2019–20 European Rugby Challenge Cup

The 2019–20 European Rugby Challenge Cup was the sixth edition of the European Rugby Challenge Cup, an annual second-tier rugby union competition for professional clubs. Including the predecessor competition, the original European Challenge Cup, this was the 24th edition of European club rugby's second-tier competition. Clubs from six European nations competed, including Russian and Italian clubs who qualified via the Continental Shield.

2019–20 European Rugby Challenge Cup
Tournament details
Countries England
 France
 Italy
 Russia
 Scotland
 Wales
Tournament format(s)Round-robin and Knockout
Date15 November 2019 - 16 October 2020
Tournament statistics
Teams20
Matches played60
Attendance374,846 (6,247 per match)
Highest attendance17,553 - Bordeaux Bègles v Edinburgh
(11 January 2020)
Lowest attendance100 - Enisey-STM v Castres
(6 December 2019)
Tries scored376 (6.27 per match)
Top point scorer(s) Jamie Shillcock (Worcester Warriors)
67 points
Top try scorer(s) Jamie Shillcock (Worcester Warriors)
5 tries
Final
VenueStade Maurice David
Champions Bristol Bears (1st title)
Runners-up Toulon

The tournament began in November 2019. The final took place on 16 October at the Stade Maurice David in Aix-en-Provence.[1]

Teams

20 teams will qualify for the 2019–20 European Challenge Cup; 18 will qualify from Premiership Rugby, the Pro14 and the Top 14, as a direct result of their domestic league performance, with two qualifying through the 2018–19 Continental Shield. The distribution of teams is:

  • England: Five teams
    • Any teams finishing between 7th and 11th position in Premiership Rugby that do not qualify for the Champions Cup (Sale Sharks (7th) qualified for the Champions Cup and therefore did not take part in the Challenge Cup)).
    • The champion of the RFU Championship.
  • France: Eight teams
    • Any teams finishing between 7th and 12th position in the Top 14 that do not qualify for the 2019-20 European Champions Cup
    • The champion from the Pro D2.
    • The winner of the promotion-relegation play-off between the team in 13th position in the Top 14 and the runner-up of the Pro D2.
  • Italy, Scotland, Wales: six teams
    • Five teams from the Pro14, excluding the South African teams, that do not qualify for the 2019-20 European Champions Cup
    • One team from Italy qualified through the Continental Shield
  • Russia: one team
    • One team from Russia qualified through the Continental Shield

No team from Ireland will participate in the competition as all four clubs have qualified for the 2019-20 European Champions Cup.

The following clubs have qualified for the Challenge Cup.

Premiership Top 14 Pro14 Qualifying Competition
England France Italy Scotland Wales Italy Russia

Qualifying competition
Further information: European Rugby Continental Shield § 2018–19

Six teams were split into two pools of three to compete in the pool stage of the European Rugby Continental Shield. Each team played the other two teams in its pool twice on a home-and-away basis. The winner of each pool faced each other in a two-legged play-off for a place in the Challenge Cup.

A further place was awarded to the winner of a two-legged playoff between the two sides competing in the 2018–19 Challenge Cup.

Qualifying Play-offs
30 March 2019
Calvisano 29 – 13 Rugby Rovigo Delta
Stadio San Michele, Calvisano
Attendance: 1,200
30 March 2019
Timișoara Saracens 20 – 18 Enisey-STM
20 April 2019
Enisey-STM 40 – 32 Timișoara Saracens
Avangard Stadium, Krasnoyarsk
Attendance: 2,600
20 April 2019
Rugby Rovigo Delta 30 – 28 Calvisano

Team details

Below is the list of coaches, captain and stadiums with their method of qualification for each team.

Note: Placing shown in brackets, denotes standing at the end of the regular season for their respective leagues, with their end of season positioning shown through CH for Champions, RU for Runner-up, SF for losing Semi-finalist and QF for losing Quarter-finalist.

