1996–97 European Challenge Cup
The 1996–97 European Challenge Cup (also called the 1996–97 European Shield) was the inaugural year of the European Challenge Cup, the second tier rugby union cup competition below the Heineken Cup. The tournament was held between October 1996 and January 1997 and was won by Bourgoin with an 18–9 victory over Castres in the final at the Stade de la Méditerranée in Béziers, France.[3] Twenty-four teams took part from England, France, Ireland, Italy, Romania, Scotland and Wales, divided into four groups of six. Each team played the other teams in the group once, meaning each had five matches with either two or three on their home ground. The quarter–finals saw seven of the eight clubs coming from France, with the only non-French club being Northampton Saints.
| 1996–97 European Challenge Cup | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Countries |  England France Ireland Italy Romania Scotland.svg.png.webp){kind=small} Wales |
| Tournament format(s) | Round-robin and knockout |
| Date | 12 October 1996 – 26 January 1997 |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Teams | 24 |
| Matches played | 66 |
| Attendance | 443 (7 per match) |
| Top point scorer(s) | Alexandre Péclier (Bourgoin) (113 points)[1] |
| Top try scorer(s) | Laurent Leflamand (Bourgoin) (7 tries)[2] |
| Final | |
| Venue | Stade de la Méditerranée, Béziers |
| Attendance | 10,000 |
| Champions | Bourgoin (1st title) |
| Runners-up | Castres Olympique |
Teams
The qualifying teams were drawn from seven countries. Generally, these were teams from the top division of domestic rugby that did not qualify to play in the Heineken Cup:
- England: 6 teams from the English Premiership
- France: 7 teams from the French Championship
- Ireland: one team representing one of the four Provinces of Ireland
- Italy: one team from the National Championship of Excellence
- Romania: one team from the National League
- Scotland: one team representing one of the four geographical districts
- Wales: 7 teams from the Welsh Premier Division
| England | France | Ireland | Italy | Romania | Scotland | Wales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pool stage
Twenty four teams participated in the pool stage of the competition; they were divided into four pools of six teams each, with each team playing the other teams in their pool once only. Matches took place between 12 October and 2 November 1996 and teams were awarded two points for a win and one point for a draw. The winner and runner-up of each pool progressed to the knockout stage of the tournament.
Pool 1
| Team | P | W | D | L | Tries for | Tries against | Try diff | Points for | Points against | Points diff | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agen |
5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 9 | +11 | 156 | 82 | +74 | 10 |
| Montferrand |
5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 30 | 8 | +22 | 211 | 74 | +137 | 8 |
| Sale Sharks |
5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 18 | 14 | +4 | 166 | 115 | +51 | 6 |
| Newport |
5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 14 | 19 | −15 | 98 | 158 | −60 | 4 |
| Glasgow |
5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 15 | 30 | −15 | 113 | 202 | −89 | 2 |
| Newbridge |
5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 16 | 33 | −17 | 106 | 219 | −113 | 0 |
| Source : www.ercrugby.com | |||||||||||
Pool 2
| Team | P | W | D | L | Tries for | Tries against | Try diff | Points for | Points against | Points diff | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Castres Olympique |
5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 6 | +23 | 207 | 71 | +136 | 10 |
| Narbonne |
5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 21 | 6 | +15 | 161 | 90 | +71 | 8 |
| Dinamo-București |
5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 12 | 32 | −20 | 109 | 213 | −104 | 5 |
| Bridgend |
4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 14 | −4 | 94 | 120 | −26 | 3 |
| Bristol |
5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 11 | 12 | −1 | 128 | 99 | +29 | 2 |
| Treorchy |
4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 23 | −13 | 72 | 178 | −106 | 0 |
| Source : www.ercrugby.com | |||||||||||
The Treorchy v Bridgend match was not played.[4]
Pool 3
| Team | P | W | D | L | Tries for | Tries against | Try diff | Points for | Points against | Points diff | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northampton Saints |
5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 12 | +16 | 207 | 88 | +119 | 10 |
| Toulon |
5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 22 | 10 | +12 | 164 | 102 | +62 | 8 |
| Orrell |
5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 18 | 22 | −4 | 122 | 173 | −51 | 4 |
| Connacht |
5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 17 | −8 | 94 | 131 | −37 | 4 |
| Dunvant |
5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 15 | 22 | −7 | 106 | 169 | −63 | 2 |
| Petrarca |
5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 19 | −9 | 118 | 148 | −30 | 2 |
| Source : www.ercrugby.com | |||||||||||
Pool 4
| Team | P | W | D | L | Tries for | Tries against | Try diff | Points for | Points against | Points diff | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bourgoin |
5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 4 | +23 | 196 | 66 | +130 | 10 |
| Bordeaux-Bègles |
5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 29 | 13 | +16 | 195 | 99 | +96 | 7 |
| Swansea |
5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 28 | 19 | +9 | 207 | 138 | +69 | 7 |
| Gloucester |
5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 17 | 17 | 0 | 119 | 123 | −4 | 4 |
| Ebbw Vale |
5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 36 | −30 | 48 | 243 | −195 | 2 |
| London Irish |
5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 12 | 30 | −18 | 90 | 186 | −96 | 0 |
| Source : www.ercrugby.com | |||||||||||
Qualifiers
| Seed | Pool Winners | Pts | TF | +/− |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Castres Olympique |
10 | 29 | +136 |
| 2 | Northampton Saints |
10 | 28 | +119 |
| 3 | Bourgoin |
10 | 27 | +130 |
| 4 | Agen |
10 | 20 | +74 |
| Seed | Runners-up | Pts | TF | +/− |
| 5 | Montferrand |
8 | 30 | +137 |
| 6 | Toulon |
8 | 22 | +62 |
| 7 | Narbonne |
8 | 21 | +71 |
| 8 | Bordeaux-Bègles |
7 | 29 | +96 |
Knockout stage
Quarter finals
Semi finals
Final
References
- "Amlin Challenge Cup: Points Scorers". European Rugby Cup. Retrieved 21 August 2013.
- "Amlin Challenge Cup: Try Scorers". European Rugby Cup. Retrieved 21 August 2013.
- Mick Cleary and John Griffiths, ed. (1997). Rothmans Rugby Union Yearbook 1997–98. London: Headline Book Publishing. ISBN 0 7472 7732 X.
- "European Challenge Cup 1996/7". BBC. 13 April 2004. Retrieved 21 August 2013.