| 2017–18 European Rugby Challenge Cup | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Countries |  England France Italy Ireland Russia Scotland Wales Romania |
| Tournament format(s) | Round-robin andKnockout |
| Date | 12 October 2017 – 11 May 2018 |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Teams | 20 |
| Matches played | 67 |
| Attendance | 438,380 (6,543 per match) |
| Highest attendance | 32,543 Cardiff Blues v Gloucester (11 May 2018) |
| Lowest attendance | 500 Enisei-STM v Newcastle Falcons (20 October 2017) Krasny Yar v London Irish (20 January 2018) |
| Tries scored | 457 (6.82 per match) |
| Top point scorer(s) | Jack Carty(Connacht) Jarrod Evans(Cardiff Blues) (56 points) |
| Top try scorer(s) | Adam Radwan(Newcastle Falcons) (10 tries) |
| Final | |
| Venue | San Mamés Stadium,Bilbao |
| Champions | Cardiff Blues (2nd title) |
| Runners-up | Gloucester |
The2017–18 European Rugby Challenge Cup was the fourth edition of theEuropean Rugby Challenge Cup, an annual second-tierrugby union competition for professional clubs. It was also the 22nd season of the Challenge Cup competition in all forms, following on from the now defunct European Challenge Cup. Clubs from six European nations plus two Russian club competed for the title.
The first round of the group stage began on the weekend of 12/13/14/15 October 2017, and the competition ended with the final on 11 May 2018 inBilbao, Spain.[1][2] This was the first time the final has been held outside one of theSix Nations countries.
French sideStade Français were the reigning champions but failed to progress past the quarter-finals after losing toNewcastle Falcons.Gloucester returned to the final having lost to Stade Français last season, where they facedCardiff Blues, who made it their first final of any competition since their2010 European Challenge Cup Final victory. Like then, Cardiff Blues were victorious, defeating Gloucester 31–30 with a 78th-minute penalty byGareth Anscombe to clinch the title.
20 teams qualified for the 2017–18 European Rugby Challenge Cup; a total of 18 qualified from across thePremiership,Pro14 andTop 14, as a direct result of their domestic league performance, with two coming through a play-off. The expected distribution of teams is:
The following clubs qualified for the Challenge Cup.
| Aviva Premiership | Top 14 | Pro12 | Qualifying Competition | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | France | Ireland | Italy | Scotland | Wales | Russia |
Four clubs competed in a play-off to decide the final team in the Champions Cup.[3][4] The play-off comprised three matches, contested by one team from thePremiership, one from theTop 14, and two from thePro14.
The two Pro12 teams each played one of the Premiership or Top 14 sides in a single-leg semi-final, held at the home ground of the non-Pro12 side. The winners of these matches then contested a play-off final, with the winner of this match competing in the2017–18 European Rugby Champions Cup. The three losing teams were all entered in the Challenge Cup.
The following teams took part:[4]
| Aviva Premiership | Top 14 | Pro 12 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| England | France | Ireland | Wales |
| Northampton Saints | Stade Français | Connacht | Cardiff Blues |
A draw was held on 15 March 2017 to determine the two semi-final matches, and which semi-final's winner would have home advantage in the final.[3]
Semi-finals
| 19 May 2017 18:00 CEST |
| Stade Français | 46 – 21 | Cardiff Blues |
| Report |
| Stade Jean-Bouin Attendance: 4,767 Referee:Greg Garner (RFU) |
| 20 May 2017 16:00 BST |
| Northampton Saints | 21 – 15 | Connacht |
| Report |
| Franklin's Gardens Attendance: 9,561 Referee:Mathieu Raynal (FFR) |
Play-off final
| 26 May 2017 19:45 BST |
| Northampton Saints | 23 – 22 | Stade Français |
| Report |
| Franklin's Gardens Attendance: 10,273 Referee:John Lacey (IRFU) |
Eight teams were split into two pools of four to compete in the re-brandedEuropean Rugby Continental Shield. Each team played the four teams in the other pool once. The winner of each pool then played a two-legged final against last year's qualifying sides, and the winners, on aggregate, will take the two remaining places in the Challenge Cup.
