On This Day in 2009: Tigers book a Heineken Cup final date with Leinster
- 2003
On this day in 2009, Leicester Tigers booked a Heineken Cup final date with Leinster after beating Cardiff Blues in a historic sudden death penalty shoot-out at the Millennium Stadium.
🏉 The most famous penalty shoot-out in the sport...
🗓 #OnThisDay in 2009, @LeicesterTigers advanced to the @ChampionsCup final after a historic win over the Blues in Cardiff.
Jordan Crane landed the sudden-death kick after a Martyn Williams miss 😩#HeinekenChampionsCup pic.twitter.com/kUf9Tqr0Ls— Rugby on BT Sport (@btsportrugby) May 3, 2022
No.8 Jordan Crane kicked the all-important place kick for the Tigers after the Blues had fought back bravely to level the match at 26-26 and take the contest into extra time.
However, the dramatic shoot-out, the first of its kind in the tournament's 14-year history, was an ill-fitting climax to a match that enthralled from start to finish.
With neither side able to break the deadlock in extra time the match would be decided by the kicking prowess of the respective teams. Leicester's Johne Murphy missed his kick from the 22 metre line to give James the chance to win it for the Blues but he also failed to hit the target and as a result the duel went into sudden-death.
The final twist in the tale saw the Blues' Martyn Williams pull his effort wide of the posts before Crane stepped up to slot the match-winning kick and set the seal on the most dramatic match in Heineken Cup history.
