Four points for a win, two points for a draw (match points). A bonus point will be earned by a team scoring four or more tries and by a team losing by seven or less points.
The five Pool winners and three best placed runners-up will qualify for the quarter-finals and will be decided by the following criteria:
(i) the Pool winner will be the Club with the highest number of match points earned in each Pool. The runners-up will be the three second placed Clubs from all five Pools with the next highest number of points. For the quarter-final round, the Pool winners will be ranked 1 - 5 in terms of the number of points earned. The runners-up will be ranked 6, 7 and 8.
CLUBS IN THE SAME POOL
(ii) if two or more Clubs are equal on points and the Clubs are in the same Pool, then qualification / ranking will be based on the matches played between the Clubs concerned:
(a) the Club which has earned the most number of match points from the matches
(b) the Club which has scored the most tries in the matches
(c) the Club with the best aggregate points difference from the matches
CLUBS FROM DIFFERENT POOLS
(iii) if still unresolved, or the teams have not played each other previously in the Pool stage, qualification / ranking will be based on:
(a) the number of tries scored in all Pool matches
(b) aggregate points difference from all Pool matches
(c) the Club with the fewest number of players sent off and / or suspended in all Pool
matches
(d) toss of a coin
HOW THEY STAND
With just the final round of the European Challenge Cup to go, the maximum points and wins each club can earn are:
POOL 1
Maximum points and wins attainable:
Bath Rugby - 28 points / 6 wins
Auch -19 points / 4 wins
Albi - 12 points / 2 wins
Overmach Rugby Parma - 11 points / 2 wins
POOL 2
Maximum points and wins attainable:
Worcester Warriors - 29 points / 6 wins
Montauban - 16 points / 3 wins
Bucuresti - 15 points / 3 wins
GRAN Parma - 8 points / 1 win
POOL 3
Maximum points and wins attainable:
Newcastle Falcons - 24 points / 5 wins
Brive - 21 points / 4 wins
Connacht Rugby - 19 points / 4 wins
Cetransa El Salvador - 5 points - 1 win
POOL 4
Maximum points and wins attainable:
Sale Sharks - 30 points / 6 wins
Montpellier - 22 points / 5 wins
Bayonne -13 points / 2 wins
Petrarca Rugby - 6 points / 1 win
POOL 5
Maximum points and wins attainable:
Leeds Carnegie - 24 points / 5 wins
Castres Olympique - 22 points / 5 wins
Rugby Calvisano - 14 points - 3 wins
Dax - 8 points 1 win
