2014–15 British and Irish Cup
The 2014–15 British and Irish Cup is the sixth season of the annual rugby union competition for second tier, semi-professional clubs from Britain and Ireland. Leinster A are the defending champions having won the 2013–14 final against Leeds Carnegie 44–17 at Donnybrook on 23 May 2014. There has been four different winners and five different losing finalists of the competition in the five seasons of its existence.
| 2014–15 British and Irish Cup | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Countries |   .svg.png){kind=small} |
| Tournament format(s) | Round-robin and knockout |
| Date | 10 October 2014 — 3 April 2015 |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Teams | 20 |
| Matches played | 67 |
| Attendance | 111,051 (1,657 per match) |
| Highest Attendance | 7,640 Bristol 50–34 Connacht Eagles (12 October 2014) |
| Lowest Attendance | 150 Ulster Ravens 25–12 Aberavon (13 December 2014) |
| Top point scorer(s) | Douglas Flockhart (Doncaster Knights) 89 points |
| Top try scorer(s) | Cian Kelleher (Leinster A) 9 tries |
| Final | |
| Venue | Castle Park, Doncaster |
| Attendance | 3,115 |
| Champions | Worcester Warriors (1st title) |
| Runners-up | Doncaster Knights |
The format of the competition has been changed once again, with the Scottish withdrawing from the competition because of an increase, from four to six, in the number of the group matches before Christmas. Scottish Rugby felt that Scottish teams would not be able to compete fully in both the British and Irish cup and the BT Premiership; the premier competition for clubs in Scotland.[1] The Welsh teams selection is based on regional play-offs involving the 2013–14 Premier Division clubs at the start of the season. This process yielded Pontypridd to represent the Cardiff Blues Region, Cross Keys to represent the Dragons Region, Aberavon to represent the Ospreys Region, and Carmarthen Quins to represent the Scarlets Region.
Matches in the competition proper were played on the same weekends as the European Rugby Champions Cup and European Rugby Challenge Cup. First round matches began on 10 October 2014 and the final was held on 3 April 2015. Worcester Warriors beat Doncaster Knights 35 – 5 in the final held at Castle Park, Doncaster; the home ground of the Knights.[2]
Participating teams and locations
The allocation of teams is as follows:
Connacht Eagles
Doncaster
Leinster A
Moseley
Rotherham
Ulster Ravens
Locations of the 2014-15 British & Irish Cup teams
Welsh qualification
The Welsh teams are selected, based on regional play-offs involving the twelve clubs from the 2013–14 Premier Division and played at the start of the season. Teams gained home advantage depending upon their finishing position at the end of last season.[3]
Cardiff Blues Region
The two constituent clubs of the Cardiff Blues played in a one-off game to determine the region's representative in the Cup.
Dragons Region
The four teams that make up the Newport Gwent Dragons each played in semi-finals, with the winner of each progressing to play off for the opportunity to represent the region.
30 August 2014 14:30 |
| Cross Keys | 16 – 13 | Ebbw Vale |
|---|---|---|
| Cross Keys Ebbw Vale |
Pandy Park Attendance: 500 Referee: Neil Hennessy (WRU) |
6 September 2014 |
| Cross Keys | 31 – 12 | Newport |
|---|---|---|
| Cross Keys Newport |
Pandy Park Attendance: 300 Referee: Sean Brickell (WRU) |
Ospreys Region
With three teams making up the Ospreys region, Aberavon and Neath faced each other first, with the winner going into the final play-off with Bridgend.
Scarlets Region
Like the Ospreys, the Scarlets region has three constituent clubs, so two teams played each other in a preliminary game for the chance to face the third team in the deciding match.
