2015–16 European Rugby Champions–Challenge Cup play-offs

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2015–16 European Rugby Champions–Challenge Cup play-offs
Event European Rugby Champions Cup Qualification Play-off
Date 23 and 30 May 2015

The 2015–16 European Rugby Champions Cup-Challenge Cup play-off will be the second play-off for entry into the top level competition of European Club rugby union, the European Rugby Champions Cup.

Format

Following the two-team play-off in 2014–15, an expanded, four-team format was due to be used. However, on 24 September 2014, it was announced this would instead be a three-team play-off, with the highest placed non-qualifying team taking part.[1]

To accommodate the longer season in the French Top 14, the format was announced as follows:

  • The 7th place team in the Aviva Premiership will play a single match against the 8th placed team (or highest placed team not already qualified) in the Pro12. Home advantage in the match will be decided by a coin toss. In the event that the 2014–15 European Rugby Challenge Cup winner is an Aviva Premiership club, and that this club has not automatically qualified for the Champions Cup, it will take the place allocated to the 7th place team in the Premiership.[2] As it transpired, Gloucester – who were ninth in the Aviva Premiership – qualified for the play-off, having beaten Edinburgh 19–13 in the Challenge Cup final.
  • The winner of that game will host the 7th placed team in the French Top 14. The winner of that game will be considered the winner of the play-off and qualify for the Champions Cup.

Gloucester became the first team to qualify for the play-off, taking the place allocated to the Aviva Premiership, when they beat Edinburgh 19-13 in the Challenge Cup final on 1 May 2015. This result meant that the 7th place team in the 2014–15 Premiership will no longer take part in the play-off, and will compete in the Challenge Cup.

Connacht qualified next, when the finished seventh in the 2014–15 Pro12 with 50 points, narrowly edging Edinburgh who had 48 points. Connacht will play Gloucester away at Gloucester's Kingsholm Stadium on Sunday 24 May 2015,[3] with the venue having been decided earlier by a coin toss.[4][5] Should Gloucester win, the second play-off match will be played at Sixways Stadium in Worcester, to avoid a clash of fixtures with a Madness concert.[5]

Teams

League Team Coach Stadium
Aviva Premiership Gloucester Ireland David Humphreys Kingsholm Stadium
Guinness Pro12 Connacht Samoa Pat Lam Galway Sportsgrounds
Orange Top 14 Bordeaux Bègles France Raphaël Ibañez Stade André Moga

Matches

Match 1

24 May 2015
15:30 GMT
Gloucester England 40−32
(a.e.t.)		 Ireland Connacht
Try: Moriarty 1' c
Sharples 26' m
Meakes 80' c
Dawidiuk 95' m
May 98' c
Con: Laidlaw (3/5) 1', 80', 98'
Pen: Laidlaw (2/3) 19', 43'
Hook (1/1) 92'		 Report Try: J. Cooney 8' c
Carty 29' c
Healy (2) 60' m, 92' c
Con: Carty (3/4) 9', 30', 92'
Pen: Carty (2/3) 7', 79'
Kingsholm Stadium, Gloucester
Attendance: 7,633
Referee: Romain Poite (FFR)
FB 15 England Charlie Sharples Substituted off 64'
RW 14 England Jonny May
OC 13 Australia Bill Meakes
IC 12 England Billy Twelvetrees (c)
LW 11 England Henry Purdy Substituted off 50'
FH 10 Wales James Hook
SH 9 Scotland Greig Laidlaw
N8 8 England Ross Moriarty Substituted off 71' Substituted in 88'
OF 7 Wales Dan Thomas Substituted off 33' Substituted in 44' Substituted off 65'
BF 6 England Jacob Rowan
RL 5 England Tom Palmer
LL 4 England Tom Savage
TP 3 New Zealand John Afoa Temporarily suspended from 33' to 43' 33' to 43' Substituted off 88'
HK 2 Wales Richard Hibbard Substituted off 59'
LP 1 England Nick Wood Substituted off 65'
Replacements:
HK 16 England Darren Dawidiuk Substituted in 59'
PR 17 England Yann Thomas Substituted in 65'
PR 18 England Shaun Knight Substituted in 33' Substituted off 44' Substituted in 88'
LK 19 England Elliott Stooke Substituted in 71'
FL 20 England Lewis Ludlow Substituted in 65' Substituted off 88'
SH 21 England Dan Robson Substituted in 64'
FH 22 England Billy Burns
FB 23 England Rob Cook Substituted in 50'
Coach:
Ireland David Humphreys
FB 15 Ireland Tiernan O'Halloran Substituted off 65'
RW 14 Ireland Fionn Carr Substituted off 75'
OC 13 Ireland Robbie Henshaw
IC 12 New Zealand Bundee Aki
LW 11 Ireland Matt Healy
FH 10 Ireland Jack Carty
SH 9 Ireland John Cooney Substituted off 64'
N8 8 Ireland Eoin McKeon Substituted off 71'
OF 7 Scotland Eoghan Masterson Temporarily suspended from 55' to 65' 55' to 65' Substituted off 33' Substituted in 44'
BF 6 Ireland John Muldoon (c)
RL 5 Scotland Aly Muldowney
LL 4 New Zealand George Naoupu Substituted off 54'
TP 3 Ireland Rodney Ah You Substituted off 54'
HK 2 New Zealand Tom McCartney Substituted off 70' Substituted in 79' Substituted off 90'
LP 1 Ireland Denis Buckley Temporarily suspended from 33' to 43' 33' to 43'
Replacements:
HK 16 Ireland Dave Heffernan Temporarily suspended from 94' to 100' 94' to 100' Substituted in 70' Sent to blood bin 79' to 90'
PR 17 Ireland JP Cooney Substituted in 33' Substituted off 44'
PR 18 Ireland Finlay Bealham Substituted in 54'
LK 19 Ireland Andrew Browne Substituted in 54'
FL 20 Ireland James Connolly Substituted in 71'
SH 21 Ireland Ian Porter Substituted in 64'
FH 22 New Zealand Miah Nikora Substituted in 75'
CE 23 Canada Shane O'Leary Substituted in 65'
Coach:
Samoa Pat Lam