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 throughCH for Champions,RU for Runner-up,SF for losing Semi-finalist andQF for losing Quarter-finalist.
The 20 competing teams were seeded and split into four tiers; seeding was based on performance in their respective domestic leagues. Where promotion and relegation is in effect in a league, the promoted team was seeded last, or (if multiple teams are promoted) by performance in the lower competition.[8]
| Rank | Top 14 | Premiership | Pro 12 | Continental Shield |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stade Français | Newcastle Falcons | Cardiff Blues | Enisey-STM |
| 2 | Brive | Gloucester | Connacht | Krasny Yar |
| 3 | Pau | Sale Sharks | Edinburgh | |
| 4 | Lyon | Worcester Warriors | Dragons | |
| 5 | Bordeaux | London Irish | Zebre | |
| 6 | Toulouse | |||
| 7 | Oyonnax | |||
| 8 | Agen |
Teams will be taken from a league in order of rank and put into a tier. A draw was used to allocate two second seeds to Tier 1; the remaining team went into Tier 2. This allocation indirectly determined which fourth-seeded team entered Tier 2, while the others entered Tier 3.
Given the nature of the Continental Shield, a competition including developing rugby nations and Italian clubs not competing in the Pro12, qualifying teams are automatically included in Tier 4, and are, in effect, seeded equally despite officially being ranked 1/2 fromthat competition.
The brackets show each team's seeding and their league (for example,1 Top 14 indicates the team was seeded 1st from the Top 14).
| Tier 1 | Newcastle Falcons (1 AP) | Cardiff Blues (1 Pro12) | Stade Français (1 Top 14) | Gloucester Rugby (2 AP) | Brive (2 Top 14) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tier 2 | Connacht (2 Pro12) | Sale Sharks (3 AP) | Edinburgh (3 Pro12) | Pau (3 Top 14) | Dragons (4 Pro12) |
| Tier 3 | Worcester Warriors (4 AP) | Lyon (4 Top 14) | London Irish (5 AP) | Bordeaux (5 Top 14) | Zebre (5 Pro 12) |
| Tier 4 | Toulouse (6 Top 14) | Oyonnax (7 Top 14) | Agen (8 Top 14) | Enisey-STM (CS 1) | Krasny Yar (CS 2) |
The draw took place on 8 June 2017, inNeuchâtel, Switzerland.[4]
Teams in the same pool play each other twice, both at home and away in the group stage, beginning on the weekend of 12/13/14 October 2017, and continuing through to 19/20 January 2018, before the pool winners and three best runners-up progressed to the quarter-finals.
Teams are awarded competition points, based on match result. Teams receive 4 points for a win, 2 points for a draw, 1 attacking bonus point for scoring four or more tries in a match and 1 defensive bonus point for losing a match by seven points or fewer.[9]
In the event of a tie between two or more teams, the following tie-breakers will be used, as directed byEPCR:
| Winner of each pool, advance to quarter-finals. | |
| Three highest-scoring second-place teams advance to quarter-finals. |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TA | TB | LB | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Newcastle Falcons(2) | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 229 | 122 | +107 | 33 | 15 | 4 | 0 | 28 |
| 2 | Dragons | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 156 | 133 | +23 | 21 | 17 | 2 | 2 | 16 |
| 3 | Bordeaux Bègles | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 190 | 178 | +12 | 26 | 24 | 3 | 1 | 16 |
