2013–14 Amlin Challenge Cup
Tournament details
Countries England
 France
 Italy
 Portugal
 Romania
 Wales
Tournament format(s)Round-robin and knockout
Date10 October 2013 – 23 May 2014
Tournament statistics
Teams23
Matches played67
Attendance321,736 (4,802 per match)
Tries scored383 (5.72 per match)
Top point scorer(s)Jérôme Porical (Stade Français)
(83 points)[1]
Top try scorer(s)William Helu (London Wasps)
(7 tries)[2]
Final
VenueCardiff Arms Park
Attendance12,483
ChampionsEngland Northampton Saints (2nd title)
Runners-upEngland Bath

The 2013–14 Amlin Challenge Cup was the 18th and final season of the European Challenge Cup, Europe's second tier club rugby union competition. A total of 23 teams participated: 20 in the pool stage, plus three teams parachuting into the knockout stages from the Heineken Cup.[3] The original 20 teams represented six countries.

The pool stage began on 10 October 2013 and ran until 19 January 2014,[4] followed by the knockout stages. The final was originally to be held in France in May 2014,[5] however the Federation Française de Rugby subsequently announced that they had withdrawn their application to host due to uncertainty over the availability of Stade de France.[6] ERC invited the Heineken Cup participating countries to submit tenders for the right to host the Heineken Cup and Challenge Cup finals and three – England, Scotland and Wales – submitted bids.[7] Cardiff was selected with the Heineken Cup final to be held in the Millennium Stadium on Saturday, 24 May 2014 and the Challenge Cup final to be held the previous day in the Cardiff Arms Park.[8]

The defending Challenge Cup champions, Ireland's Leinster, did not defend their crown because they earned an automatic berth in the Heineken Cup, and qualified for the knockout stages of the Heineken Cup. In an all-English final, Northampton Saints defeated Bath 30–16 at the Cardiff Arms Park, to win the tournament for the second time.[9][10][11]

On 10 April 2014, following nearly two years of negotiations, an agreement for a new European club competition structure was reached. ERC would be wound up and replaced by a new Switzerland-based organising body known as European Professional Club Rugby. The European Challenge Cup underwent a minor name change to become the European Rugby Challenge Cup, remaining as a 20-team competition, though two of these teams will come from a new competition, featuring teams from nations who do not compete in the Six Nations. The Heineken Cup would be replaced by a new top-tier competition, the European Rugby Champions Cup, which would continue to involve clubs from all of the top six European nations, but featuring 20 clubs instead of the 24 in the Heineken Cup. The new third-tier competition, to be known as the qualifying competition, would feature clubs from second-tier European rugby nations, plus Italian clubs that do not play in the Pro12.[12]

Teams

The qualifying teams were

  • England: 6 teams from the Aviva Premiership that did not qualify for the Heineken Cup[13]
  • France: 7 teams from the Top 14 that did not qualify for the Heineken Cup[14]
  • Wales: 1 team from the Pro12 that did not qualify for the Heineken Cup[15]
  • Italy: the 4 teams that finished in the top four places in the National Championship of Excellence
  • Portugal: one team formed to play in the Challenge Cup. ERC awarded the spot to Portugal after Olympus Rugby XV withdrew from the competition[16]
  • Romania: one team that is formed every season to play in the Challenge Cup, consisting of rugby players playing in the domestic Romanian leagues
England France Italy Portugal Romania Wales

Seeding

Teams that did not qualify for the 2013–14 Heineken Cup were ordered into four tiers according to the European Rugby Club Ranking.[17][lower-alpha 4] Five pools of four teams were drawn comprising one team from each tier.

The brackets show each team's European Rugby Club Ranking at the end of the 2013–14 season.

Tier 1 France Biarritz Olympique (5) France Stade Français (8) England London Wasps (16) England Bath (22) France Brive (24)
Tier 2 England London Irish (27) England Sale Sharks (30) Wales Newport Gwent Dragons (31) England Newcastle Falcons (32) Italy Viadana (36)
Tier 3 France Bayonne (37) Italy Cavalieri Prato (39) England Worcester Warriors (40) France Bordeaux-Bègles (41) Italy Calvisano (43)
Tier 4 France Grenoble (44) Italy Mogliano (42) France Oyonnax (46) Romania București Wolves (38) Portugal Lusitanos XV

Pool stage

The draw for the pool stage took place on 5 June 2013 at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.[17] The dates and times of the first 4 rounds were announced on 27 July 2013.[18] Lusitanos XV replaced Olympus Madrid on 2 September 2013.[16]

Key to colours
     Winner of each pool advances to quarterfinals.
Seed # in parentheses.

