2009–10 British and Irish Cup
| 2009–10 British and Irish Cup | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Countries | England Ireland Scotland Wales |
| Tournament format(s) | Round-robin and knockout |
| Date | November 2009 – May 2010 |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Teams | 24 |
| Matches played | 63 |
| Attendance | 103,545 (1,644 per match) |
| Tries scored | 321 (5.1 per match) |
| Final | |
| Venue | Recreation Ground, Camborne |
| Attendance | 4,240 |
| Champions | Cornish Pirates (1st title) |
| Runners-up | Munster A |
The 2009–10 British and Irish Cup was the first season of the annual rugby union competition for second tier, semi-professional clubs from Britain and Ireland. First round matches began on Friday 20 November 2009 and the final was held on Sunday 16 May 2010.
The first competition was heavily criticised, with one reporter describing it as 'dismal'.[1]
A total of 24 teams from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales competed in the inaugural competition. Cornish Pirates lifted the cup, defeating Munster A 23–14 in the final.
Teams
The allocation of teams was as follows:
- – 12 teams from the RFU Championship
- – 3 Irish provinces represented by 'A' teams
- – 3 Scottish sides, 2 top clubs from the Scottish Premiership and Gael Force, a side made up of a combination of National Academy players
- – 6 top clubs from the Principality Premiership
| England | Ireland | Scotland | Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
Competition format
The teams were divided into four pools of six, playing over five weekends during the Autumn International and Six Nations windows. The four pool winners contested a knock-out stage, with semi-finals on 24 and 25 April and the final on 16 May.[2][3]
Pool stages
Pool A
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | T | TB | LB | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cornish Pirates | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 112 | 66 | +46 | 15 | 2 | 1 | 19 |
| Leinster A | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 89 | 65 | +24 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 18 |
| Newport | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 81 | 54 | +27 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 16 |
| Exeter Chiefs | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 82 | 82 | 0 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| Plymouth Albion | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 55 | 58 | −3 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 8 |
| Gael Force | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 35 | 129 | −94 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Updated to match(es) played on unknown. Source:
Rules for classification: 4 points for a win; 2 points for a draw; 1 bonus point for a loss by seven points or less; 1 bonus point for scoring four or more tries in a match
Rules for classification: 4 points for a win; 2 points for a draw; 1 bonus point for a loss by seven points or less; 1 bonus point for scoring four or more tries in a match
| 22 November 2009 14:00 |
| Cornish Pirates | 29 – 8 | Gael Force |
| Stats |
| Camborne Recreation Ground Attendance: 2,370 |
| 13 February 2010 15:00 |
| Plymouth Albion | 9 – 13 | Cornish Pirates |
| Stats |
| Brickfields Stadium Attendance: 2,413 |
Pool B
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | T | TB | LB | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Munster A | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 111 | 41 | +70 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 22 |
| Bristol | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 122 | 74 | +48 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 18 |
| Nottingham | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 81 | 59 | +22 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 14 |
| Neath | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 93 | 98 | −5 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 11 |
| Coventry | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 126 | 144 | −18 | 20 | 2 | 2 | 8 |
| Heriot's FP | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 54 | 171 | −117 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Updated to match(es) played on unknown. Source:
Rules for classification: 4 points for a win; 2 points for a draw; 1 bonus point for a loss by seven points or less; 1 bonus point for scoring four or more tries in a match
Rules for classification: 4 points for a win; 2 points for a draw; 1 bonus point for a loss by seven points or less; 1 bonus point for scoring four or more tries in a match
Pool C
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | T | TB | LB | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ulster Ravens | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 165 | 62 | +103 | 22 | 3 | 0 | 21 |
| London Welsh | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 137 | 78 | +59 | 18 | 3 | 1 | 20 |
| Bedford Blues | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 92 | 94 | −2 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 13 |
| Aberavon | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 51 | 131 | −80 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 9 |
| Llanelli | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 106 | 117 | −11 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 8 |
| Moseley | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 69 | 138 | −69 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Updated to match(es) played on unknown. Source:
Rules for classification: 4 points for a win; 2 points for a draw; 1 bonus point for a loss by seven points or less; 1 bonus point for scoring four or more tries in a match
Rules for classification: 4 points for a win; 2 points for a draw; 1 bonus point for a loss by seven points or less; 1 bonus point for scoring four or more tries in a match
Pool D
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | T | TB | LB | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Doncaster | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 163 | 58 | +105 | 22 | 5 | 0 | 25 |
| Cardiff | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 147 | 124 | +23 | 20 | 3 | 0 | 19 |
| Rotherham | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 147 | 127 | +20 | 19 | 3 | 1 | 12 |
| Ayr | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 132 | 111 | +21 | 14 | 1 | 2 | 11 |
| Pontypridd | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 99 | 124 | −25 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| Birmingham & Solihull | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 76 | 220 | −144 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Updated to match(es) played on unknown. Source:
Rules for classification: 4 points for a win; 2 points for a draw; 1 bonus point for a loss by seven points or less; 1 bonus point for scoring four or more tries in a match
Rules for classification: 4 points for a win; 2 points for a draw; 1 bonus point for a loss by seven points or less; 1 bonus point for scoring four or more tries in a match
Knock-out stages
Qualifiers
The four pool winners proceeded to the knock out stages.
| Grp | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | T | TB | LB | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D | Doncaster | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 163 | 58 | +105 | 22 | 5 | 0 | 25 |
| B | Munster A | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 111 | 41 | +70 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 22 |
| C | Ulster Ravens | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 165 | 62 | +103 | 22 | 3 | 0 | 21 |
| A | Cornish Pirates | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 112 | 66 | +46 | 15 | 2 | 1 | 19 |
Source:
| Semi-finals | Final | |||||
| 25 April 2010 - Camborne | ||||||
| Cornish Pirates | 43 | |||||
| 16 May 2010 - Camborne | ||||||
| Doncaster | 5 | |||||
| Cornish Pirates | 23 | |||||
| 24 April 2010 - Thomond Park | ||||||
| Munster A | 14 | |||||
| Munster A | 27 | |||||
| Ulster Ravens | 3 | |||||
Semi-finals
| 24 April 2010 15:30 |
| Munster A | 27 – 3 | Ulster Ravens |
| Try: J Manning (2), D Williams, S Archer Con: D Cusack (2/4) Pen: D Cusack (1) | Report Stats | Pen: J McKinney (1) |
| Thomond Park, Limerick Attendance: 24,112 |
| 25 April 2010 15:00 |
| Cornish Pirates | 43 – 5 | Doncaster |
| Try: Davies, Bentley, Morgan, Cattle, Jackson, McGlone Con: Bently (5/6) Pen: Bently | Report | Try: Armitage |
| Recreation Ground, Camborne Attendance: 2,327 Referee: Llyr Ap Geraint Roberts |
Final
| 16 May 2010 18:00 |
| Cornish Pirates | 23 – 14 | Munster A |
| Try: Winn, McAtee Con: Bentley (2/2) Pen: Bentley (3) | Report Stats | Try: Barnes Pen: Cusack (3) |
| Recreation Ground, Camborne Attendance: 4,240 Referee: Leighton Hodges |
Geography
References
- ^ Brian Dick (25 February 2010). "Taxing times for clubs struggling in rugby's Championship". Birmingham Post. Archived from the original on 3 November 2010. Retrieved 3 March 2010.
- ^ "New British & Irish Cup announced". RTÉ Sport. 6 May 2009. Archived from the original on 9 May 2009. Retrieved 7 May 2009.
- ^ "Home unions devise British & Irish Cup". The Daily Telegraph. 6 May 2009. Retrieved 7 May 2009.