| 4 | Enisei-STM | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 91 | 233 | −142 | 12 | 36 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TA | TB | LB | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cardiff Blues(5) | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 99 | 95 | +4 | 12 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 21 |
| 2 | Toulouse | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 117 | 120 | −3 | 14 | 13 | 2 | 2 | 14 |
| 3 | Sale Sharks | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 110 | 102 | +8 | 12 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 12 |
| 4 | Lyon | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 121 | 130 | −9 | 13 | 17 | 0 | 3 | 11 |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TA | TB | LB | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pau(1) | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 207 | 125 | +82 | 28 | 16 | 5 | 0 | 29 |
| 2 | Gloucester(6) | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 253 | 139 | +114 | 37 | 18 | 4 | 1 | 21 |
| 3 | Zebre | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 133 | 257 | −124 | 16 | 37 | 2 | 2 | 8 |
| 4 | Agen | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 148 | 220 | −72 | 20 | 30 | 2 | 0 | 6 |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TA | TB | LB | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Edinburgh(4) | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 282 | 98 | +184 | 40 | 12 | 4 | 1 | 25 |
| 2 | Stade Français(8) | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 151 | 166 | −15 | 21 | 21 | 3 | 2 | 17 |
| 3 | London Irish | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 169 | 154 | +15 | 24 | 22 | 3 | 1 | 16 |
| 4 | Krasny Yar | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 106 | 290 | −184 | 13 | 43 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TA | TB | LB | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Connacht(3) | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 225 | 102 | +123 | 29 | 15 | 4 | 0 | 26 |
| 2 | Brive(7) | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 161 | 162 | −1 | 23 | 19 | 4 | 1 | 17 |
| 3 | Worcester Warriors | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 124 | 133 | −9 | 16 | 17 | 3 | 2 | 15 |
| 4 | Oyonnax | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 102 | 215 | −113 | 11 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Rank | Pool Leaders | Pts | Diff | TF |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pau | 29 | +82 | 28 |
| 2 | Newcastle Falcons | 28 | +107 | 33 |
| 3 | Connacht | 26 | +123 | 29 |
| 4 | Edinburgh | 25 | +184 | 40 |
| 5 | Cardiff Blues | 21 | +4 | 12 |
| Rank | Pool Runners–up | Pts | Diff | TF |
| 6 | Gloucester | 21 | +114 | 37 |
| 7 | Brive | 17 | –1 | 23 |
| 8 | Stade Français | 17 | –15 | 21 |
| 9 | Dragons | 16 | +23 | 21 |
| 10 | Toulouse | 14 | –3 | 14 |
The eight qualifiers are ranked according to their performance in the pool stage and compete in the quarter-finals which was held on the weekend of 30/31 March 2018. The four top teams hosted the quarter-finals against the four lower teams in a 1v8, 2v7, 3v6 and 4v5 format.
The semi-finals were played on the weekend of 20/21/22 April 2018. In lieu of the draw that used to determine the semi-final pairing, EPCR announced that a fixed semi-final bracket would be set in advance, and that the home team would be designated based on "performances by clubs during the pool stages as well as the achievement of a winning a quarter-final match away from home".
Home advantage was awarded as follows:[9]
|
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 30 March 2018 20:00 |
