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

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][5] 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.^[5]

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[6]	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

• Gloucester advance to play Bordeaux Bègles. Connacht will compete in the 2015–16 European Rugby Challenge Cup.

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[7]	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

• Bordeaux Bègles qualify for the 2015–16 European Rugby Champions Cup. Gloucester will compete in the 2015–16 European Rugby Challenge Cup.

See also

• 2015–16 European Rugby Champions Cup
• 2015–16 European Rugby Challenge Cup

References