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.

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

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)
FB15 Charlie Sharples 64'
RW14 Jonny May
OC13 Bill Meakes
IC12 Billy Twelvetrees (c)
LW11 Henry Purdy 50'
FH10 James Hook
SH9 Greig Laidlaw
N88 Ross Moriarty 71' 88'
OF7 Dan Thomas 33' 44' 65'
BF6 Jacob Rowan
RL5 Tom Palmer
LL4 Tom Savage
TP3 John Afoa 33' to 43' 88'
HK2 Richard Hibbard 59'
LP1 Nick Wood 65'
Replacements:
HK16 Darren Dawidiuk 59'
PR17 Yann Thomas 65'
PR18 Shaun Knight 33' 44' 88'
LK19 Elliott Stooke 71'
FL20 Lewis Ludlow 65' 88'
SH21 Dan Robson 64'
FH22 Billy Burns
FB23 Rob Cook 50'
Coach:
David Humphreys
FB15 Tiernan O'Halloran 65'
RW14 Fionn Carr 75'
OC13 Robbie Henshaw
IC12 Bundee Aki
LW11 Matt Healy
FH10 Jack Carty
SH9 John Cooney 64'
N88 Eoin McKeon 71'
OF7 Eoghan Masterson 55' to 65' 33' 44'
BF6 John Muldoon (c)
RL5 Aly Muldowney
LL4 George Naoupu 54'
TP3 Rodney Ah You 54'
HK2 Tom McCartney 70' 79' 90'
LP1 Denis Buckley 33' to 43'
Replacements:
HK16 Dave Heffernan 94' to 100' 70' 79' to 90'
PR17 JP Cooney 33' 44'
PR18 Finlay Bealham 54'
LK19 Andrew Browne 54'
FL20 James Connolly 71'
SH21 Ian Porter 64'
FH22 Miah Nikora 75'
CE23 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)
FB15 Rob Cook
RW14 Charlie Sharples
OC13 Bill Meakes 66'
IC12 Billy Twelvetrees (c)
LW11 Henry Purdy
FH10 James Hook
SH9 Greig Laidlaw
N88 Ross Moriarty
OF7 Jacob Rowan 58'
BF6 Sione Kalamafoni 45' 56' 71'
RL5 Tom Palmer
LL4 Tom Savage
TP3 John Afoa 45' to 55'
HK2 Richard Hibbard 59'
LP1 Nick Wood 58'
Replacements:
HK16 Darren Dawidiuk 59'
PR17 Yann Thomas 58'
PR18 Shaun Knight 45' 56'
LK19 Elliott Stooke 71'
N820 Dan Thomas 58'
SH21 Callum Braley
FH22 Billy Burns
FB23 Steve McColl 66'
Coach:
David Humphreys
FB15 Lionel Beauxis 46'
RW14 Metuisela Talebula
OC13 Félix Le Bourhis
IC12 Julien Rey
LW11 Blair Connor
FH10 Pierre Bernard
SH9 Heini Adams 56'
N88 Peter Saili
OF7 Hugh Chalmers 45' 56'
BF6 Louis-Benoît Madaule (c) 56'
RL5 Berend Botha 36'
LL4 Jandré Marais
TP3 Patrick Toetu 40'
HK2 Ole Avei 69'
LP1 Jefferson Poirot 45' to 55' 56' 71'
Replacements:
HK16 Clément Maynadier 69'
PR17 Jean-Baptiste Poux 45' 71'
PR18 Francisco Gómez Kodela 40'
LK19 Adam Jaulhac 36'
N820 Matthew Clarkin 56'
SH21 Yann Lesgourgues 56'
CE22 Jayden Spence
FB23 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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