Team Coach /
Director of Rugby		 Captain Stadium Capacity Method of Qualification
Agen Christophe Laussucq Stade Armandie 14,000 Top 14 7th-12th (12th)
Bayonne Yannick Bru Antoine Battut Stade Jean Dauger 16,934 Pro D2 champions
Bordeaux Bègles Christophe Urios Jefferson Poirot Stade Chaban-Delmas 34,694 Top 14 7th-12th (10th)
Bristol Bears Pat Lam Steven Luatua Ashton Gate 27,000 Premiership 8th-11th (9th)
Brive Jeremy Davidson Saïd Hireche Stade Amédée-Domenech 16,000 Pro D2 / Top 14 play-off winner
Calvisano Massimo Brunello Alberto Chiesa Stadio San Michele 5,000 European Rugby Continental Shield play-off winner
Cardiff Blues John Mulvihill Ellis Jenkins Cardiff Arms Park 12,125 Pro14 Conference A (5th)
Castres Mauricio Reggiardo Mathieu Babillot Stade Pierre-Fabre 12,500 Top 14 7th-12th (7th)
Dragons Dean Ryan Cory Hill Rodney Parade 8,700 Pro14 Conference B (6th)
Edinburgh Richard Cockerill Stuart McInally Murrayfield Stadium 67,144 Pro14 Conference B (5th)
Enisei-STM Alexander Pervukhin Uldis Saulite Kuban Stadium 35,200[lower-alpha 1] European Rugby Continental Shield play-off winner
Leicester Tigers Geordan Murphy Tom Youngs Welford Road Stadium 25,849 Premiership 8th-11th (11th)
London Irish Declan Kidney Blair Cowan Madejski Stadium 24,161 RFU Championship champions
Pau Nicolas Godignon
Frédéric Manca		 Quentin Lespiaucq Stade du Hameau 18,324 Top 14 7th-12th (11th)
Scarlets Brad Mooar Ken Owens Parc y Scarlets 14,870 Pro14 Conference B (4th)[lower-alpha 2]
Stade Français Heyneke Meyer
(for Laurent Sempéré and Julien Arias)[lower-alpha 3]		 Yoann Maestri Stade Jean-Bouin 20,000 Top 14 7th-12th
Toulon Patrice Collazo Raphaël Lakafia Stade Mayol 18,200 Top 14 7th-12th (9th)
Wasps Lee Blackett Dan Robson
Thomas Young		 Ricoh Arena 32,609 Premiership 8th-11th (8th)
Worcester Warriors Alan Solomons GJ van Velze Sixways Stadium 11,499 Premiership 8th-11th (10th)
Zebre Michael Bradley Tommaso Castello Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi 5,000 Pro14 Conference A (7th)

Seeding

The 20 competing teams will be seeded and split into four tiers; seeding is based on performance in their respective domestic leagues. Where promotion and relegation is in effect in a league, the promoted team is seeded last, or (if multiple teams are promoted) by performance in the lower competition.[3]

Rank Top 14 Premiership Pro 14 Continental Shield
1 Castres Wasps Scarlets Enisey-STM
2 Stade Français Bristol Bears Cardiff Blues Calvisano
3 Toulon Worcester Warriors Edinburgh
4 Bordeaux Bègles Leicester Tigers Dragons
5 Pau London Irish Zebre
6 Agen
7 Bayonne
8 Brive

Based on these seedings, teams are placed into one of the four tiers, with the top-seeded clubs being put in Tier 1. The nature of the tier system means that a draw is needed to allocate two of the three second-seed clubs to Tier 1. The fourth-seed team from the same domestic league as the second-seed team which was put in Tier 2 will also be placed in Tier 2. Brackets show each team's seeding and their league. e.g. 1 Top 14 indicates the team was the top seed from the Top 14.

Given the nature of the Continental Shield, a competition including developing rugby nations and Italian clubs not competing in the Pro14, the qualifying teams from this competition are automatically included in Tier 4.

Tier 1 Wasps (1 Prem) Scarlets (1 Pro14) Castres (1 Top 14) Stade Français (2 Top 14) Cardiff Blues (2 Pro14)
Tier 2 Bristol Bears (2 Prem) Worcester Warriors (3 Prem) Edinburgh (3 Pro14) Toulon (3 Top 14) Leicester Tigers (4 Prem)
Tier 3 Bordeaux Bègles (4 Top 14) Dragons (4 Pro14) London Irish (5 Prem) Zebre (5 Pro14) Pau (5 Top 14)
Tier 4 Agen (6 Top 14) Bayonne (7 Top 14) Brive (8 Top 14) Enisey-STM (CS 1) Calvisano (CS 2)

Pool stage
Main article: 2019–20 European Rugby Challenge Cup pool stage
[[File:
Locations
|1300px|alt=Locations of teams of the 2019–20 European Rugby Champions Cup group stage.
Green: Pool 1; Red: Pool 2; Orange: Pool 3; Yellow: Pool 4; Blue: Pool 5.]]
Locations of teams of the 2019–20 European Rugby Champions Cup group stage.
Green: Pool 1; Red: Pool 2; Orange: Pool 3; Yellow: Pool 4; Blue: Pool 5.

The draw took place in June 2019.

Teams in the same pool will play each other twice, both at home and away in the group stage, that will begin in November 2019, and continue through to January 2020, before the pool winners and three best runners-up progressed to the quarter finals.

