2005–06 European Challenge Cup
| 2005–06 European Challenge Cup | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Countries | England France Ireland Italy Romania Scotland |
| Tournament format(s) | Round-robin and Knockout |
| Date | 22 October 2005 – 21 May 2006 |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Top point scorer(s) | Shane Drahm (Worcester) (101 points) |
| Top try scorer(s) | James Simpson-Daniel (Gloucester) (9 tries) |
| Final | |
| Champions | Gloucester (1st title) |
| Runners-up | London Irish |
The 2005–06 European Challenge Cup was the tenth year of the European Challenge Cup, the second tier rugby union cup competition below the Heineken Cup. The tournament was held between October 2005 and May 2006.
Group stage
Pool 1
| Team | P | W | D | L | Tries for | Tries against | Try diff | Points for | Points against | Points diff | TB | LB | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northampton Saints | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 32 | 12 | 20 | 194 | 96 | 98 | 5 | 0 | 25 |
| Narbonne | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 16 | 11 | 5 | 125 | 113 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 18 |
| Bristol | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 26 | 21 | 5 | 203 | 150 | 53 | 3 | 1 | 16 |
| Viadana | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 9 | 39 | −30 | 81 | 244 | −163 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Pool 2
| Team | P | W | D | L | Tries for | Tries against | Try diff | Points for | Points against | Points diff | TB | LB | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| London Irish | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 11 | 21 | 239 | 81 | 158 | 3 | 0 | 27 |
| Agen | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 23 | 15 | 8 | 163 | 143 | 20 | 3 | 0 | 14 |
| Pau | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 12 | 19 | −7 | 107 | 153 | −46 | 2 | 1 | 11 |
| Overmach Parma | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 8 | 30 | −22 | 74 | 206 | −132 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
Pool 3
| Team | P | W | D | L | Tries for | Tries against | Try diff | Points for | Points against | Points diff | TB | LB | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gloucester | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 49 | 6 | 43 | 331 | 53 | 278 | 5 | 0 | 29 |
| Bayonne | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 31 | 11 | 20 | 202 | 93 | 109 | 4 | 0 | 20 |
| București | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 7 | 40 | −33 | 71 | 253 | −182 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| Toulon | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 9 | 39 | −30 | 64 | 269 | −205 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
Pool 4
| Team | P | W | D | L | Tries for | Tries against | Try diff | Points for | Points against | Points diff | TB | LB | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newcastle Falcons | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 44 | 10 | 34 | 324 | 81 | 243 | 4 | 0 | 28 |
| Brive | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 30 | 19 | 11 | 203 | 169 | 34 | 4 | 2 | 18 |
| Borders | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 19 | 23 | −4 | 155 | 177 | −22 | 2 | 1 | 15 |
| L'Aquila | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 14 | 55 | −41 | 103 | 358 | −255 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Pool 5
| Team | P | W | D | L | Tries for | Tries against | Try diff | Points for | Points against | Points diff | TB | LB | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Worcester Warriors | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 24 | 12 | 12 | 181 | 103 | 78 | 3 | 1 | 25 |
| Connacht | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 25 | 14 | 11 | 190 | 119 | 71 | 3 | 1 | 20 |
| Catania | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 15 | 41 | −26 | 116 | 257 | −141 | 1 | 1 | 8 |
| Montpellier | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 26 | 23 | 3 | 170 | 178 | −8 | 2 | 2 | 7 |
Seeding and runners-up
| Seed | Pool Winners | Pts | TF | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gloucester | 29 | 49 | +278 |
| 2 | Newcastle Falcons | 28 | 44 | +243 |
| 3 | London Irish | 27 | 32 | +158 |
| 4 | Northampton Saints | 25 | 32 | +98 |
| 5 | Worcester Warriors | 25 | 24 | +78 |
| Seed | Pool Runners-up | Pts | TF | +/- |
| 6 | Bayonne | 20 | 31 | +109 |
| 7 | Connacht | 20 | 25 | +71 |
| 8 | Brive | 18 | 30 | +34 |
| – | Narbonne | 18 | 16 | +12 |
| – | Agen | 14 | 16 | +20 |