2023–24 EPCR Challenge Cup

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Not to be confused with 2023–24 European Rugby Champions Cup.

2023–24 EPCR Challenge Cup
Tournament details
Countries England
 France
 Georgia
 Ireland
 Italy
 Scotland
 South Africa
 Wales
Tournament format(s)Round-robin and knockout
Date8 December 2023 – 24 May 2024
Tournament statistics
Teams18 pool stage plus 4 knockout.
Matches played47
Attendance332,850 (7,082 per match)
Highest attendance17,233 – Black Lion v Clermont
20 January 2023
Lowest attendance1,600 – Zebre Parma v Cheetahs
9 December 2023
Tries scored275 (5.85 per match)
Top point scorer(s)South Africa Ruan Pienaar (Cheetahs)
54 points
Top try scorer(s)Fiji Onisi Ratave (Benetton)
6 tries
Final
VenueTottenham Hotspur Stadium, London
← 2022–23 (Previous)
(Next) 2024–25 →

The 2023–24 EPCR Challenge Cup is the 10th edition of the EPCR Challenge Cup, an annual second-tier rugby union competition for professional clubs. Including the predecessor competition, the original European Challenge Cup, this is the 28th edition of European club rugby's second-tier competition.

The tournament commenced in December 2023, and will conclude with the final on 24 May 2024 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, England.[1]

This is the second year that teams from South Africa can qualify, following the second United Rugby Championship season. Two teams have been invited from outside the three main European professional leagues; The Black Lion from Tbilisi, Georgia are current holders of the Rugby Europe Super Cup, the third-tier competition in European rugby administered by Rugby Europe, and Cheetahs the current holders of the Currie Cup, South Africa's second tier and most historic national competition. Originally not represented in the Challenge Cup, two Irish teams, Ulster and Connacht, joined in the play-off rounds, having dropped down for the Champions Cup.

Teams[edit]

Sixteen teams qualified for the 2023–24 EPCR Challenge Cup from Premiership Rugby, the Top 14 and the United Rugby Championship as a direct result of their domestic league performance having not qualified for the Heineken Champions Cup. Plus two invited sides making 18 teams.[2]

The distribution of teams are:

Entry Point Premiership Top 14 United Rugby Championship Invited
— EnglandEngland FranceFrance  Ireland Italy Italy ScotlandScotland Wales Wales South Africa South Africa Georgia (country) Georgia
Pool stage —
Knockout stage — — — — — —

Team details[edit]

