Cardiff to host Heineken Cup final

The Heineken Cup will be returning to its spiritual home with the final staged in Cardiff next year.
The European finals where meant to be staged in Paris but the French Federation withdraw their application over the uncertainty of the availability of the Stade de France in these dates.
The Amlin Challenge Cup final will now be played at the Cardiff Arms Park on Friday, 23 May 2014 and the Heineken Cup showpiece the following day at the 74,500-capacity Millennium Stadium.
In a statement, the ERC said: “The Welsh Rugby Union, with the support of the Welsh Assembly Government and local partners, was awarded the ERC finals following a competitive bid process and that decision creates a major opportunity to build on the city’s rich Heineken Cup heritage after the highly successful staging of the two finals in 2011 when ERC’s unique weekend festival of rugby generated a direct financial dividend of £24 million for Cardiff.”
“The Welsh capital is steeped in European club rugby history as the first two Heineken Cup tournament finals were played at the Cardiff Arms Park in 1996 and 1997, with Cardiff reaching the inaugural decider only to lose to Toulouse who have since gone on to win the coveted trophy on three more occasions.”