6you Win challenge 1try It Again

Annual European rugby union competition

This article is nearly the rugby union contest. For the rugby league competition, see Challenge Loving cup.

EPCR Challenge Loving cup

Current season or competition: 2021–22 EPCR Claiming Cup
Sport	Rugby union
Inaugural flavor	1996
Number of teams	xv
Nations	England French republic Ireland Italy Scotland Wales
Holders	Montpellier (2nd title) (2020–21)
Most titles	Clermont Harlequins (3 titles)
Website	EPCR website
Related competitions	European Rugby Champions Cup European Rugby Continental Shield

The EPCR Claiming Loving cup is an annual European rugby marriage competition organised by European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR).^[1] It is the 2d-tier competition for European clubs behind the European Rugby Champions Cup. From its inception in 1996 to 2014, it was known as the European Challenge Cup and governed by European Rugby Loving cup (ERC). Following disagreements in the construction of the tournament's format and sectionalisation of revenue, the English and French leagues withdrew to grade the EPCR, which organized the Challenge Cup and the Champions Cup since the 2014–15 season.^[2]

The Challenge Cup is currently contested between fifteen teams; all of which qualify from the iii main European domestic leagues (Premiership Rugby, Top 14, and United Rugby Title).

Montpellier are the current Challenge Loving cup holders, having won the 2020–21 European Rugby Challenge Cup.

Format [edit]

Qualification [edit]

xv teams qualified for the EPRC Challenge Loving cup in 2021–22.

All of these teams automatically qualified from the English language Premiership Rugby, the French Top xiv and the United Rugby Title.

• Teams from these leagues that do not authorize for the European Champions Cup, either through league position or through promotion, and (in the case of the Premiership and Superlative 14) are not relegated to a lower league, volition automatically authorize for the Rugby Challenge Cup. Teams promoted to these leagues have up any remaining Claiming Cup places.

Continental Shield [edit]

Until 2019–20 the 19th and 20th teams qualified via a Qualifying Competition, organised by European Professional Club Rugby and Rugby Europe.^[three]

For the 2014–15 flavor, this took the grade of ii two-legged play-off matches, with the aggregate winner of each taking one of the two Rugby Europe spots in the draw, and it involved the 2 best teams from Italy'southward Top12, plus a Romanaian and Georgian selections.^[4]

An expanded format, which was expected to characteristic more matches and more than nations, for qualification into the 2015–16 European Rugby Challenge Loving cup, and subsequent seasons, was expected to be announced 15 September 2014.^{[5] [ non-primary source needed ] [6]} All the same, on 5 September 2014, it was announced that no such competition would take place during the 2014–fifteen season, and negotiations go on to create the new competition every bit presently as possible.^[7]

After, on 22 December 2014, EPCR announced negotiations for a new format for the contest had now been completed, and the Qualifying Competition for entry into the 2015–16 Challenge Cup would brainstorm in January.^[eight]

The expanded format includes clubs from Rugby Europe member unions Russia, Spain and Portugal alongside representatives from the Italian Eccellenza, and is existence jointly organised by EPCR, Rugby Europe, and the Federazione Italiana Rugby (FIR).

The teams in the competition are divide into two pools. Each squad participates in a pool stage, before the 2 pool winners compete in a two-legged play-off confronting the teams currently competing in the Claiming Cup from the previous season.

The winners, on aggregate, of these two play-offs will accept up the 2 final places in the Challenge Loving cup.^[8]

In 2017, the contest was rebranded as the European Rugby Continental Shield, and introduced a final to be held as function of the chief finals weekend and contested past the 2 play-off winners.^[9]

Competition [edit]

Group phase [edit]

For the pool stage there are three pools of five teams. The teams are ranked based on domestic league performance the previous flavor, and arranged into three tiers of five teams. Teams are then drawn from the tiers into pools at random.^[10]

Teams volition play the other four teams in the pool once only, at home or away, and match points will exist awarded depending on the result of each game, with teams receiving iv points for a win, and two for a draw. Teams can also earn i endeavor bonus point for scoring four or more tries, and ane losing bonus point for losing a match by vii points or fewer.^[eleven]

Following the completion of the pool stage, the top iii in each pool and the best ranked fourth placed team authorize for the knock-out stage. They are joined in the round of 16 past the teams placed 9th to 11th in each Champions Cup pool.^[3]

Knock-out stage [edit]

The eight quarter-finalists are ranked – puddle winners from 1 to 5, and runners-up from 6 to eight – based on operation in their corresponding pool. The four pool winners with the best pool record receive home advantage for the quarter-finals against one of the four lower-ranked teams, in a 1v8, 2v7, 3v6, 4v5 format. Unlike the subsequently formats of the old European Challenge Cup, no teams volition drop down into the contest from the Champions Cup.