Team Coach /
Director of Rugby 		Captain Stadium Capacity Method of qualification
Entering at Pool stage
Italy Benetton Italy Marco Bortolami South Africa Dewaldt Duvenage
Italy Michele Lamaro 		Stadio Comunale di Monigo 5,000 URC bottom eight
Georgia (country) Black Lion Georgia (country) Levan Maisashvili Georgia (country) Merab Sharikadze Mikheil Meskhi Stadium 27,223 Invited[a]
France Castres Ireland Jeremy Davidson France Mathieu Babillot Stade Pierre-Fabre 12,500 Top 14 bottom 6
South Africa Cheetahs South Africa Hawies Fourie South Africa Victor Sekekete South Africa Free State Stadium 46,000 Invited[b]
Netherlands NRCA Stadium 5,000
France Clermont France Christophe Urios France Arthur Iturria Stade Marcel-Michelin 19,022 Top 14 bottom 6
Wales Dragons Wales Dai Flanagan Wales Steffan Hughes Rodney Parade 8,700 URC bottom eight
Scotland Edinburgh South Africa Sean Everitt Scotland Grant Gilchrist
Scotland Jamie Ritchie 		Edinburgh Rugby Stadium 7,800 URC bottom eight
England Gloucester England George Skivington England Lewis Ludlow Kingsholm 16,115 Premiership bottom 2
South Africa Lions South Africa Ivan van Rooyen South Africa Marius Louw Emirates Airline Park 62,567 URC bottom eight
France Montpellier England Richard Cockerill[c]
France Patrice Collazo[c] 		France Paul Willemse GGL Stadium 15,697 Top 14 bottom 6
England Newcastle Falcons England Alex Codling[d]
England Micky Ward (interim)[d] 		England Callum Chick Kingston Park 11,200 Premiership bottom 2
Wales Ospreys England Toby Booth Wales Justin Tipuric Swansea.com Stadium 22,200 URC bottom eight
France Oyonnax England Joe El Abd France Tommy Raynaud Stade Charles-Mathon 11,500 Pro D2 Champions
France Pau France Sébastien Piqueronies Georgia (country) Beka Gorgadze Stade du Hameau 18,324 Top 14 bottom 6
France Perpignan France Franck Azéma France Mathieu Acebes Stade Aimé Giral 14,593 Top 14 bottom 6
Wales Scarlets Wales Dwayne Peel Wales Josh Macleod Parc y Scarlets 14,870 URC bottom eight
South Africa Sharks New Zealand John Plumtree South Africa Lukhanyo Am Hollywoodbets Kings Park Stadium 54,000 URC bottom eight[e]
Italy Zebre Parma Italy Fabio Roselli Italy Dave Sisi Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi 5,000 URC bottom eight
Entering at Knockout Stage (transferred from Champions Cup)
France Bayonne France Grégory Patat France Denis Marchois Stade Jean-Dauger 14,370 Champions Cup Pool C 5th place
Ireland Connacht England Peter Wilkins Ireland Jack Carty Galway Sportsgrounds 8,129 Champions Cup Pool A 5th place
England Sale Sharks England Alex Sanderson England Ben Curry Salford Community Stadium 12,000 Champions Cup Pool D 5th place
Ireland Ulster Ireland Richie Murphy Ireland Iain Henderson Ravenhill Stadium 18,196 Champions Cup Pool B 5th place

Pool stage[edit]

Main article: 2023–24 EPCR Challenge Cup pool stage

Teams were awarded four points for a win, two for a draw, one for scoring four tries in a game, and one for losing by less than eight points.

Pool 1[edit]

EPCR Challenge Cup Pool 1
Team
 P W D L PF PA Diff TF TA TB LB Pts
South Africa Sharks (1) 4 3 0 1 141 53 +88 21 6 4 1 17
France Pau (6) 4 3 0 1 90 113 –23 10 15 0 0 12
South Africa Cheetahs (13) 4 2 0 2 112 105 +7 14 13 2 1 11
Italy Zebre Parma (16) 4 2 0 2 83 92 –9 11 9 1 1 10
Wales Dragons 4 1 0 3 71 80 –9 7 12 1 2 7
France Oyonnax 4 1 0 3 56 110 –54 8 16 1 1 6
Green background indicates qualification places for a home Challenge Cup round of 16.
Blue background indicates top two third-placed teams who also qualify for a home Challenge Cup round of 16.
Yellow background indicated other teams qualified for the Challenge Cup round of 16.
Plain background (rows 5 to 6) indicates teams eliminated from 2023–24 European competition.
Starting table — source: EPCR


Pool 2[edit]

EPCR Challenge Cup Pool 2
Team
 P W D L PF PA Diff TF TA TB LB Pts
Italy Benetton Rugby (3) 4 3 0 1 147 87 +60 19 12 3 0 15
France Montpellier (5) 4 3 0 1 94 54 +40 15 7 2 0 14
Wales Ospreys (7) 4 3 0 1 111 103 +8 15 14 2 0 14
South Africa Lions (14) 4 2 0 2 94 76 +18 10 8 2 0 10
England Newcastle Falcons 4 1 0 3 82 139 –57 8 20 0 1 5
France Perpignan 4 0 0 4 45 114 –69 4 10 0 0 0
Green background indicates qualification places for a home Challenge Cup round of 16.
Blue background indicates top two third-placed teams who also qualify for a home Challenge Cup round of 16.
Yellow background indicated other teams qualified for the Challenge Cup round of 16.
Plain background (rows 5 to 6) indicates teams eliminated from 2023–24 European competition.
Starting table — source: EPCR


Pool 3[edit]

