2015–16 European Rugby Champions–Challenge Cup play-offs

2015–16 European Rugby Champions–Challenge Cup play-offs
EventEuropean Rugby Champions Cup Qualification Play-off
Date23 and 30 May 2015

The 2015–16 European Rugby Champions Cup-Challenge Cup play-off was the second play-off for entry into the top-level competition of European Club rugby union, the European Rugby Champions Cup.

Format

Following the two-team play-off in 2014–15, an expanded, four-team format was due to be used. However, on 24 September 2014, it was announced this would instead be a three-team play-off, with the highest placed non-qualifying team taking part.[1]

To accommodate the longer season in the French Top 14, the format was announced as follows:

  • One team each would qualify from the Premiership and the Pro12, with each league being represented by the highest placed team not already qualified. These two teams would play in the first game, with home advantage in the match would be decided by a coin toss. In the event that the 2014–15 European Rugby Challenge Cup winner was a Premiership club, and it had not automatically qualified for the Champions Cup, it would take the place allocated to a Premiership team.[2]
  • The winner of the first game would host the 7th placed team in the French Top 14. The winner of that game would qualify for the Champions Cup.

Gloucester became the first team to qualify for the play-off, taking the place allocated to the Premiership, when they beat Edinburgh 19–13 in the Challenge Cup final on 1 May 2015. This result meant that the 7th place team in the 2014–15 Premiership will no longer take part in the play-off, and will compete in the Challenge Cup. Connacht qualified next, when the finished seventh in the 2014–15 Pro12 with 50 points, narrowly edging Edinburgh who had 48 points. Bordeaux Bègles qualified for the play-off on 23 May 2015.

Connacht played Gloucester away at Gloucester's Kingsholm Stadium on Sunday 24 May 2015,[3] with the venue having been decided earlier by a coin toss.[4] It was decided that, in the event of a Gloucester win, the second play-off match would be played at Sixways Stadium in Worcester, to avoid a clash of fixtures with a Madness concert.

Teams

League Team Coach Stadium
Premiership Gloucester David Humphreys Kingsholm Stadium
Pro12 Connacht Pat Lam Galway Sportsgrounds
Top 14 Bordeaux Bègles Raphaël Ibañez Stade André Moga

Matches

Match 1

24 May 2015
15:30 GMT
Gloucester 40−32
(a.e.t.)		 Connacht
Try: Moriarty 1' c
Sharples 26' m
Meakes 80' c
Dawidiuk 95' m
May 98' c
Con: Laidlaw (3/5) 1', 80', 98'
Pen: Laidlaw (2/3) 19', 43'
Hook (1/1) 92'		Report[5]Try: J. Cooney 8' c
Carty 29' c
Healy (2) 60' m, 92' c
Con: Carty (3/4) 9', 30', 92'
Pen: Carty (2/3) 7', 79'
Kingsholm Stadium, Gloucester
Attendance: 7,633
Referee: Romain Poite (FFR)
FB 15 Charlie Sharples  64'
RW 14 Jonny May
OC 13 Bill Meakes
IC 12 Billy Twelvetrees (c)
LW 11 Henry Purdy  50'
FH 10 James Hook
SH 9 Greig Laidlaw
N8 8 Ross Moriarty  71'  88'
OF 7 Dan Thomas  33'  44'  65'
BF 6 Jacob Rowan
RL 5 Tom Palmer
LL 4 Tom Savage
TP 3 John Afoa 33' to 43'  88'
HK 2 Richard Hibbard  59'
LP 1 Nick Wood  65'
Replacements:
HK 16 Darren Dawidiuk  59'
PR 17 Yann Thomas  65'
PR 18 Shaun Knight  33'  44'  88'
LK 19 Elliott Stooke  71'
FL 20 Lewis Ludlow  65'  88'
SH 21 Dan Robson  64'
FH 22 Billy Burns
FB 23 Rob Cook  50'
Coach:
David Humphreys
FB 15 Tiernan O'Halloran  65'
RW 14 Fionn Carr  75'
OC 13 Robbie Henshaw
IC 12 Bundee Aki
LW 11 Matt Healy
FH 10 Jack Carty
SH 9 John Cooney  64'
N8 8 Eoin McKeon  71'
OF 7 Eoghan Masterson 55' to 65'  33'  44'
BF 6 John Muldoon (c)
RL 5 Aly Muldowney
LL 4 George Naoupu  54'
TP 3 Rodney Ah You  54'
HK 2 Tom McCartney  70'  79'  90'
LP 1 Denis Buckley 33' to 43'
Replacements:
HK 16 Dave Heffernan 94' to 100'  70' 79' to 90'
PR 17 JP Cooney  33'  44'
PR 18 Finlay Bealham  54'
LK 19 Andrew Browne  54'
FL 20 James Connolly  71'
SH 21 Ian Porter  64'
FH 22 Miah Nikora  75'
CE 23 Shane O'Leary  65'
Coach:
Pat Lam