The winners of the quarter-finals will contest the two semi-finals, the semi-final matches will be determined past criteria, and the winners of the semi-finals will contest the final, which is ordinarily held in May.^[12]

2020 / 2022 Season [edit]

Because of the Coronavirus Pandemic the 2020/2021 competition took on a revised format.

2020–21 European Rugby Challenge Loving cup

Finals [edit]

European Challenge Loving cup Finals
Season	Land	Winners	Score	Runners-upwardly	Country	Venue	Attendance
1996–97	French republic	Bourgoin	18–nine	Castres	France	Stade de la Méditerranée, Béziers	ten,000
1997–98	France	Colomiers	43–5	Agen	France	Stade des Sept Deniers, Toulouse	12,500
1998–99	France	Montferrand	35–16	Bourgoin	France	Stade de Gerland, Lyon	31,986
1999–00	France	Pau	34–21	Castres	French republic	Stade des Sept Deniers, Toulouse	6,000
2000–01	England	Harlequins	42–33	Narbonne	France	Madejski Stadium, Reading	10,013
2001–02	England	Sale	25–22	Pontypridd	Wales	Kassam Stadium, Oxford	12,000
2002–03	England	Wasps	48–xxx	Bathroom	England	Madejski Stadium, Reading	eighteen,074
2003–04	England	Harlequins	27–26	Montferrand	France	Madejski Stadium, Reading	13,123
2004–05	England	Sale	27–3	Pau	France	Kassam Stadium, Oxford	7,230
2005–06	England	Gloucester	36–34 (aet)	London Irish	England	The Stoop, London	12,053
2006–07	French republic	Clermont	22–16	Bath	England	The Stoop, London	10,134
2007–08	England	Bath	24–16	Worcester	England	Kingsholm Stadium, Gloucester	16,157
2008–09	England	Northampton	15–iii	Bourgoin	French republic	The Stoop, London	9,260
2009–10	Wales	Cardiff	28–21	Toulon	French republic	Stade Vélodrome, Marseille	48,990[13]
2010–11	England	Harlequins	nineteen–18	Stade Français	France	Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff	12,236[14]
2011–12	France	Biarritz	21–18	Toulon	France	The Stoop, London	9,376[15]
2012–13	Ireland	Leinster	34–xiii	Stade Français	French republic	RDS Arena, Dublin[sixteen]	20,396[17]
2013–xiv	England	Northampton	30–16	Bathroom	England	Cardiff Artillery Park, Cardiff	12,483[18]
European Rugby Challenge Cup Finals
Season	Country	Winners	Score	Runners-up	Country	Venue	Attendance
2014–15	England	Gloucester	19–thirteen	Edinburgh	Scotland	The Twickenham Stoop, London	fourteen,316
2015–sixteen	France	Montpellier	26–19	Harlequins	England	Parc Olympique Lyonnais, Lyon	28,556
2016–17	French republic	Stade Français	25–17	Gloucester	England	Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh	24,494
2017–18	Wales	Cardiff	31–30	Gloucester	England	San Mamés, Bilbao	32,543
2018–19	French republic	Clermont	36–xvi	La Rochelle	French republic	St James' Park, Newcastle	28,438
2019–20	England	Bristol	32–19	Toulon	France	Stade Maurice David, Aix-en-Provence[a]	ane,000
2020–21	France	Montpellier	18–17	Leicester	England	Twickenham Stadium, London[b]	ten,000[c]
2021–22						Stade de Marseille, Marseille
2022–23						Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London

Wins by order [edit]

Wins past nation [edit]

History [edit]

European Claiming Cup [edit]

1996–1999 [edit]

The Challenge Cup logo used while the tournament was sponsored by Amlin

European rugby competition began with the launch of the Heineken Cup in the summer of 1995.

The Challenge Cup began as the 'European Briefing' (later renamed the European Shield) in 1996 with 24 teams from England, France, Italy, Romania, Scotland and Wales divided into four groups of 6. All seven of the French teams fabricated it to the quarter-finals with English social club Northampton Saints filling the other booth. Predictably, the final was an all-French affair with Bourgoin beating Castres Olympique 18–ix to win the shield.

