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2016–17 European Rugby Challenge Cup
The 2016–17 European Rugby Challenge Cup was the third edition of the European Rugby Challenge Cup, an annual second-tier rugby union competition for professional clubs. Clubs from six European nations plus one Russian club competed. It was also the 21st season of the Challenge Cup competition in all forms, following on from the now defunct European Challenge Cup. Montpellier were the reigning champions, having beaten Harlequins in the final of the 2015–16 European Rugby Challenge Cup. They did not defend their title as they automatically qualified for the 2016–17 European Rugby Champions Cup as a result of the win. The first round of the group stage began on the weekend of 13/14/15/16 October 2016, and the competition ended with the final on 12 May 2017 in Edinburgh. Stade Français won the final 25–17 against Gloucester. Teams 20 teams qualified for the 2016–17 European Rugby Challenge Cup; a total of 18 qualified from across the Premiership, Pro12 and Top 14, as ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Round-robin Tournament
A round-robin tournament or all-play-all tournament is a competition format in which each contestant meets every other participant, usually in turn.''Webster's Third New International Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged'' (1971, G. & C. Merriam Co), p.1980. A round-robin contrasts with an elimination tournament, wherein participants are eliminated after a certain number of wins or losses. Terminology The term ''round-robin'' is derived from the French term ('ribbon'). Over time, the term became idiomized to ''robin''. In a ''single round-robin'' schedule, each participant plays every other participant once. If each participant plays all others twice, this is frequently called a ''double round-robin''. The term is rarely used when all participants play one another more than twice, and is never used when one participant plays others an unequal number of times, as is the case in almost all of the major North American professional sports leagues. In the United Kingdom, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Top 14
The Top 14 () is a professional rugby union club competition that is played in France. Created in 1892, the Top 14 is at the top of the national league system operated by the National Rugby League (France), France National Rugby League, also known by its French initialism of LNR. There is promotion and relegation between the Top 14 and the next level down, the Pro D2. The fourteen best rugby teams in France participate in the competition, hence the name Top 14. The competition was previously known as the Top 16. The league is one of the three major professional leagues in Europe (along with the English Premiership Rugby, Premiership and the United Rugby Championship, which brings together top clubs from Ireland, Wales, Scotland, Italy and South Africa), from which the most successful teams go forward to compete in the European Rugby Champions Cup, the championship which replaced the Heineken Cup after the 2013–14 Pro12, 2013–14 season. The first ever final took place in 1 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stade Rochelais
Stade Rochelais (), commonly called La Rochelle, is a French professional rugby union club based in La Rochelle, France that competes in the Top 14. Founded in 1898 and wearing yellow and black, the club's first-team plays its home matches at Stade Marcel-Deflandre. Alongside other French club Brive, La Rochelle is one of only two clubs that won the European Rugby Champions Cup (twice in its case; beating Leinster in both 2022 and 2023 finals) without succeeding in winning its domestic championship losing on both occasions against Toulouse in the final: the first time in 2021 and the second in 2023. Owned by several shareholders, including club president and coffee magnate Vincent Merling, the club is renowned for the fervour of its supporters and its continual sold-out home matches. History Originally formed in 1898, Stade Rochelais won three regional Atlantic championships in the early part of the 20th century, qualifying them for the French Championship, where they rea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
CA Brive
Club Athlétique Brive Corrèze Limousin, also referred to as CA Brive, Brive () or CAB, is a French professional rugby union club based in Brive-la-Gaillarde, in the Corrèze, Corrèze department. Brive is a historical member of French rugby union, being one of the clubs that spent the most seasons in the top French domestic competition. "''Les Coujous''" also won the Heineken Cup in 1996–97 Heineken Cup, 1997, defeating Leicester Tigers in the 1997 Heineken Cup Final, final in a 28–9 win. Many great players, both French and foreign, played for the club currently headed by Simon Gillham, and the youth academy has a good reputation. Brive players who also on to play for France national rugby union team, France include: Amédée Domenech, nicknamed "Le Duc" ("The Duke") who played there in the 1950s and 60s, and gave his name to the stadium after his death in 2003; prolific flanker Olivier Magne, fly-halves Christophe Lamaison and Alain Penaud, number-eight Jean-Luc Joinel and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bristol Bears
Bristol Bears (officially Bristol Rugby Club or Bristol Rugby) are a professional rugby union club based in Bristol, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby. The club was founded as Bristol Football Club in 1888; between 1921 and 2014, home matches were played at the Memorial Stadium (Bristol), Memorial Ground, and have since been played at Ashton Gate Stadium in the south-west of the city. The current head coach Pat Lam was appointed in 2017. In the 2024-25 Premiership Rugby, 2024–25 season Bristol finished 4th, losing in the play off semi-finals, entitling them to compete in the 2025-26 European Rugby Champions Cup. In 2018, the club rebranded as Bristol Bears; between 2001 and 2005 the club were known as Bristol Shoguns due to a sponsorship deal with Mitsubishi. Bristol won the 1982–83 John Player Cup, 1983 John Player Cup and have also won England's second division four times, most recently in 2017–18 RFU Championship, 2017–18. I ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Newcastle Falcons
