European Rugby Cup : New look European Challenge Cup

New look European Challenge Cup

16 June 2009, 3:50 pm

With three Heineken Cup teams qualifying for the European Challenge Cup quarter-finals from next season. ercrugby.com got the calculator out to see how that would have worked in previous seasons.

From next season only the five Pool winners from the European Challenge Cup will qualify for the quarter-finals. They will be joined by the three Heineken Cup Pool runners up ranked third, fourth and fifth after the two best placed Heineken Cup runners-up who qualify for the Heineken Cup quarters-finals.

The quarter-final line-up will be as follows:

Quarter-finalists
1 ECC 1 (Top ranked ECC Pool winner)
2 ECC 2 (Second ranked ECC Pool winner)
3 ECC 3 (Third ranked ECC Pool winner)
4 ECC 4 (Fourth ranked ECC Pool winner)
5 Heineken Cup 1
6 Heineken Cup 2
7 Heineken Cup 3
8 ECC 5 (Fifth Ranked ECC Pool winner)

Quarter-final Pairings
1 (ECC 1) v 8 (ECC 5)
2 (ECC 2) v 7 (Heineken Cup 3)
3 (ECC 3) v 6 (Heineken Cup 2)
4 (ECC 4) v 5 (Heineken Cup 1)

Taking this format and applying it to the 2008/09 season and the Challenge Cup quarter-finals would have looked like this:

ECC 1 - London Irish (Pool 1 winner)
ECC 2 - Northampton Saints (Pool 2 winner)
ECC 3 - Saracens (Pool 5 winner)
ECC 4 - Worcester Warriors (Pool 3 winner)
Heineken Cup 1 - London Wasps (Pool 2 runner-up)
Heineken Cup 2 - Biarritz Olympique Pays Basque (Pool 6 runner-up)
Heineken Cup 3 - Sale Sharks (Pool 1 runner-up)
ECC 5 - Brive (Pool 4 winner)

The alternative European Challenge Cup Quarter-finals 2008/09 – under new format

London Irish v Brive
Northampton Saints v Sale Sharks
Saracens v Biarritz
Worcester Warriors v London Wasps

Taking this format and applying it to the 2007/08 season and the Challenge Cup quarter-finals would have looked like this:

ECC 1 - Worcester Warriors (Pool 2 winner)
ECC 2 - Bath Rugby (Pool 1 winner)
ECC 3 - Sale Sharks (Pool 4 winner)
ECC 4 - Newcastle Falcons (Pool 3 winner)
Heineken Cup 1 - ASM Clermont Auvergne (Pool 5 runner-up)
Heineken Cup 2 - Stade Francais Paris (Pool 3 runner-up)
Heineken Cup 3 - Biarritz Olympique Pays Basque (Pool 4 runner-up)
ECC 5 - Castres Olympiques (Pool 5 winner)

The alternative European Challenge Cup Quarter-finals 2007/08 – under new format

Worcester Warriors v Castres Olympique
Bath Rugby v Biarritz Olympique
Sale Sharks v Stade Francais
Newcastle Falcons v ASM Clermont Auvergne