The following year's competition had an increased entry with 8 groups of four teams. Colomiers continued the French dominance of the European Shield, defeating Agen 43–5 in the last.

The absence of English and Scottish clubs in 1998–99 saw the competition reduced to 21 teams divided into 3 groups of seven teams with representative sides of Spain and Portugal taking office. Once again, a French squad was triumphant, with Montferrand beating Bourgoin 35–16 in the terminal held in Lyon.

With English and Scottish clubs back in the contest in 1999, at that place were 28 teams split in seven groups of 4 and London Irish and Bristol reached the semi-finals of the contest, but couldn't prevent some other all-French final with Department Paloise crowned champions after a 34–21 defeat of Castres.

2000–2006 [edit]

The contest construction remained unchanged for the 2000–01 season, although no team from Romania participated. The semi-final depict was an all-English language and all-French affair to exit Harlequins and Narbonne contesting the first final on English soil. Harlequins ended French authorization of the European Shield, defeating RC Narbonne 27–26 later extra time in the final.

There was a new sponsor and a name change in 2001. The new Parker Pen Shield saw 32 teams divided into viii groups of four competing for the title. For the first time at that place were ii Spanish social club teams (Valladolid RAC and UC Madrid) and Romania was represented. Only one French social club reached the quarter-finals forth with five English language and 2 from Wales and for the first time no French guild reached the semi-finals after Pau lost to London Irish. For the first time, a Welsh team, Pontypridd, made it to the final but Auction Sharks emerged victorious, coming from backside to win 25–22 at the Kassam Stadium in Oxford.

The league format was abandoned in 2002 and the tournament became a knock-out competition. This involved 32 clubs from eight nations, one-half of them seeded and drawn against an un-seeded team on a habitation and away footing. The name Parker Pen Shield was now applied to a reprechage knock-out tournament for those teams that did not qualify for the 2nd round of the Challenge Cup. The Parker Pen Challenge Cup winner at present automatically qualified for the Heineken Cup. London Wasps trounce Bathroom 48–30 to win the renamed Parker Pen Challenge Cup at the Madejski Stadium, Reading.

In 2003–04, the Welsh Rugby Union voted to create regions to play in the Celtic League and represent Wales in European contest. Henceforce Wales entered regional sides rather than the club sides which had previously competed. With a reduction from nine professional clubs to just five, in that location was no Welsh entry in that year's competition. Romania also did non take part in the Challenge Cup. Harlequins won the cup with a 27–26 last-second victory over Montferrand at the Madejski Stadium to get the first side to win the tournament twice.

Sale eased to victory in the 2005 final 27–three over a disappointing Pau side. In 2006, Gloucester edged out London Irish gaelic 36–34 subsequently actress time.

The Parker Pen Shield was abased in 2005 due to restructuring of the European Challenge Cup. The contest reverted to being a league format followed by knock-out stage with v pools of four teams and home and abroad matches. Romanian interest returned to the competition in the form of București Rugby who had been formed to represent Romania in European competition, however, at that place was no representation from Espana or Portugal.

2006–2009 [edit]

Clermont were the commencement French winners of the title for vii years after they beat Bath in the 2006–07 competition; Clermont besides reached the Top 14 terminal this year afterward finishing poorly the previous couple of years.

Beaten 2007 finalists Bathroom won the 2007–08 tournament later on chirapsia young man English club Worcester Warriors in the last in Kingsholm Stadium, Gloucester. Castilian representation resumed in the 2007–08 Challenge Cup when Spanish Champions CR Republic of el salvador took part.

Northampton Saints won the 2009 last after beating Bourgoin 15–3 at the Twickenham Stoop; that season Northampton avoided relegation, they finished second in the regular flavour of the Guinness Premiership, reached the Heineken Cup quarter-finals and won the Anglo-Welsh Cup the side by side season. Northampton became the 8th English club to win the competition in nine seasons.