Points breakdown:

4 points for a win
2 points for a draw
1 bonus point for scoring four or more tries in a match (TB)
1 bonus point for a loss by seven points or less (LB)

Source: www.ercrugby.com

Pool 1

Team P W D L PF PA Diff TF TA TB LB Pts
England Sale Sharks (4) 650115565+901872123
France Biarritz Olympique 6303119116+316122216
France Oyonnax 621386142−569171112
England Worcester Warriors 611487124−37916017

Pool 2

Team P W D L PF PA Diff TF TA TB LB Pts
England Bath (1) 660024350+1933444028
Wales Newport Gwent Dragons 6303150132+1817132014
France Bordeaux-Bègles 6303171149+2221172014
Italy Mogliano 600655288−233543000

Pool 3

Team P W D L PF PA Diff TF TA TB LB Pts
France Brive (8) 651012174+471161023
England Newcastle Falcons 640212669+571551219
Romania București Wolves 620494105−11670210
Italy Calvisano 601580173−93620002

Pool 4

Team P W D L PF PA Diff TF TA TB LB Pts
England London Wasps (2) 660028576+20938103027
France Bayonne 6303219118+10128143015
France Grenoble 6213118158−4017182012
Italy Viadana 601586356−2701354002

Pool 5

Team P W D L PF PA Diff TF TA TB LB Pts
France Stade Français (3) 650120275+1272764024
England London Irish 650129365+2284164024
Italy Cavalieri Prato 6204100198−9812282111
Portugal Lusitanos XV 600668325−257848000

Seeding for knockout stage

Following the end of the pool stage, the five pool winners will be seeded alongside the three 2013–14 Heineken Cup pool runners-up who failed to qualify for the Heineken Cup quarter-finals – designated (HC). Teams are ranked by total number of competition points earned (4 for a win, 2 for a draw, etc.) in the pool stage. If this does not separate the teams, qualification/ranking is 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 players sent off and/or suspended in all pool matches;
(d) toss of a coin.[3]

Seeding as it stands

Seed Team Pts TF +/−
1 England Bath2834+193
2 England London Wasps2738+209
3 France Stade Français2427+127
4 England Sale Sharks2318+90
5 (HC) England Northampton Saints1711+3
6 (HC) England Harlequins1612+23
7 (HC) England Gloucester1413−1
8 France Brive2311+47

Quarter-final pairings[3]

  • Seed 1 (ACC 1) v Seed 8 (ACC 5)
  • Seed 2 (ACC 2) v Seed 7 (Heineken Cup 3)
  • Seed 3 (ACC 3) v Seed 6 (Heineken Cup 2)
  • Seed 4 (ACC 4) v Seed 5 (Heineken Cup 1)

A draw determined the semi-finals pairings.

Knockout stage

All kickoff times are local to the match location.

Quarter-finals

3 April 2014
20:00
Sale Sharks England14–28England Northampton Saints
Try: Thomas 5' c
Fihaki 73' c
Con: Macleod (1/1)
Ford (1/1)		Report[19]Try: Nutley (2) 17' c, 37' c
Dickinson 29' c
Foden 33' c
Con: Hooley (4/4)
AJ Bell Stadium, Salford
Attendance: 4,650
Referee: Romain Poite (France)
4 April 2014
21:00
Stade Français France6–29England Harlequins
Pen: Steyn (2/4) 18', 31'Report[20]Try: Brown 45' c
Molenaar 76' c
Con: Evans (1/1)
Botica (1/1)
Pen: Evans (4/4) 15', 22', 40', 56'
Drop: Evans (1/1) 73'
Stade Jean-Bouin, Paris
Attendance: 10,200
Referee: Leighton Hodges (Wales)
6 April 2014
14:00
Bath England39–7France Brive
Try: Agulla (3) 9' m, 35' m, 49' c
Abendanon 28' c
Rokoduguni 32' m
Young 42' c
Con: Ford (3/6)
Pen: Ford (1/2) 20'		Report[21]Try: Murphy 65' c
Con: Laranjeira (1/1)
Recreation Ground, Bath
Attendance: 9,331
Referee: John Lacey (Ireland)
6 April 2014
19:00
London Wasps England36–24England Gloucester
Try: Mullan 30' c
Festuccia 43' c
Helu 76' c
Con: Goode (3/3)
Pen: Goode (4/6) 36', 51', 65', 71'
Drop: Goode (1/2) 13'		Report[22]Try: May 55' c
Evans 61' c
M. Thomas 80' c
Con: Cook (3/3)
Pen: Cook (1/2) 33'
Adams Park, High Wycombe
Attendance: 5,311
Referee: Marius Mitrea (Italy)

