It started in October 2008 and ended with the final at the Twickenham Stoop in London on 22 May 2009, in which Northampton Saints defeated Bourgoin 15–3.

With the win, the Saints not only claimed the trophy, but also won a berth in the 2009–10 Heineken Cup.

Other nations had their usual number of participants: England six, Italy four, Ireland one, Spain one and Romania one.

The draw was conducted using the ERC European Ranking system which was based on the qualified teams' performances and participation in the Heineken Cup and knock-out stages of the European Challenge Cup over the past four seasons.

Home advantage for the semi-finals was awarded to the highest remaining seed in each half of the draw.