| Newcastle Falcons (2) | 25–10 | (7)Brive |
| Try:S. Wilson 17' c Kibirige 23' m Tait (2) 58' m, 67' m Con:Flood (1/4) 18' Pen:Hodgson (1/1) 80' | Report | Try:Herjean 27' c Con:Bézy (1/1) 28' Pen:Bézy (1/1) 22' |
| Kingston Park Attendance: 4,053 Referee:John Lacey (IRFU) |
| 30 March 2018 21:00 |
| Pau (1) | 35–32 | (8)Stade Français |
| Try:Vatubua 4' c Stanley 22' c Daubagna 37' c Lespiaucq-Brettes 52' m Con:Taylor (3/4) 5', 23', 38' Pen:Taylor (3/4) 16', 31', 74' | Report | Try:Daguin 6' c Francoz 40' c Camara 43' c O'Connor 78' m Con:Plisson (3/4) 6', 40', 44' Pen:Plisson (2/2) 42', 59' |
| Stade du Hameau Attendance: 10,064 Referee:JP Doyle (RFU) |
| 31 March 2018 13:00 |
| Connacht (3) | 28–33 | (6)Gloucester |
| Try:Marmion 7' m Aki 19' m Adeolokun 45' m Healy 70' c Con:Ronaldson (1/1) 71' Pen:J. Carty (1/1) 49' Ronaldson (1/1) 67' | Report | Try:Hanson 3' m Marshall 26' m Trinder 37' m Afoa 55' c Con:Williams (2/4) 38', 57' Pen:Williams (2/2) 42', 63' Twelvetrees (1/1) 77' |
| Galway Sportsgrounds Attendance: 8,129 Referee:Romain Poite (FFR) |
| 31 March 2018 17:45 |
| Edinburgh (4) | 6–20 | (5)Cardiff Blues |
| Pen:Van der Walt (2/2) 18', 48' | Report | Try:E. Jenkins 21' c Scully 29' c Con:Evans (2/2) 22', 31' Pen:Evans (2/4) 50', 65' |
| Murrayfield Attendance: 7,065 Referee:Mathieu Raynal (FFR) |
| 20 April 2018 19:45 |
| Gloucester (6) | 33–12 | (2)Newcastle Falcons |
| Try:Matu'u 40' c Burns 46' m Vellacott 74' c Con:Twelvetrees (2/3) 40', 75' Pen:Twelvetrees (2/2) 58', 68' | Report | Try:Lawson (2) 8' m 53' c Con:Hodgson (1/2) 54' |
| Kingsholm Attendance: 10,857 Referee:Pascal Gaüzère (FFR) |
| 21 April 2018 13:00 |
| Cardiff Blues (5) | 16–10 | (1)Pau |
| Try:Anscombe 5' c Con:Evans (1/1) 6' Pen:Evans (3/3) 23', 38', 73' | Report | Try:Smith 19' c Con:Taylor (1/1) 20' Pen:Taylor (1/2) 34' |
| Cardiff Arms Park Attendance: 11,723 Referee:John Lacey (IRFU) |
| 11 May 2018 21:00 |
| Cardiff Blues | 31–30 | Gloucester |
| Try:T. Williams 41' c Smith 54' c Scully 75' m Con:Evans (2/2) 41', 55' Pen:Evans (3/3) 4', 15', 50' Anscombe (1/1) 78' | Report | Try:Trinder 8' c Atkinson 37' c Hanson 58' c Con:Twelvetrees (3/3) 9', 38', 59' Pen:Twelvetrees (3/3) 26', 40', 62' |
| San Mamés Stadium,Bilbao Attendance: 32,543 Referee:Jérôme Garcès (FFR) |
| Club | Home Games | Total | Average | Highest | Lowest | % Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agen | 3 | 9,904 | 3,301 | 4,547 | 2,487 | 24% |
| Brive | 3 | 8,300 | 2,767 | 4,500 | 800 | 27% |
| Bordeaux Bègles | 3 | 47,909 | 15,970 | 17,211 | 14,232 | 46% |
| Cardiff Blues | 4 | 29,540 | 7,385 | 11,723 | 4,974 | 61% |
| Connacht | 4 | 22,597 | 5,649 | 8,129 | 3,879 | 70% |
| Dragons | 3 | 11,383 | 3,794 | 4,017 | 3,417 | 45% |
| Edinburgh | 4 | 17,866 | 4,467 | 7,065 | 2,773 | 7% |
| Enisey-ETM | 3 | 4,900 | 1,633 | 3,600 | 500 | 51% |
| Gloucester | 4 | 41,762 | 10,441 | 12,489 | 8,927 | 63% |
| Krasny Yar | 3 | 5,100 | 1,700 | 3,600 | 500 | 73% |
| London Irish | 3 | 14,645 | 4,882 | 5,800 | 4,099 | 20% |
| Lyon | 3 | 34,485 | 11,495 | 12,863 | 9,218 | 46% |
| Newcastle Falcons | 4 | 15,615 | 3,904 | 4,053 | 3,653 | 38% |
| Oyonnax | 3 | 10,500 | 3,500 | 3,500 | 3,500 | 24% |
| Pau | 4 | 34,493 | 8,623 | 10,064 | 7,700 | 47% |
| Sale Sharks | 3 | 14,227 | 4,742 | 5,494 | 3,259 | 40% |
| Stade Francais | 3 | 22,682 | 7,561 | 8,562 | 5,666 | 38% |
| Toulouse | 3 | 30,811 | 10,270 | 12,245 | 9,104 | 53% |
| Worcester Warriors | 3 | 19,918 | 6,639 | 6,728 | 6,520 | 55% |
| Zebre | 3 | 6,200 | 2,067 | 2,500 | 1,700 | 41% |