Semi-finals

25 April 2014
20:00
Northampton Saints England18–10England Harlequins
Try: Collins 26' m
Fotuali'i 44' c
Con: Myler (1/2)
Pen: Myler (2/2) 20', 35'		Report[23]Try: Easter 63' c
Con: Botica (1/1)
Pen: Botica (1/3) 39'
Franklin's Gardens, Northampton
Attendance: 10,077
Referee: George Clancy (Ireland)
27 April 2014
13:00
London Wasps England18–24England Bath
Try: Helu 39' c
Johnson 64' m
Con: Goode (1/2)
Pen: Goode (2/2) 2', 14'		Report[24]Try: Perenise 24' c
Webber (2) 46' c, 57' c
Con: Ford (3/3)
Pen: Ford (1/2) 11'
Adams Park, High Wycombe
Attendance: 6,010
Referee: Romain Poite (France)

Final

23 May 2014
20:00
Bath England16–30England Northampton Saints
Try: Watson 26' c
Con: Ford (1/1)
Pen: Ford (3/6) 1', 13', 65'		Report[25]Try: Dowson 70' c
Foden 75' m
Con: Myler (1/2)
Pen: Myler (6/6) 6', 23', 47', 56', 59', 63'
Cardiff Arms Park, Cardiff
Attendance: 12,483
Referee: Jérôme Garcès (France)

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ As 2012–13 RFU Championship winners, Newcastle Falcons have been promoted to the Aviva Premiership for 2013–14 and they will compete in the Challenge Cup.
  2. ↑ As 2013 Rugby Pro D2 champions, Oyonnax have been automatically promoted to the Top 14 for 2013–14. As new Top 14 members, they will compete in the Challenge Cup.
  3. ↑ Brive won the 2013 Rugby Pro D2 promotion playoff final, thereby earning promotion to the 2013–14 Top 14 and a place in the Challenge Cup.
  4. ↑ Calvisano, Grenoble and Mogliano have equivalent ranking and appear to have been allocated to tiers in alphabetic order.

References

  1. ↑ "Amlin Challenge Cup: Points Scorers". European Rugby Cup. Archived from the original on 14 November 2013. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  2. ↑ "Amlin Challenge Cup: Try Scorers". European Rugby Cup. Archived from the original on 15 November 2013. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 "Rules". European Rugby Cup. Archived from the original on 23 January 2013. Retrieved 28 May 2013.
  4. ↑ "Demanding draw for English clubs". European Rugby Cup. 5 June 2013. Archived from the original on 11 June 2013. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
  5. ↑ "Staging of 2014 Heineken and Amlin Cup finals awarded to France". www.guardian.co.uk. 24 September 2012. Retrieved 28 May 2013.
  6. ↑ "2014 Finals Announcement". European Rugby Cup. 8 June 2013. Archived from the original on 9 June 2013. Retrieved 8 June 2013.
  7. ↑ "Three bids for ERC European Club Rugby Finals". European Rugby Cup. 20 June 2013. Archived from the original on 24 June 2013. Retrieved 17 July 2013.
  8. ↑ "ERC 2014 finals set to return to Cardiff". European Rugby Cup. 15 July 2013. Archived from the original on 24 July 2013. Retrieved 17 July 2013.
  9. ↑ Osborne, Chris (23 May 2014). "Bath 16-30 Northampton". BBC Sport. BBC. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
  10. ↑ "Northampton Saints beat Bath in Cardiff final". Sky Sports. BSkyB. 23 May 2014. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
  11. ↑ "Bath 16 Northampton 30, Amlin Challenge Cup final: match report". Daily Telegraph. 23 May 2013. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
  12. ↑ "Future of European Rugby resolved" (Press release). Rugby Football Union. 10 April 2014. Archived from the original on 25 May 2014. Retrieved 11 April 2014.
  13. ↑ "ERC : European Qualification : England". European Rugby Cup. Archived from the original on 6 August 2012. Retrieved 5 May 2013.
  14. ↑ "ERC : European Qualification : France". European Rugby Cup. Archived from the original on 6 August 2012. Retrieved 5 May 2013.
  15. ↑ "ERC : European Qualification : Celtic Countries". European Rugby Cup. Archived from the original on 6 August 2012. Retrieved 5 May 2013.
  16. 1 2 "Portuguese club to compete in Amlin Challenge Cup". European Rugby Cup. 2 September 2013. Archived from the original on 5 September 2013. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
  17. 1 2 "Pool draws for 2013/14 ERC tournaments". European Rugby Cup. 31 May 2013. Archived from the original on 8 June 2013. Retrieved 3 June 2013.
  18. ↑ "Former champions to kick off new European season". European Rugby Cup. 27 July 2013. Archived from the original on 5 August 2013. Retrieved 29 July 2013.
  19. ↑ "Home". www.ercrugby.com. Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  20. ↑ "Home". www.ercrugby.com. Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  21. ↑ "Home". www.ercrugby.com. Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  22. ↑ "Home". www.ercrugby.com. Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  23. ↑ "Home". www.ercrugby.com. Archived from the original on 26 April 2014. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  24. ↑ "Home". www.ercrugby.com. Archived from the original on 28 April 2014. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  25. ↑ "Home". www.ercrugby.com. Archived from the original on 25 May 2014. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
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