30 August 2014 |
| Llandovery | 28 – 15 | Llanelli |
|---|---|---|
| Llandovery Llanelli |
Church Bank Attendance: 600 Referee: Rhys Thomas (WRU) |
Competition format
The competition format is a pool stage followed by a knockout stage. The pool stage consists of five pools of four teams playing home and away matches. The top side in each pool, plus the three best runners-up, will progress to the knockout stage. The eight quarter-finalists will be ranked, with teams ranked 1-4 having home advantage. The four winning quarter-finalists will progress to the semi-final draw. Matches will take place on the same weekends as the European Rugby Champions Cup and European Rugby Challenge Cup cups.[3]
Pool stages
Pool 1
| Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TB | LB | Pts | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 181 | 119 | 62 | 3 | 0 | 27 | ||
|
6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 158 | 115 | 43 | 2 | 1 | 19 | ||
|
6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 110 | 129 | –19 | 0 | 3 | 7 | ||
|
6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 111 | 197 | –86 | 1 | 0 | 5 | ||
| Source : BBC Updated: 13 December 2014 Points breakdown: *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 | ||||||||||||
18 October 2014 15:00 |
| (BP) London Scottish | 18 – 22 | Bristol |
|---|---|---|
| Scottish Bristol |
Athletic Ground Attendance: 1,608 Referee: Sean Gallagher (IRFU) |
29 November 2014 15:00 |
| London Scottish | 17 – 7 | Connacht Eagles |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
Richmond Athletic Ground Attendance: 1,296 Referee: Andrew Jackson |
13 December 2014 14:00 |
| London Scottish | 17 – 25 | Pontypridd |
|---|---|---|
Richmond Athletic Ground Attendance: 1,640 Referee: Sean Gallagher |
Pool 2
| Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TB | LB | Pts | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 204 | 104 | 100 | 4 | 1 | 25 | ||
|
6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 208 | 110 | 98 | 4 | 0 | 24 | ||
|
6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 121 | 162 | –41 | 1 | 3 | 8 | ||
|
6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 89 | 246 | –157 | 1 | 0 | 5 | ||
| Source : BBC Updated: 13 December 2014 Points breakdown: *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 | ||||||||||||
10 October 2014 20:00 |
| Yorkshire Carnegie | 3 – 20 | Rotherham Titans |
|---|---|---|
| Carnegie Rotherham |
Silver Royd, Scalby Attendance: 864 Referee: Jamie Leahy (RFU) |
18 October 2014 14:00 |
| (BP) Ulster Ravens | 17 – 22 | Yorkshire Carnegie |
|---|---|---|
| Ulster Carnegie |
Kingspan Stadium Attendance: 600 Referee: Craig Evans (IRFU) |
24 October 2014 19:00 |
| (2BP) Ulster Ravens | 29 – 31 | Rotherham Titans (BP) |
|---|---|---|
| Ulster Rotherham |
Deramore Park Attendance: 500 Referee: Ben Whitehouse |
25 October 2014 14:30 |
| (BP) Yorkshire Carnegie | 85 – 0 | Aberavon |
|---|---|---|
| Carnegie Aberavon |
Brantingham Park, Brantingham Attendance: 482 Referee: Sean Gallagher (IRFU) |
29 November 2014 14:00 |
| (BP) Rotherham Titans | 52 – 17 | Ulster Ravens |
|---|---|---|
7 December 2014 14:30 |
| (BP) Yorkshire Carnegie | 27 – 19 | Ulster Ravens |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
Laund Hill, Huddersfield Attendance: 650 |
13 December 2014 14:00 |
| Ulster Ravens | 25 – 12 | Aberavon |
|---|---|---|
Delamore Park Attendance: 150 Referee: Fergus Kilby |
Pool 3
| Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TB | LB | Pts | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 189 | 94 | 95 | 3 | 0 | 27 | ||
|
6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 149 | 112 | 37 | 1 | 2 | 19 | ||
|
6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 95 | 172 | –77 | 1 | 1 | 10 | ||
|
6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 109 | 164 | –55 | 1 | 3 | 4 | ||
| Source : BBC Updated: 13 December 2014 Points breakdown: *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 | ||||||||||||
11 October 2014 15:00 |
| Munster A | 27 – 21 | Moseley (BP) |