EPCR Challenge Cup Pool 3
Team
 P W D L PF PA Diff TF TA TB LB Pts
England Gloucester (2) 4 4 0 0 99 52 +47 9 7 1 0 17
France Clermont (4) 4 3 0 1 122 66 +56 17 7 3 0 15
Scotland Edinburgh (8) 4 2 0 2 103 92 +11 15 12 2 1 11
France Castres (15) 4 2 0 2 88 91 –3 13 10 2 0 10
Georgia (country) Black Lion 4 1 0 3 42 86 –44 3 10 0 1 5
Wales Scarlets 4 0 0 4 59 126 –67 7 18 0 0 0
Green background indicates qualification places for a home Challenge Cup round of 16.
Blue background indicates top two third-placed teams who also qualify for a home Challenge Cup round of 16.
Yellow background indicated other teams qualified for the Challenge Cup round of 16.
Plain background (rows 5 to 6) indicates teams eliminated from 2023–24 European competition.
Starting table — source: EPCR


Knockout stage[edit]

The knockout stage will be played with a single-leg round of 16 matches consisting of the top four teams from each pool and the teams ranked 5th in each pool of the 2023–24 European Rugby Champions Cup. The Round of 16 will follow a pre-determined format, while the quarter-finals and semi-finals will guarantee home advantage to the higher-ranked team.

Seeding[edit]

Rank Team Pts Diff TF
Pool leaders
1 South Africa Sharks 17 +88 21
2 England Gloucester 17 +47 9
3 Italy Benetton Rugby 15 +60 19
Pool runners-up
4 France Clermont 15 +56 17
5 France Montpellier 14 +40 15
6 France Pau 12 –23 10
Top two third placed teams
7 Wales Ospreys 14 +8 15
8 Scotland Edinburgh 11 +11 15
Champions Cup teams
9 France Bayonne 8 –25 11
10 England Sale Sharks 6 –7 13
11 Ireland Connacht 6 –52 13
12 Ireland Ulster 5 –59 12
Third best third placed team
13 South Africa Cheetahs 11 +7 14
Fourth placed teams
14 South Africa Lions 10 +18 10
15 France Castres 10 –3 13
16 Italy Zebre Parma 10 –9 11

Bracket[edit]

Round of 16 Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
            
1 South Africa Sharks 47
16 Italy Zebre Parma 3
1 South Africa Sharks 36
8 Scotland Edinburgh 30
8 Scotland Edinburgh 33
9 France Bayonne 15
1 South Africa Sharks
4 France Clermont
4 France Clermont 27
13 South Africa Cheetahs 22
4 France Clermont 53
12 Ireland Ulster 14
5 France Montpellier 17
12 Ireland Ulster 40
 
 
2 England Gloucester 30
15 France Castres 25
2 England Gloucester 23
7 Wales Ospreys 13
7 Wales Ospreys 23
10 England Sale Sharks 15
2 England Gloucester
3 Italy Benetton
3 Italy Benetton 27
14 South Africa Lions 17
3 Italy Benetton 39
11 Ireland Connacht 24
6 France Pau 30
11 Ireland Connacht 40

Round of 16[edit]

