It was Bath’s Jon Callard who was the West Country hero as he scored 19 points including a try, despite a nerveless second half drop goal putting Alain Penaud put Brive in front.

We spoke to Dan Lyle - who played in the final for Bath Rugby – and he praised the impact of team-mate Jon Callard.

“Cally [Jon Callard] is one of my favourite players that I have ever played with and I think most players that have played with him can say that,” Lyle said.

“He could just do so much and Phil de Glanville, who was the former captain, just allowed Andy [Nicol] to use his game but also being in the backline to marshal them.

“And then you have one of the best ever in Jerry [Jeremy Guscott]. It was just wonderful to have that level of talent and that just added to the confidence.”

We also got the views of the losing side, as Alain Penaud admitted that his side let the occasion pass them by as they went in search of consecutive European crowns.

“We were practically playing in front of our own fans in a full stadium,” Penaud said. “The Stade Chaban-Delmas was full to bursting, there was an amazing atmosphere, and we let it pass us by, but we didn’t let it pass us by in the final two minutes.

“It wasn’t the responsibility of Titou [Christophe Lamaison] or of Lissandro [Arbizu], quite the opposite. I think that it was everyone’s responsibility, including the management, including the club, because we weren’t able to handle the aftermath of the ‘97 final once and for all.”

You can watch the full match HERE.

Bath Rugby were made to pull out all the stops on this day in 1998 as they edged out defending champions Brive 19-18 in Bordeaux to secure a first Heineken Cup success for any English side.