|---|---|---|
| Munster |
Clonmel Rugby Club, Clonmel Attendance: 550 Referee: Craig Evans |
11 October 2014 15:00 |
| (BP) Nottingham | 19 – 26 | Worcester Warriors |
|---|---|---|
| Nottingham Worcester |
Meadow Lane Attendance: 756 Referee: John Meredith |
18 October 2014 15:00 |
| Moseley | 22 – 14 | Nottingham |
|---|---|---|
| Moseley Nottingham |
Billesley Common Attendance: 250 Referee: David Procter (RFU) |
18 October 2014 15:00 |
| Worcester Warriors | 27 – 23 | Munster A (BP) |
|---|---|---|
| Worcester Munster |
Sixways Stadium Attendance: 6,916 Referee: Ben Whitehouse (WRU) |
24 October 2014 20:00 |
| Nottingham | 12 – 23 | Munster A |
|---|---|---|
| Nottingham Munster |
Meadow Lane Attendance: 1,119 Referee: Rhys Thomas (WRU) |
25 October 2014 15:00 |
| Moseley | 0 – 39 | Worcester Warriors (BP) |
|---|---|---|
| Worcester |
Billesley Common Attendance: 1,483 Referee: Matthew O'Grady |
29 November 2014 15:00 |
| Munster A | 23 – 16 | Nottingham (BP) |
|---|---|---|
Temple Hill, Cork Attendance: 435 Referee: D Jones |
29 November 2014 15:00 |
| (BP) Worcester Warriors | 31 – 12 | Moseley |
|---|---|---|
Sixways Stadium Attendance: 4,738 Referee: David Proctor |
5 December 2014 19:30 |
| (BP) Munster A | 18 – 23 | Worcester Warriors |
|---|---|---|
Temple Hill, Cork Attendance: 600 Referee: Rhys Thomas |
13 December 2014 14:00 |
| Moseley | 13 – 35 | Munster A (BP) |
|---|---|---|
Billesley Attendance: 944 Referee: John Meredith |
13 December 2014 14:00 |
| (BP) Worcester Warriors | 43 – 22 | Nottingham |
|---|---|---|
Sixways Stadium Attendance: 6,560 Referee: Darren Gamage |
Pool 4
| Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TB | LB | Pts | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 204 | 122 | 82 | 5 | 0 | 29 | ||
|
6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 180 | 154 | 26 | 3 | 2 | 17 | ||
|
6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 187 | 189 | –2 | 4 | 4 | 16 | ||
|
6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 119 | 225 | –106 | 2 | 1 | 7 | ||
| Source : BBC Updated: 13 December 2014 Points breakdown: *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 | ||||||||||||
11 October 2014 14:30 |
| (2BP) Cross Keys | 32 – 37 | Doncaster Knights (BP) |
|---|---|---|
| Cross Keys Doncaster |
Pandy Park Attendance: 401 Referee: Sean Gallagher (IRFU) |
12 October 2014 15:00 |
| (BP) Cornish Pirates | 28 – 34 | Bedford Blues (BP) |
|---|---|---|
| Pirates Bedford |
Mennaye Field Attendance: 1,289 Referee: Andy Rawson (RFU) |
- This match finished with a 35 – 34 victory to Cornish Pirates. However, in the 72nd minute the match went to uncontested scrums as Pirates were unable to provide a front-row replacement for injured prop Tyler Gendall. Pirates should have reduced to 14 men on the pitch, in accordance with the regulations but, instead, Gendall was replaced with fly-half Bertie Hokpin (who scored the winning try) and continued with 15 men. The Organising Committee decided to award the match to Bedford with a 28 – 34 scoreline, the score at the time that the scums went uncontested.[7] Pirates are considering an appeal.[8] Pirates' appeal failed to overturn the decision.[9]
18 October 2014 14:30 |
| (BP) Doncaster Knights | 27 – 25 | Cornish Pirates (BP) |
|---|---|---|
| Doncaster Pirates |
Castle Park Attendance: 1,374 Referee: Rhys Thomas (WRU) |
18 October 2014 15:00 |
| (BP) Bedford Blues | 22 – 23 | Cross Keys |
|---|---|---|
| Bedford Cross Keys |
Goldington Road Attendance: 2,425 Referee: Stuart Gaffikin (IRFU) |
25 October 2014 14:30 |
| (BP) Doncaster Knights | 36 – 20 | Bedford Blues |
|---|---|---|
| Doncaster Bedford |
Castle Park Attendance: 1,182 Referee: John Meredith (RFU) |
26 October 2014 15:00 |
| (BP) Cornish Pirates | 34 – 33 | Cross Keys (BP) |
|---|---|---|
| Pirates Cross Keys |
Mennaye Field Attendance: 1,320 Referee: Andrew Jackson (RFU) |
28 November 2014 19:45 |
| (BP) Bedford Blues | 15 – 17 | Doncaster Knights |
|---|---|---|
Goldington Road Attendance: 2,002 Referee: Andrew Small |