Teams will be awarded competition points, based on match result. Teams receive four points for a win, two points for a draw, one attacking bonus point for scoring four or more tries in a match and one defensive bonus point for losing a match by seven points or fewer.[4]

In the event of a tie between two or more teams, the following tie-breakers will be used, as directed by EPCR:

  1. Where teams have played each other
    1. The club with the greater number of competition points from only matches involving tied teams.
    2. If equal, the club with the best aggregate points difference from those matches.
    3. If equal, the club that scored the most tries in those matches.
  2. Where teams remain tied and/or have not played each other in the competition (i.e. are from different pools)
    1. The club with the best aggregate points difference from the pool stage.
    2. If equal, the club that scored the most tries in the pool stage.
    3. If equal, the club with the fewest players suspended in the pool stage.
    4. If equal, the drawing of lots will determine a club's ranking.
Key to colours
     Winner of each pool, advance to quarter-finals.
     Three highest-scoring second-place teams advance to quarter-finals.

Pool 1
Team
 P W D L PF PA Diff TF TA TB LB Pts
Castres (5) 6501159103+5622123023
Dragons (7) 6402194136+5824173120
Worcester Warriors 6303209127+8227143116
Enisey-STM 600673269–1961040000

Pool 2
Team
 P W D L PF PA Diff TF TA TB LB Pts
Toulon (1) 660017787+902584028
Scarlets (8) 640214990+5917112119
Bayonne 610593190–971228217
London Irish 6105122174–521623127

Pool 3
Team
 P W D L PF PA Diff TF TA TB LB Pts
Bordeaux Bègles (3) 651022172+1492864026
Edinburgh (6) 641114085+551693021
Wasps 6204141145–418162111
Agen 600657257–200637000

Pool 4
Team
 P W D L PF PA Diff TF TA TB LB Pts
Bristol Bears (2) 651020958+1512764026
Brive 6303111165–5414221114
Zebre 6213106151–4515192113
Stade Français 6105104156–521120138

Pool 5
Team
 P W D L PF PA Diff TF TA TB LB Pts
Leicester Tigers (4) 650118195+8623102123
Pau 6402208170+3829233019
Cardiff Blues 6303216119+9730134218
Calvisano 600668289–221743011

Ranking of pool leaders and runners-up
Rank Pool Leaders Pts Diff TF
1 Toulon28+9025
2 Bristol Bears26+15127
3 Bordeaux Bègles26+14928
4 Leicester Tigers23+8623
5 Castres23+5622
Rank Pool Runners–up Pts Diff TF
6 Edinburgh21+5516
7 Dragons20+5824
8 Scarlets19+5917
9 Pau19+3829
10 Brive14–5414


Knock-out stage

Bracket
Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
         
1 Toulon 11
8 Scarlets 6
1 Toulon 34
4 Leicester Tigers 19
4 Leicester Tigers Bye
5 Castres
1 Toulon 19
2 Bristol Bears 32
2 Bristol Bears 56
7 Dragons 17
2 Bristol Bears (a.e.t.) 37
3 Bordeaux Bègles 20
3 Bordeaux Bègles 23
6 Edinburgh 14

Quarter-finals
18 September
19:45
Bristol Bears (2) 56–17 (7) Dragons
Try: Hughes 20' c
Earl (2) 24' c, 26' c
Radradra 43' c
Vui 74' c
Malins 75' c
D. Thomas 77' c
Con: Sheedy (6/7) 21', 25', 26', 44', 74', 76'
Pen: Sheedy (3/4) 31', 54', 70'
 Report Try: Hewitt 13' c
R. Williams 51' c
Con: S. Davies (2/2) 14', 51'
Pen: S. Davies (1/1) 11'
19 September
13:30
Bordeaux Bègles (3) 23–14 (6) Edinburgh
Try: Cordero 4' c
Dubié 9' c
Con: Jalibert (2/2) 5', 10'
Pen: Jalibert (2/3) 50', 58'
Botica (1/1) 80'+1
 Report Try: Hoyland 53' m
Pen: van der Walt (2/3) 32', 46'
Kinghorn (1/1) 71'
19 September
21:15
Toulon (1) 11–6 (8) Scarlets
Try: Parisse 56' m
Pen: Carbonel (2/2) 54', 73'
 Report Pen: Halfpenny (2/3) 3', 30'
20 September
15:00
Leicester Tigers (4) Cancelled[lower-alpha 4] (5) Castres

Semi-finals
25 September
19:45
Bristol Bears (2) 37–20
(a.e.t.)		 (3) Bordeaux Bègles
Try: Luatua 38' c
Malins (2) 51' c, 86' c
O'Conor 82' c
Con: Sheedy (4/4) 39', 52', 83', 88'
Pen: Sheedy (3/4) 58', 62', 97'
 Report Try: Jalibert 11' c
Dweba 67' c
Con: Lucu (1/1) 13'
Botica (1/1) 68'
Pen: Jalibert (2/2) 27', 30'
26 September
21:00
Toulon (1) 34–19 (4) Leicester Tigers
Try: Heem 8' c
Villière (2) 20' c, 66' c
Isa 58' c
Con: Carbonel (4/4) 10', 22', 60', 67'
Pen: Carbonel (2/2) 18', 34'
 Report Try: Nadolo 37' m
Potter 74' m
Pen: Ford (3/3) 3', 25', 45'

