overtook both the highest points total by an English side in a Heineken Cup semi-final and the highest winning margin at the penultimate hurdle.
They will have to replicate that form to deny Toulon becoming the third side to successfully retain European rugby union’s biggest club prize.
Toulon, however, boast a huge amount of English talent in their star-studded squad, and World Cup winner Wilkinson will be looking to end his career on a high as he hangs up his boots after the final.
The legendary fly-half kicked 21 points as the 2013 champions saw off Munster in the last four with a 24-16 victory, and the French club are still on for a league and European double.
All the drama comes less than 24 hours after an all-English affair in the Amlin Challenge Cup final, as Bath take on Northampton on Friday, May 23 at Cardiff Arms Park.
Mike Ford’s side saw off Wasps 24-18 in the semi-final thanks to a superb display of forward power which saw them overturn a half-time deficit to take victory.
Saints, meanwhile, survived a brutal match against Harlequins to beat the London club 18-10 and book their place in the final against their fellow Premiership play-off rivals.
This year’s Heineken Cup and Amlin Challenge Cup finals will mark the end of the current 19-year era of European club rugby union as two new like-for-like competitions – the European Champions Cup and European Challenge Cup – take their places from the 2014-15 season onwards.
From next season, Sky Sports will share live rights to both competitions with rivals BT Sport after the two sides reached a compromise deal following months of negotiations among the broadcasters and the clubs.
Both the Heineken Cup and Amlin Challenge Cups are likely to bow out in spectacular fashion as the new kings of Europe are crowned in Cardiff and Sky Sports is the only place to see the all the action live.
Watch the 2014 Heineken Cup Final live on Sky Sports & Sky 3D:
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Sky Sports presents exclusively live coverage of the last ever Heineken Cup final from Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium on May 24.
Alex Payne presents the channel’s comprehensive coverage of the showpiece final from the home of Welsh rugby, with an hour features and interviews from both camps in the build-up to the match ahead of a 5.00pm kick-off time.
Studio analysis and insights come from a team including Sir Clive Woodward, Michael Lynagh and Paul Wallace with further touchline contributions from Will Greenwood, Scott Quinnell and Ieuan Evans.
Commentary on the final will be provided as ever by Miles Harrison and Stuart Barnes, while interviews will be conducted by Bill Latham.
Sky Sports will also be offering live coverage of the match in spectacular 3D via its Sky 3D channel.
A special preview show looking ahead to the final will be included in Sky’s magazine show The Rugby Club on Thursday, May 22.
Live coverage can be viewed in a variety of ways by Sky Sports customers on all devices via Sky Go, as well as via the Heineken Cup Events Centre.
For further information about the Heineken Cup, visit the official website or the Sky Sports rugby union website.
You can keep up to date with all the latest Heineken Cup reports, score flashes and results by logging onto the Sky Sports rugby union website, or by following Sky Sports’ dedicated rugby union Twitter feed (@SkySportsRugby).
The last Heineken Cup final forms part of a grandstand weekend of live sport on Sky Sports with the BMW PGA Championship, Monaco Grand Prix, Champions League Final, the Championship Play-Off Final, England v Sri Lanka ODI cricket and much more.
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As Wales plays host to one of the biggest sporting events of the year, Welsh-language channel S4C will screen free-to-air highlights of the 2014 Heineken Cup Final.
The one-hour programme, airing just hours after the trophy is held aloft by the new European champions, will feature all the keys moments from the encounter between Saracens and Toulon, as well as all the reaction and analysis
Pitchside at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff for extended highlights of the last ever Heineken Cup final will be presenter Gareth Roberts, alongside Gwyn Jones and Arthur Emyr.
S4C is available nationwide on Freesat channel 120, Sky 134 and Virgin Media 166.
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Saturday 24th May
BATH v NORTHAMPTON SAINTS – Amlin Challenge Cup Final
Kick-off: 20:00 LIVE: 7.30pm-10.00pm Sky Sports 1
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Sunday 25th May
TOULON v SARACENS – Heineken Cup Final
Kick-off: 17:00 LIVE: 4.00pm-7.30pm Sky Sports 2
Kick-0ff: 17:00 Highlights: 10.00pm-11.00pm S4C
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