28 November 2014 19:45 |
| Cross Keys | 21 – 30 | Cornish Pirates (BP) |
|---|---|---|
Pandy Park Attendance: 650 Referee: Sean Gallagher |
6 December 2014 15:00 |
| (2BP) Cornish Pirates | 30 – 31 | Doncaster Knights (BP) |
|---|---|---|
Mennaye Field Attendance: 1,149 Referee: Craig Maxwell-Keys |
13 December 2014 14:00 |
| (BP) Bedford Blues | 41 – 40 | Cornish Pirates (2BP) |
|---|---|---|
Goldington Road Attendance: 2,218 Referee: Matthew O'Grady |
13 December 2014 14:00 |
| (BP) Doncaster Knights | 54 – 0 | Cross Keys |
|---|---|---|
Castle Park Attendance: 1,421 Referee: Stuart Graffikin |
Pool 5
| Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TB | LB | Pts | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 229 | 115 | 114 | 3 | 1 | 24 | ||
|
6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 126 | 169 | –43 | 1 | 0 | 17 | ||
 |
6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 109 | 128 | –19 | 1 | 1 | 10 | ||
|
6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 121 | 173 | –52 | 2 | 3 | 9 | ||
| Source : BBC Updated: 13 December 2014 Points breakdown: *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 | ||||||||||||
11 October 2014 15:00 |
| (2 BP) Plymouth Albion | 24 – 31 | Leinster A |
|---|---|---|
| Plymouth Leinster |
Brickfields Attendance: 1,047 Referee: David Proctor (RFU) |
17 October 2014 19:30 |
| Leinster A | 26 – 6 | Jersey |
|---|---|---|
| Leinster Jersey |
Donnybrook Attendance: 720 Referee: Matthew O'Grady (RFU) |
18 October 2014 14:30 |
| Carmarthen Quins | 29 – 16 | Plymouth Albion |
|---|---|---|
| Carmarthen Plymouth |
Parc y Scarlets Attendance: 400 Referee: Jamie Leahy (RFU) |
25 October 2014 14:30 |
| Carmarthen Quins | 26 – 24 | Leinster A (BP) |
|---|---|---|
| Carmarthen Leinster |
Carmarthen Park Attendance: 200 Referee: David Procter (RFU) |
25 October 2014 15:00 |
| (BP) Plymouth Albion | 16 – 22 | Jersey |
|---|---|---|
| Plymouth Jersey |
Brickfields Attendance: 875 Referee: Greg Macdonald (RFU) |
29 November 2014 13:00 |
| (BP) Leinster A | 67 – 12 | Carmarthen Quins |
|---|---|---|
Donnybrook Attendance: 739 Referee: Craig Maxwell-Keys |
6 December 2014 15:00 |
| (BP) Jersey | 21 – 22 | Leinster A (BP) |
|---|---|---|
St Peter Attendance: 1,695 Referee: Simon Rees |
6 December 2014 15:00 |
| (BP) Plymouth Albion | 16 – 18 | Carmarthen Quins |
|---|---|---|
Brickfields Attendance: 1,023 Referee: Nigel Correll |
13 December 2014 14:00 |
| (BP) Leinster A | 59 – 26 | Plymouth Albion (BP) |
|---|---|---|
Donnybrook Attendance: 827 Referee: Ben Whitehouse |
Knock-out stage
| Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||
| 24 January 2015 – Castle Park | ||||||||||
| | 38 | |||||||||
| 14 March 2015 – Castle Park | ||||||||||
| | 17 | |||||||||
| | 27 | |||||||||
| 23 January 2015 – Ashton Gate | ||||||||||
| | 22 | |||||||||
| | 41 | |||||||||
| 3 April 2015 – Castle Park | ||||||||||
| | 28 | |||||||||
| | 5 | |||||||||
| 24 January 2015 – Sixways Stadium | ||||||||||
| | 35 | |||||||||
| | 24 | |||||||||
| 13 March 2015 – Sixways Stadium | ||||||||||
| | 10 | |||||||||
| | 15 | |||||||||
| 24 January 2015 – Clifton Lane | ||||||||||
| | 13 | |||||||||
| | 32 | |||||||||
| | 51 | |||||||||
Quarter-finals
23 January 2015 19:45 |
| Bristol | 41 – 28 | Yorkshire Carnegie |
|---|---|---|
| Bristol |
Ashton Gate Attendance: 3,467 Referee: Craig Maxwell-Keys |
24 January 2015 14:00 |
| Doncaster Knights | 38 – 17 | Munster A |
|---|---|---|
| Munster |
Castle Park Attendance: 1,174 Referee: Dan Jones |
24 January 2015 14:00 |
| Rotherham Titans | 32 – 51 | Leinster A |
|---|---|---|
| Leinster |
Clifton Lane Attendance: 1,167 Referee: Craig Evans |
Semi-finals
13 March 2015 19:45 |
| Worcester Warriors | 15 – 13 | Leinster A |
|---|---|---|
| Leinster |
Sixways Stadium Attendance: 3,760 Referee: Craig Evans |
14 March 2015 14:00 |
| Doncaster Knights | 27 – 22 | Bristol |
|---|---|---|
| Bristol |
Castle Park Attendance: 785 Referee: Andrew Jackson |
Final
Total season attendances
- Does not include Welsh qualification matches.