Match 2

31 May 2015
17:00 GMT
Gloucester 22−23 Bordeaux Bègles
Try: Purdy 15' c
Con: Laidlaw (1/1) 16'
Pen: Laidlaw (5/6) 2', 10', 24', 32', 70'		Report[6]Try: Talebula (2) 37' c, 56' c
Con: Bernard (2/2) 39', 58'
Pen: Bernard (2/2) 28', 35'
Drop: Bernard (1/1) 80'
Sixways Stadium, Worcester
Attendance: 5,447
Referee: Leighton Hodges (WRU)
FB 15 Rob Cook
RW 14 Charlie Sharples
OC 13 Bill Meakes  66'
IC 12 Billy Twelvetrees (c)
LW 11 Henry Purdy
FH 10 James Hook
SH 9 Greig Laidlaw
N8 8 Ross Moriarty
OF 7 Jacob Rowan  58'
BF 6 Sione Kalamafoni  45'  56'  71'
RL 5 Tom Palmer
LL 4 Tom Savage
TP 3 John Afoa 45' to 55'
HK 2 Richard Hibbard  59'
LP 1 Nick Wood  58'
Replacements:
HK 16 Darren Dawidiuk  59'
PR 17 Yann Thomas  58'
PR 18 Shaun Knight  45'  56'
LK 19 Elliott Stooke  71'
N8 20 Dan Thomas  58'
SH 21 Callum Braley
FH 22 Billy Burns
FB 23 Steve McColl  66'
Coach:
David Humphreys
FB 15 Lionel Beauxis  46'
RW 14 Metuisela Talebula
OC 13 Félix Le Bourhis
IC 12 Julien Rey
LW 11 Blair Connor
FH 10 Pierre Bernard
SH 9 Heini Adams  56'
N8 8 Peter Saili
OF 7 Hugh Chalmers  45'  56'
BF 6 Louis-Benoît Madaule (c)  56'
RL 5 Berend Botha  36'
LL 4 Jandré Marais
TP 3 Patrick Toetu  40'
HK 2 Ole Avei  69'
LP 1 Jefferson Poirot 45' to 55'  56'  71'
Replacements:
HK 16 Clément Maynadier  69'
PR 17 Jean-Baptiste Poux  45'  71'
PR 18 Francisco Gómez Kodela  40'
LK 19 Adam Jaulhac  36'
N8 20 Matthew Clarkin  56'
SH 21 Yann Lesgourgues  56'
CE 22 Jayden Spence
FB 23 Baptiste Serin  46'
Coach:
Raphaël Ibañez

See also

References

  1. ^ "European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR)". epcrugby.com. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  2. ^ "European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR)". epcrugby.com. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  3. ^ "Connacht lose but make Champions Cup play-off". RTÉ. 16 May 2015. Retrieved 17 May 2015. Connacht will now play Gloucester away at Kingsholm next Sunday, with the winner of that tie playing the French Top 14 seventh-placed side for a spot in next year's Champions Cup.
  4. ^ Mike Brown (2 May 2015). "Gloucester's Champions Cup play-off home advantage to be settled by Twickenham coin toss". Gloucester Citizen. Archived from the original on 6 May 2015. Retrieved 17 May 2015. The coin toss will take place during coverage of the Champions Cup final between Clermont Auvergne and Toulon at Twickenham.
  5. ^ "Champions Cup play-off: Gloucester 40-32 Connacht". 24 May 2015. Retrieved 14 September 2017 – via www.bbc.com.
  6. ^ "European Rugby Champions Cup: Gloucester 22-23 Bordeaux-Begles". 31 May 2015. Retrieved 14 September 2017 – via www.bbc.com.
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