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

2015–16 European Rugby Champions–Challenge Cup play-offs
Event	European Rugby Champions Cup Qualification Play-off
Date	23 and 30 May 2015
	← 2014–15 2017–18 →

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 edit

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.^{[citation needed]}

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.^{[citation needed]}

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.^{[citation needed]}

Teams edit

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 edit

Match 1 edit

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)


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 advanced to play Bordeaux Bègles. Connacht went on to compete in the 2015–16 European Rugby Challenge Cup.

Match 2 edit

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)


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 qualified for the 2015–16 European Rugby Champions Cup. Gloucester played in the 2015–16 European Rugby Challenge Cup.

References edit

^ "European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR)". epcrugby.com. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
^ "European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR)". epcrugby.com. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
^ "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.
^ 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.
^ "Champions Cup play-off: Gloucester 40-32 Connacht". 24 May 2015. Retrieved 14 September 2017 – via www.bbc.com.
^ "European Rugby Champions Cup: Gloucester 22-23 Bordeaux-Begles". 31 May 2015. Retrieved 14 September 2017 – via www.bbc.com.

[playoff-1] "European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR)". epcrugby.com. Retrieved 14 September 2017.

[2] "European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR)". epcrugby.com. Retrieved 14 September 2017.

[RTÉ-Kingsholm01-3] "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.

[Citizen-Kingsholm01-4] 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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