Final
16 October 2020
21:00
Toulon (1) 19–32 (2) Bristol Bears
Try: Heem 11' c
Con: Carbonel (1/1) 13'
Pen: Carbonel (4/5) 21', 37', 40', 53'
 Report Try: Randall 1' c
Malins 60' c
Con: Sheedy (2/2) 2', 61'
Pen: Sheedy (6/6) 4', 48', 56', 59', 75', 79'

Attendances

Does not include the attendance at the final as it takes place at a neutral venue, or the attendances of matches played in empty stadiums due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe.

Club Home
Games		 Total Average Highest Lowest % Capacity
Agen37,5802,5273,5701,99718%
Bayonne321,5667,1899,0535,05742%
Bordeaux Bègles343,69414,56517,55312,23342%
Bristol Bears332,50510,83511,12010,51140%
Brive39,3353,1124,5331,80019%
Calvisano35,4501,8172,50095036%
Cardiff Blues317,6125,8717,1224,66848%
Castres324,5078,1698,2777,95765%
Dragons312,0884,0294,0384,01346%
Edinburgh317,5295,8436,3875,4329%
Enisei-STM37002334001001%
Leicester Tigers346,86115,62016,53815,07360%
London Irish39,0833,0283,4442,63213%
Pau314,1154,7056,1243,72426%
Scarlets320,5756,8587,5656,25746%
Stade Français36,0002,0002,0002,00010%
Toulon338,57512,85815,33610,21271%
Wasps320,8476,9497,5946,10721%
Worcester Warriors320,1246,7086,9386,28758%
Zebre36,1002,0332,2001,90041%

[6]

Player scoring
  • Appearance figures also include coming on as substitutes (unused substitutes not included).

Season records

See also

Notes
  1. Enisei-STM will play all their home games in Krasnodar - almost 3,000 miles west of their home town of Krasnoyarsk - due to the harshness of the Siberian winter.
  2. Scarlets lost the 7th place play-off to Ospreys, missing out on qualification for the European Rugby Champions Cup.
  3. Heyneke Meyer began the tournament as Stade Français head coach, but resigned on November 12.[2]
  4. Due to three Castres players and one staff member testing positive for COVID-19, the match was cancelled and Castres forfeited.[5]

References
  1. "Marseille finals moved to 2021 with new venues for this season to be decided". European Professional Club Rugby. 2020-07-09. Retrieved 2020-07-10.
  2. "Heyneke Meyer leaves Stade Francais with immediate effect". skysports.com. 13 November 2019. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
  3. "Watch the Champions Cup and Challenge Cup Pool Draws live : News | ERC | Official Website". ERCRugby.com. 7 June 2014. Archived from the original on 31 October 2014. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
  4. "Champions Cup Rules". epcrugby.com. Archived from the original on 2015-04-20. Retrieved 2019-04-14.
  5. "Leicester Tigers v Castres Olympique – match cancelled". European Professional Club Rugby. 2020-09-19. Retrieved 2020-09-19.
  6. "European Rugby Challenge Cup 19/20 Home attendance". Rugby Statbunker. 18 January 2020.
  7. "Player Statistics". EPCR. 18 January 2020. Archived from the original on 10 June 2019. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
  8. "European Rugby Challenge Cup 19/20 Most points in a match (Team)". Rugby Statbunker. 18 January 2020.
  9. "European Rugby Challenge Cup 19/20 Most tries in a match (Team)". Rugby Statbunker. 18 January 2020.
  10. "European Rugby Challenge Cup 19/20 Most conversions in a match (Team)". Rugby Statbunker. 18 January 2020.
  11. "European Rugby Challenge Cup 19/20 Most penalties in a match (Team)". Rugby Statbunker. 18 January 2020.
  12. "European Rugby Challenge Cup 19/20 Most drop goals in a match (Team)". Rugby Statbunker. 18 January 2020.
  13. "European Rugby Challenge Cup 19/20 Most points in a match (Player)". Rugby Statbunker. 18 January 2020.
  14. "European Rugby Challenge Cup 19/20 Most tries in a match (Player)". Rugby Statbunker. 18 January 2020.
  15. "European Rugby Challenge Cup 19/20 Most conversions in a match (Player)". Rugby Statbunker. 18 January 2020.
  16. "European Rugby Challenge Cup 19/20 Most penalties in a match (Player)". Rugby Statbunker. 18 January 2020.
  17. "European Rugby Challenge Cup 19/20 Most drop goals in a match (Player)". Rugby Statbunker. 18 January 2020.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.