5 April 2024
20:00
Gloucester England (2)30–25(15) France Castres
Try: Mercer 8' c
May 27' c
Llewellyn 31' c
Con: Carreras (3/3) 10', 28', 33'
Pen: Carreras (3/3) 55', 61', 79'		ReportTry: Dumora 1' c
Zarantonello 72' c
Raisuqe 80+2' m
Con: Popelin (2/3) 2', 73'
Pen: Popelin (2/2) 39', 52'
Kingsholm, Gloucester
Attendance: 9,134
Referee: Andrew Brace (Ireland)
6 April 2024
12:30
Clermont France (4)27–22(13) South Africa Cheetahs
Try: Jurand 1' c
Delguy 37' m
Fourcade 41' c
Jauneau 53' m
Con: Belleau (2/4) 2', 42'
Pen: Belleau (1/2) 22'		ReportTry: Qoma (2) 62' c, 72' c
Mafura 68' m
Con: Pienaar (2/3) 63', 73'
Pen: Pienaar (1/1) 11'
Stade Marcel-Michelin, Clermont-Ferrand
Attendance: 13,493
Referee: Sam Grove-White (Scotland)
6 April 2024
17:30
Benetton Italy (3)27–17(14) South Africa Lions
Try: Gallo 8' c
Ratave 33' c
Bernasconi 51' c
Con: Umaga (3/3) 9', 34', 52'
Pen: Albornoz (1/1) 63'		ReportTry: Visagie 2' c
Hendrikse 46' c
Con: Hendrikse (2/2) 3', 47'
Pen: Hendrikse (1/3) 37'
Stadio Comunale di Monigo, Treviso
Attendance: 4,846
Referee: Christophe Ridley (England)
6 April 2024
20:00
Ospreys Wales (7)23–15(10) England Sale Sharks
Try: Morris 32' m
Giles 46' m
Morgan-Williams 48' c
Con: O. Williams (1/3) 49'
Pen: O. Williams (2/4) 25', 78'		ReportTry: Reed 61' m
B. Curry 69' c
Con: R. du Preez (1/2) 69'
Pen: R. du Preez (1/1) 3'
Brewery Field, Bridgend[7]
Attendance: 4,225
Referee: Mathieu Raynal (France)
6 April 2024
20:00
Edinburgh Scotland (8)33–15(9) France Bayonne
Try: Watson 23' m
Currie 42' c
Vellacott (2) 53' c, 56' c
Van der Merwe 67' c
Con: Healy (4/5) 42', 54', 57', 69'		ReportTry: Spring (2) 17' c, 49' m
Con: Spring (1/2) 18'
Pen: Spring (1/1) 48'
Murrayfield, Edinburgh [f]
Attendance: 5,365
Referee: Chris Busby (Ireland)
7 April 2024
12:30
Montpellier France (5)17–40(12) Ireland Ulster
Try: Willemse 9' c
Eymeri 23' c
Con: Foursans-Bourdette (2/2) 10', 24'
Pen: Foursans-Bourdette (1/1) 38'		ReportTry: Addison 27' c
Baloucoune 42' m
Wilson 62' c
McCann 67' c
McCloskey 77' c
Penalty try 80'
Con: Cooney (4/5) 30', 63', 68', 79'
GGL Stadium, Montpellier
Attendance: 5,240
Referee: Ben Whitehouse (Wales)
7 April 2024
15:00
Sharks South Africa (1)47–3(16) Italy Zebre Parma
Try: Tshituka 6' c
Kok 20' c
Rahl 35' c
Fassi 43' c
Buthelezi 56' m
Hooker 64' c
Bosch 74' c
Con: Masuku (5/6) 7', 21', 36', 44', 65'
Bosch (1/1) 75'		ReportPen: Eden (1/1) 5'
Kings Park Stadium, Durban
Attendance: 6,730
Referee: Anthony Woodthorpe (England)
7 April 2024
17:30
Pau France (6)30–40(11) Ireland Connacht
Try: Zegueur (2) 9' c, 38' c
Fisi'ihoi 46' c
Con: Simmonds (3/3) 9', 39', 47'
Pen: Simmonds (2/2) 25', 36'		ReportTry: Heffernan 4' c
Prendergast (2) 14' m, 78' c
Bolton 44' c
Blade 54' c
Aki 64' c
Con: Carty (2/3) 6', 45'
Hanrahan (3/3) 55', 65', 80'
Stade du Hameau, Pau
Attendance: 6,488
Referee: Andrea Piardi (Italy)

Quarter-finals[edit]