Newcastle Falcons is a rugby union team that play in Premiership Rugby, England's highest division of rugby union. The club was established in 1877 as the Gosforth Football Club. Around 1882 the club merged with the Northumberland Football Club and briefly assumed their name until 1887. In 1990, the name was changed to Newcastle Gosforth and the club began to play at Kingston Park stadium in Kingston Park, Newcastle upon Tyne. In 1996, following the start of professionalism the club briefly adopted the name Newcastle Rugby Club before adopting its current name. Newcastle have won five major titles. They won the Premiership in 1998 and four domestic cups in 1976, 1977, 2001 and 2004. Newcastle was the only English club of Jonny Wilkinson, where he played from 1997 to 2009, and as well as Wilkinson in 2003 Newcastle saw three players in the 2007 Rugby World Cup Final with Mathew Tait starting and Toby Flood appearing from the bench. Mark Wilson played in the 2019 Rug ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Worcester Warriors
Worcester Warriors are a professional rugby union club based in Worcester, England. They most recently played in Premiership Rugby, the top division of English rugby union, before being suspended by the Rugby Football Union, RFU in September 2022 due to financial insolvency. Following a period of administration, the club was reformed and is set to and will play in RFU Championship, Champ Rugby from the 2025–26 Champ Rugby, 2025–26 season. Overview Using the colours gold and blue, they are based in Worcester, England. In 1975, the team moved to Sixways Stadium, located to the north of the city. Placed in the eighth tier of English rugby with the advent of the English rugby union league competition, the club were able to build a strong team due to extensive financial support from their backer and chairman Cecil Duckworth, being promoted repeatedly through the league system. Worcester were first promoted to the highest tier, the Premiership, in 2004, and returned there on two ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bath Rugby
Bath Rugby is a professional rugby union club in Bath, Somerset, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby. Founded in 1865 as Bath Football Club, since 1894 the club has played at the Recreation Ground, Bath, Recreation Ground in the city centre. Bath Rugby is the joint most successful club in England, having won 21 major trophies. It was particularly successful between 1984 and 1998, when it won 10 Premiership Rugby Cup, Domestic Cups, 6 of it's 7 Premiership Rugby, League titles, and became the first English side to win the European Rugby Champions Cup, European Cup in 1998 Heineken Cup final, 1998. In 2007–08 European Challenge Cup, 2008 and 2024–25 EPCR Challenge Cup, 2025, Bath also won the EPCR Challenge Cup, European Challenge Cup, the continent's second-tier competition. Bath is one of only three clubs never to have been relegated from the top division of English rugby. Bath finished 2nd in the 2023–24 Premiership Rugby season, los ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
European Rugby Challenge Cup Qualifying Competition
The European Rugby Continental Shield (formerly the European Rugby Challenge Cup Qualifying Competition) was a rugby union competition, organised by European Professional Club Rugby, Rugby Europe and the Federazione Italiana Rugby, for entry into the European Rugby Challenge Cup. The Qualifying Competition was first announced in April 2014, at the same time as the announcement of the creation of the European Rugby Champions Cup and Challenge Cup competitions. The tournament featured teams from non-EPCR countries, such as Spain, Germany, Belgium, Romania, Georgia, Russia and Portugal, as well as select Italian Eccellenza clubs. In 2016–17, the qualification competition also became a European Rugby competition in its own right, the third tier European Rugby Continental Shield, with both successful play-off teams meeting in a final as a part of European Rugby Finals weekend. Both editions of the Shield final were won by Russian club Enisey-STM. The competition is the first thi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2015 Rugby World Cup
The IRB 2015 Rugby World Cup was the eighth Rugby World Cup, the quadrennial rugby union world championship. The tournament was hosted by England from 18 September to 31 October. Of the 20 countries competing in the World Cup in 2011, there was only one change: Uruguay national rugby union team, Uruguay replaced Russia national rugby union team, Russia. This was the first World Cup with no new teams to the tournament. Reigning champions New Zealand national rugby union team, New Zealand won the cup and defended their title by defeating Australia national rugby union team, Australia 34–17 in the 2015 Rugby World Cup final, final; South Africa national rugby union team, South Africa defeated Argentina national rugby union team, Argentina to take third place. This was the first Rugby World Cup where no Northern Hemisphere team got beyond the quarter-finals. New Zealand were the first team to retain their title and the first to win for a third time. The highly contested 2015 Rugb ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2015–16 Pro12
The 2015–16 Pro12 (also known as the ''Guinness Pro12'' for sponsorship reasons) was the fifteenth season of the professional rugby union competition originally known as the Celtic League, and the sixth with its current four-country format. it was the second season to be referred to as the '' Guinness Pro12''. The twelve competing teams were the four Irish teams: Connacht, Leinster, Munster and Ulster; two Italian teams: Benetton Treviso and Zebre; two Scottish teams: Edinburgh and Glasgow Warriors and four Welsh teams: Cardiff Blues, Newport Gwent Dragons, Ospreys and Scarlets. The first stage involved the twelve teams playing home and away in a league format with the top four sides qualifying for the semi-finals. The semi finals were one legged affairs with 1st playing 4th and 2nd playing 3rd and the higher ranked team gaining home advantage. The winners of the semi-finals proceeded to the Pro12 final, held at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh, Scotland. Glasgow were ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2015–16 Rugby Pro D2 Season
The 2015–16 Rugby Pro D2 was the second-level French rugby union club competition, behind the Top 14, for the 2015–16 season. It ran alongside the 2015–16 Top 14 competition; both competitions are operated by the Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR). Teams Changes in the lineup from 2014–15 were: * Pau won the 2014–15 Pro D2 title and were thereby automatically promoted to the Top 14. Agen won the promotion playoffs to secure the second promotion place. * The bottom finisher in 2014–15, Massy was relegated from Pro D2 to Fédérale 1. * The two bottom finishers in the 2014–15 Top 14 season, Bayonne and Lyon OU, were relegated to Pro D2. * The Fédérale 1 champion Provence Rugby earned promotion. Competition format The top team at the end of the regular season (after all the teams played one another twice, once at home, once away), is declared champion and earns a spot in the next Top 14 season. Teams ranked second to fifth compete in promotion playoffs, wi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