2010–2014 [edit]

The competition organiser, European Rugby Cup, announced several changes to the Claiming Cup constructive in 2009–ten:^[19]

• Just the v pool winners will authorize for the knockout stage of the contest. They volition be joined by iii clubs that parachute in from the puddle stage of the Heineken Cup, specifically the third- through fifth-highest ranked 2d-place teams from pool play. Because of the demise of their third professional side, Scotland representation stopped but now Edinburgh and Glasgow Warriors may play in the competition if they end 3rd, 4th or 5th best runners-upwardly in the Heineken Loving cup.
• The European Challenge Cup winner volition go along to receive an automatic berth in the following season's Heineken Cup; for the outset fourth dimension, this place volition non come at the expense of its country's allotment. The simply exception to this new dominion will occur when England or France produces the winners of both the Heineken Loving cup and ECC in the same flavour. Both countries are capped at seven Heineken Cup places; in that scenario, the Heineken and ECC winners remain in the Heineken Cup while a booth is granted to the peak club in the ERC rankings from another country that has non already qualified for the Heineken Cup.

Cardiff Dejection benefited from the new format in its showtime year, winning the commencement ever Claiming Cup for the club and were also the first Welsh Gild to win whatever European guild tournament. Cardiff beat Toulon 28–21 in the concluding at the Stade Vélodrome in Marseille, which was as well the first final to accept no English language involvement for x years.

England made a triumphant return to the last in 2011, with Harlequins defeating Stade Français 19–eighteen. with a try in the last five-minutes past Argentinian wing, Gonzalo Camacho. This meant Harlequins became the first team to win the Claiming Cup three times and with this entered the Heineken Loving cup. The final was also notable in that information technology involved ii teams that began the season in the Challenge Loving cup.

The 2011–12 competition was dominated by French sides, with all four semi-finalists coming from that country. Biarritz, which had parachuted in from the Heineken Loving cup, defeated Toulon to claim their starting time Challenge Cup.

The 2012–13 season again saw the Claiming Cup claimed past a squad that parachuted in from the Heineken Cup. This fourth dimension, the victor was Leinster, which became the first team from Ireland to win the Claiming Loving cup.^[20]

Northampton Saints won the final edition of the European Challenge Cup in 2014, beating Bathroom 30–xvi in the concluding.

European Rugby Challenge Cup [edit]

2014–2021 [edit]

On 10 April 2014, following almost ii years of negotiations, a statement was released nether the custodianship of European Professional Club Rugby announcing that the nine stakeholders to the new contest, the six unions and three umbrella gild organisations (Premiership Rugby, Ligue Nationale de Rugby and Regional Rugby Wales), had signed Heads of Agreement for the germination of the European Rugby Champions Cup, the European Rugby Claiming Cup and a new, third tournament, called the Qualifying Competition.^[21] On the same day, BT and Sky signed an understanding that divided coverage of the new European competitions. Both would split the puddle matches, quarter-finals, and semi-finals as, and both would broadcast the concluding. BT would receive first choice of English language Premiership order matches in the Champions Loving cup, with Sky receiving the same privilege for the Claiming Cup.^[22] Afterward, BT have signed an exclusive bargain for the Challenge Cup between 2018–19 and 2021–22.^[23]

[edit]

[edit]

• Parker Pen Company – Championship Sponsors of the European Challenge Cup from 2001 to 2005
• Amlin – Title Sponsors of the European Challenge Cup from 2009 to 2014

Post-obit the introduction of the European Rugby Challenge Cup, organisers decided to introduce a Champions League-style sponsorship system, including iii–v principal partners, in lieu of ane title sponsor.

Principal Partners [edit]

• Heineken (2014–)

Heineken, who had sponsored the Heineken Cup since 1995, signed on as the get-go partner for the Challenge Cup in 2014, and were credited equally the Founding Partner of European Rugby

• Turkish Airlines (2015–)

Announced as the second principal partner at the 2015–sixteen tournament launch, signing on for three seasons^[24]

[edit]

• Google & YouTube (2014–)

Suppliers [edit]

• Gilbert – Match Balls (2014–)
• Canterbury of New Zealand – Friction match Officials Kit (2014–)
• Tissot – Official Scout & Timekeeper (2015–)

Following their appointment as an Official Supplier, Tissot began sponsoring the Match Officials kit.

Media coverage [edit]

For Commonwealth of australia, Europe (unsold markets), and Southeast Asia, all matches of the EPCR parcel (both Champions and Challenge Cups) bachelor on Rugby Pass.