| Club | Home Games |
Total | Average | Highest | Lowest | % Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aberavon | 3 | 1,530 | 510 | 830 | 250 | 17% |
| Bedford Blues | 3 | 6,645 | 2,215 | 2,425 | 2,002 | 37% |
| Bristol Rugby | 4 | 21,475 | 5,369 | 7,640 | 3,467 | 25% |
| Carmathen Quins | 3 | 800 | 267 | 400 | 200 | 5% |
| Connacht Eagles | 2[n 1] | 459 | 230 | 250 | 209 | 3% |
| Cornish Pirates | 3 | 3,758 | 1,253 | 1,320 | 1,149 | 36% |
| Cross Keys | 3 | 1,251 | 417 | 650 | 200 | 14% |
| Doncaster Knights | 6 | 9,051 | 1,509 | 3,115 | 785 | 30% |
| Jersey | 3 | 5,653 | 1,884 | 2,204 | 1,695 | 38% |
| Leinster A | 3 | 2,286 | 762 | 827 | 720 | 13% |
| London Scottish | 3 | 4,544 | 1,515 | 1,640 | 1,296 | 34% |
| Moseley | 3 | 2,677 | 892 | 1,483 | 250 | 30% |
| Munster A | 3 | 1,585 | 528 | 600 | 435 | 52% |
| Nottingham Rugby | 3 | 2,444 | 815 | 1,119 | 569 | 13% |
| Plymouth Albion | 3 | 2,945 | 982 | 1,047 | 875 | 12% |
| Pontypridd | 3 | 9,900 | 3,300 | 5,800 | 1,500 | 42% |
| Rotherham Titans | 4 | 4,081 | 1,020 | 1,167 | 827 | 41% |
| Ulster Ravens | 3 | 1,150 | 383 | 600 | 150 | 19% |
| Worcester Warriors | 5 | 26,579 | 5,316 | 6,916 | 3,760 | 44% |
| Yorkshire Carnegie | 3 | 1,996 | 665 | 864 | 482 | 36% |
- No attendance found for the game between Connacht Eagles and Pontypridd so Connacht only had 2 home game attendances listed.
Individual statistics
- Note if players are tied on tries or points the player with the lowest number of appearances will come first. Also note that points scorers includes tries as well as conversions, penalties and drop goals.
Top points scorers
|
Top try scorers
|
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Notes
- Jersey is listed in the English section because they play in the English RFU Championship.
References
- "Scots pull out of B&I Cup". The RUGBYPaper. Greenways Publishing. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
- "Worcester Warriors win 2014/15 British & Irish Cup final". England Rugby. RFU. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
- "2014-15 British and Irish Cup fixtures". Rugby Week. Archived from the original on 25 June 2014. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
- Smart, Chris (31 August 2014). "B&I Cup round-up". The RUGBYPaper (311).
- "British & Irish Cup". The RUGBYPaper (325). Rugby Paper Ltd. 7 December 2014. pp. 28–29 & 38.
- "British & Irish Cup". The RUGBYPaper (326). Rugby Paper Ltd. 14 December 2014. pp. 28–29 & 38.
- "Cornish Pirates v Bedford Blues". Bedford Blues. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
- "Cornish Pirates To Seek Legal Advice". Cornish Pirates. Archived from the original on 27 October 2014. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
- "Cornish Pirates fail to overturn British & Irish Cup punishment". BBC. 11 November 2014. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
- "British & Irish Cup". The RUGBYPaper (332). Rugby Paper Ltd. 25 January 2015. pp. 26–27 & 36.
- "British & Irish Cup 14/15 Leading top scorers". Rugby Statbunker. 5 April 2015.
- "British & Irish Cup 14/15 Leading try scorers". Rugby Statbunker. 5 April 2015.
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