12 April 2024
20:00
Gloucester England (2)23–13(7) Wales Ospreys
Try: Blake 30' m
Pen: Carreras (6/6) 6', 18', 34', 50', 60', 65'		ReportTry: Giles 13' c
Con: O. Williams (1/1) 14'
Pen: O. Williams (1/2) 22'
Giles (1/1) 40'
Kingsholm, Gloucester
Attendance: 9,816
Referee: Pierre Brousset (France)
13 April 2024
13:30
Sharks South Africa (1)36–30(8) Scotland Edinburgh
Try: Am 16' c
J. Venter 26' c
Mbonambi 55' c
Con: Makusu (3/3) 17', 27', 56'
Pen: Makusu (4/5) 48', 52', 65', 70'
Bosch (1/1) 78'		ReportTry: Schoeman 31' c
Watson 75' c
Cherry 80+2' c
Con: Healy (3/3) 32', 76', 80+3'
Pen: Healy (3/3) 3', 15', 40'
Kings Park Stadium, Durban
Attendance: 11,894
Referee: Matthew Carley (England)
13 April 2024
13:30
Clermont France (4)53–14(12) Ireland Ulster
Try: Yato (2) 18' c, 68' c
Sowakula (2) 36' c, 59' c
Newsome 44' c
Simmons 63' c
Jurand 79' m
Con: Belleau (4/4) 19', 37', 61', 64'
Delguy (1/1) 45'
Bézy (1/2) 69'
Pen: Belleau (2/3) 28', 32'		ReportTry: Timoney (2) 12' c, 43' c
Con: Cooney (2/2) 13', 45'
Stade Marcel-Michelin, Clermont-Ferrand
Attendance: 13,945
Referee: Christophe Ridley (England)
14 April 2024
13:30
Benetton Italy (3)39–24(11) Ireland Connacht
Try: Gianmarco Lucchesi 5' c
Tommaso Menoncello 12' c, 59' c
Rhyno Smith 19' c
Tomas Albornoz (2) 26' 66'
Con: Tomas Albornoz (1/1) 6'
Jacob Umaga (3/3) 20', 28', 67'

Pen: Jacob Umaga 53', 60'		ReportTry: Dave Heffernan 2' c
Paul Boyle 41' c
Bundee Aki 56' c
Andrew Smith 68'
Con: JJ Hanrahan (2/4) 3', 42'
Stadio Comunale di Monigo, Treviso
Attendance: 4,098
Referee: Mike Adamson (Scotland)

Semi-finals[edit]

4 May 2024
12:30
Sharks South Africa (1)SF 1(4) France Clermont
Twickenham Stoop, London
Referee: Luke Pearce (England)
4 May 2024
15:00
Gloucester England (2)SF 2(3) Italy Benetton
Kingsholm, Gloucester
Referee: Nika Amashukeli (Georgia)

Final[edit]

24 May 2024
20:00
Winner SF 1vWinner SF 2
Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Black Lion are champions of the third-tier Rugby Europe Super Cup competition for European nations outside the Six Nations.[4]
  2. ^ Cheetahs formerly competed in the Pro 12, the earlier incarnation of the United Rugby Championship.[4]
  3. ^ a b Richard Cockerill was sacked in November 2023 after a poor start to the season and replaced by Patrice Collazo.[5]
  4. ^ a b Alex Codling stepped down from his daily duties as Newcastle Falcons head coach at the start of February 2024. Forwards coach Micky Ward took over on an interim basis.[6]
  5. ^ Sharks finished eighth in the URC regular season phase, but were displaced in the Champions Cup by Cardiff Rugby as URC Welsh Shield winners
  6. ^ Edinburgh's game against Bayonne was originally scheduled to be held at the Edinburgh Rugby Stadium but was moved the day of the game to Murrayfield Stadium due to strong winds from Storm Kathleen.[8]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to host 2024 Champions Cup final". Irish Times. 25 April 2023. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  2. ^ "EPCR pool draws for 2023/24 season". EPCR Challenge Cup. European Professional Club Rugby. 16 June 2023. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
  3. ^ "Bristol Bears to replace London Irish in Champions Cup, EPCR confirm". BBC Sport. 9 June 2023. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  4. ^ a b c "European Challenge Cup: Georgian side Black Lion invited into European competition". BBC Sport. 6 July 2023. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  5. ^ "Richard Cockerill is sacked by Montpellier after just seven games". Rugby Pass. 21 November 2023. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  6. ^ "Steve Diamond: Newcastle Falcons appoint ex-Sale and Worcester boss as consultant director of rugby". BBC Sport. 19 January 2024. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  7. ^ "European Challenge Cup: Ospreys to host Sale in Bridgend rather than Swansea". BBC Sport. 25 January 2024. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  8. ^ "Edinburgh's clash with Bayonne moved to Murrayfield". BBC Sport. 6 April 2024. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
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