Match 2

31 May 2015
17:00 GMT
Gloucester England 22−23 France Bordeaux Bègles
Try: Purdy 15' c
Con: Laidlaw (1/1) 16'
Pen: Laidlaw (5/6) 2', 10', 24', 32', 70'		 Report Try: Talebula (2) 37' c, 56' c
Con: Bernard (2/2) 39', 58'
Pen: Bernard (2/2) 28', 35'
Drop: Bernard (1/1) 80'
Sixways Stadium, Worcester
Attendance: 5,447
Referee: Leighton Hodges (WRU)
FB 15 England Rob Cook
RW 14 England Charlie Sharples
OC 13 Australia Bill Meakes Substituted off 66'
IC 12 England Billy Twelvetrees (c)
LW 11 England Henry Purdy
FH 10 Wales James Hook
SH 9 Scotland Greig Laidlaw
N8 8 England Ross Moriarty
OF 7 England Jacob Rowan Substituted off 58'
BF 6 Tonga Sione Kalamafoni Substituted off 45' Substituted in 56' Substituted off 71'
RL 5 England Tom Palmer
LL 4 England Tom Savage
TP 3 New Zealand John Afoa Temporarily suspended from 45' to 55' 45' to 55'
HK 2 Wales Richard Hibbard Substituted off 59'
LP 1 England Nick Wood Substituted off 58'
Replacements:
HK 16 England Darren Dawidiuk Substituted in 59'
PR 17 England Yann Thomas Substituted in 58'
PR 18 England Shaun Knight Substituted in 45' Substituted off 56'
LK 19 England Elliott Stooke Substituted in 71'
N8 20 England Dan Thomas Substituted in 58'
SH 21 England Callum Braley
FH 22 England Billy Burns
FB 23 Scotland Steve McColl Substituted in 66'
Coach:
Ireland David Humphreys
FB 15 France Lionel Beauxis Substituted off 46'
RW 14 Fiji Metuisela Talebula
OC 13 France Félix Le Bourhis
IC 12 France Julien Rey
LW 11 Australia Blair Connor
FH 10 France Pierre Bernard
SH 9 South Africa Heini Adams Substituted off 56'
N8 8 New Zealand Peter Saili
OF 7 New Zealand Hugh Chalmers Substituted off 45' Substituted in 56'
BF 6 France Louis-Benoît Madaule (c) Substituted off 56'
RL 5 South Africa Berend Botha Substituted off 36'
LL 4 South Africa Jandré Marais
TP 3 New Zealand Patrick Toetu Substituted off 40'
HK 2 Samoa Ole Avei Substituted off 69'
LP 1 France Jefferson Poirot Temporarily suspended from 45' to 55' 45' to 55' Substituted off 56' Substituted in 71'
Replacements:
HK 16 France Clément Maynadier Substituted in 69'
PR 17 France Jean-Baptiste Poux Substituted in 45' Substituted off 71'
PR 18 Argentina Francisco Gómez Kodela Substituted in 40'
LK 19 France Adam Jaulhac Substituted in 36'
N8 20 New Zealand Matthew Clarkin Substituted in 56'
SH 21 France Yann Lesgourgues Substituted in 56'
CE 22 New Zealand Jayden Spence
FB 23 France Baptiste Serin Substituted in 46'
Coach:
France Raphaël Ibañez

See also

References

  1. ↑ Revised playoff format agreed - EPCRugby.com
  2. ↑ Key 2015/16 EPCR dates and Champions Cup play-offs
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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