Some games are also livestreamed for gratis on EPCR Television receiver.^[32]

Come across too [edit]

• European Rugby Champions Loving cup
• European Rugby Continental Shield
• English Premiership
• United Rugby Championship (Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Italy & South Africa)
• Top fourteen (France)
• Top12 (Italia)

Notes [edit]

1. ^ Relocated from Stade de Marseille due to COVID-nineteen pandemic.
2. ^ Relocated from Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to Stade de Marseille and subsequently to Twickenham due to COVID-xix pandemic.
3. ^ Capacity limited to 10,000 due to national restrictions surrounding the COVID-xix pandemic.

References [edit]

1. ^ "Challenge Loving cup | Fixtures & Results".
2. ^ "A beginner's guide: The new European Rugby Champions Cup explained | Paul Rees". TheGuardian.com. 11 April 2014.
3. ^ ^{a b} "Futurity of European Rugby resolved" (Press release). Rugby Football Marriage. 10 April 2014. Archived from the original on 25 May 2014. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
4. ^ "Archived re-create". Archived from the original on 27 August 2014. Retrieved 26 August 2014. {{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
5. ^ "Rugby Europe on Twitter".
6. ^ "Rugby Europe official website". 27 Baronial 2014. Archived from the original on 27 August 2014.
7. ^ "Rugby Europe rules out third competition".
8. ^ ^{a b} "European Professional Gild Rugby (EPCR)". epcrugby.com.
9. ^ "New identity for the Challenge Cup Qualifying Competition". epcrugby.com.
10. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 31 October 2014. Retrieved viii June 2014. {{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) ERCRugby.com. Retrieved viii June 2014
11. ^ "Challenge Cup Rules". epcrugby.com. Archived from the original on xi Oct 2014. Retrieved 7 October 2014.
12. ^ www.EPCRugby.com – European Rugby Statement Archived 22 June 2022 at the Wayback Machine
13. ^ "Cardiff Dejection 28-21 Toulon". BBC. 23 May 2010.
14. ^ "Harlequins nineteen-eighteen Stade Francais". BBC. twenty May 2011.
15. ^ Palmer, Bryn (18 May 2012). "Amlin Challenge Cup terminal: Biarritz 21-18 Toulon". BBC Sport. Retrieved xix May 2012.
16. ^ "Home". ercrugby.com.
17. ^ "Ruthless Leinster win Challenge Cup". ESPN. 17 March 2013. Retrieved xx May 2013.
18. ^ "Saints celebrate second Amlin Claiming Cup crown". European Rugby Cup. 23 May 2014. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
19. ^ "Format and qualification changes for Europe" (Printing release). European Rugby Loving cup. fifteen June 2009. Archived from the original on nineteen June 2009. Retrieved 16 June 2009.
20. ^ "Sexton turns on style for Leinster". Irish gaelic Contained. 17 March 2013. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
21. ^ http://www.therugbypaper.co.united kingdom of great britain and northern ireland/featured-post/15722/european-rugby-statement/ European Rugby Statement, The Rugby Paper 10/four/fourteen
22. ^ "BT and Heaven sign articulation agreement over European rugby". ESPN Scrum. 10 Apr 2014. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
23. ^ "BT Sport wins exclusive rights to European Rugby Champions and Claiming Cup". BT Sport. British Telecom plc. Retrieved 4 July 2017.
24. ^ "European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR)". epcrugby.com.
25. ^ "Where tin can yous watch the Heineken Champions Cup and Challenge Cup?". EPCR. fifteen January 2020. Retrieved 26 Jan 2020.
26. ^ epcrugby.com Droits audiovisuels des Coupes d'Europe de rugby (French) Archived four September 2022 at the Wayback Machine
27. ^ "European Professional Social club Rugby (EPCR)".
28. ^ "European club rugby tournaments more accessible than always as Sky Italian republic atomic number 82 global broadcast deals". European Professional Guild Rugby. seven Dec 2020. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
29. ^ "S4C to broadcast Challenge Cup matches in Wales". 5 November 2019.
30. ^ http://world wide web.therugbypaper.co.britain/latest-breaking-news/15724/european-rugby-broadcast-argument/ European Rugby Broadcast Statement, The Rugby Paper 10/4/fourteen
31. ^ "NBC SPORTS Group ACQUIRES EXCLUSIVE U.S. MEDIA RIGHTS TO CHAMPIONS CUP RUGBY". nineteen March 2018. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
32. ^ "Complimentary viewing of six Claiming Cup ties on EPCR Tv". 15 November 2019.

mooncogized.blogspot.com

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parker_Pen_Challenge_Cup

Share this post