A live stream of the match back in 1998 will be shown at 19:00 on our YouTube channel.

In undisputedly Bath Rugby’s greatest ever game, Jon Callard and his teammates proved themselves heroes as the Blue, Black and White became the first British club to win the Heineken Cup in 1998.

The full-back collected all of his side’s points in the famous 19-18 victory and Bath were crowned European champions as a result.

Snippets of the game are recalled vividly by the players involved and the supporters who were fortunate enough to see their Bath side triumph, and the post-match celebrations are exclusive to Callard and his teammates. Although a fast food restaurant is probably not the most rewarding meal following European success…

“The try wasn’t a planned move – it just happened!” He said looking back on the match.

“Dan Lyle came off the base, somebody bit in, Andy Nicol found himself free. The ball found Jerry’s hands, and I think he could have scored himself but luckily for me he passed it to me! Everyone said ‘what a well-worked move’ but it just happened.

“I think the series of the scrums and the resilience shown to dig in was a big moment and in typical Bath style, we had a chance to win a kick-off which we dropped! A collapsed maul came after and they had a shot to win it. And then drama unfolded which was another chapter in itself.”

Callard added: “The off the field stuff comes to life where the after-match reception for the players was at McDonalds for the players to get some food! For me personally, it was great to be part of something special but for the club I think they really, really deserved it because when I joined, they were establishing themselves in Europe. They always wanted to play the best and challenge themselves against the best so to be the first British champions was a huge thing for the club and deserved too.

“It feels like yesterday! You still bump into people now who talk about it and said they were there and what it meant to the club. Now and then you get clips and highlights from the game which brings back memories. Creating those memories for other people, and ourselves, was just as powerful as winning the medals.”

The Callard boot that helped Bath take Heineken Cup glory

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