The 2009–10 British and Irish Cup was the first season of the annual rugby union competition for second tier, semi-professional clubs from Britain and Ireland. First round matches began on Friday 20 November 2009 and the final was held on Sunday 16 May 2010.
| 2009–10 British and Irish Cup | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Countries |  England Ireland Scotland Wales |
| Tournament format(s) | Round-robin and knockout |
| Date | November 2009 – May 2010 |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Teams | 24 |
| Matches played | 63 |
| Attendance | 103,545 (1,644 per match) |
| Tries scored | 321 (5.1 per match) |
| Final | |
| Venue | Recreation Ground, Camborne |
| Attendance | 4,240 |
| Champions | Cornish Pirates (1st title) |
| Runners-up | Munster A |
The first competition was heavily criticised, with one reporter describing it as 'dismal'.[1]
A total of 24 teams from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales competed in the inaugural competition. Cornish Pirates lifted the cup, defeating Munster A 23–14 in the final.
Teams edit
The allocation of teams was as follows:
– 12 teams from the RFU Championship
– 3 Irish provinces represented by 'A' teams
– 3 Scottish sides, 2 top clubs from the Scottish Premiership and Gael Force, a side made up of a combination of National Academy players
– 6 top clubs from the Principality Premiership
| England
|
Ireland
|
Scotland
|
Wales
|
|---|---|---|---|
Competition format edit
The teams were divided into four pools of six, playing over five weekends during the Autumn International and Six Nations windows. The four pool winners contested a knock-out stage, with semi-finals on 24 and 25 April and the final on 16 May.[2][3]
Pool stages edit
Pool A edit
| Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TB | LB | Pts | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cornish Pirates
|
5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 112 | 66 | 46 | 15 | 2 | 1 | 19 | ||
| Leinster A
|
5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 89 | 65 | 24 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 18 | ||
| Newport
|
5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 81 | 54 | 27 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 16 | ||
| Exeter Chiefs
|
5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 82 | 82 | 0 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 10 | ||
| Plymouth Albion
|
5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 55 | 58 | -3 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 8 | ||
| Gael Force
|
5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 35 | 129 | -94 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 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 | |||||||||||||
| 22 November 2009 14:00 |
| Cornish Pirates | 29 – 8 | Gael Force |
| Stats |
| Camborne Recreation Ground Attendance: 2,370 |
| 13 February 2010 15:00 |
| Plymouth Albion | 9 – 13 | Cornish Pirates |
| Stats |
| Brickfields Stadium Attendance: 2,413 |
Pool B edit
| Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TB | LB | Pts | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Munster A
|
5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 111 | 41 | 70 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 22 | ||
| Bristol
|
5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 122 | 74 | 48 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 18 | ||
| Nottingham
|
5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 81 | 59 | 22 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 14 | ||
| Neath
|
5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 93 | 98 | -5 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 11 | ||
| Coventry
|
5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 126 | 144 | -18 | 20 | 2 | 2 | 8 | ||
| Heriot's FP
|
5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 54 | 171 | -117 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 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 | |||||||||||||
Pool C edit
| Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TB | LB | Pts | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ulster Ravens
|
5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 165 | 62 | 103 | 22 | 3 | 0 | 21 | ||
| London Welsh
|
5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 137 | 78 | 59 | 18 | 3 | 1 | 20 | ||
| Bedford Blues
|
5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 92 | 94 | -2 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 13 | ||
| Aberavon
|
5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 51 | 131 | -80 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 9 | ||
| Llanelli
|
5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 106 | 117 | -11 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 8 | ||
| Moseley
|
5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 69 | 138 | -69 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 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 | |||||||||||||
Pool D edit
| Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TB | LB | Pts | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Doncaster
|
5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 163 | 58 | 105 | 22 | 5 | 0 | 25 | ||
| Cardiff
|
5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 147 | 124 | 23 | 20 | 3 | 0 | 19 | ||
| Rotherham
|
5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 147 | 127 | 20 | 19 | 3 | 1 | 12 | ||
| Ayr
|
5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 132 | 111 | 21 | 14 | 1 | 2 | 11 | ||
| Pontypridd
|
5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 99 | 124 | -25 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 10 | ||
| Birmingham & Solihull
|
5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 76 | 220 | -144 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 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 | |||||||||||||
Knock-out stages edit
Qualifiers edit
The four pool winners proceeded to the knock out stages.
| Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TB | LB | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pool D Winner | Doncaster
|
5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 163 | 58 | 105 | 22 | 5 | 0 | 25 |
| Pool B Winner | Munster A
|
5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 111 | 41 | 70 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 22 |
| Pool C Winner | Ulster Ravens
|
5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 165 | 62 | 103 | 22 | 3 | 0 | 21 |
| Pool A Winner | Cornish Pirates
|
5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 112 | 66 | 46 | 15 | 2 | 1 | 19 |
| Semi-finals | Final | |||||
| 25 April 2010 - Camborne | ||||||
| Cornish Pirates | 43 | |||||
| 16 May 2010 - Camborne | ||||||
| Doncaster | 5 | |||||
| Cornish Pirates | 23 | |||||
| 24 April 2010 - Thomond Park | ||||||
| Munster A | 14 | |||||
| Munster A | 27 | |||||
| Ulster Ravens | 3 | |||||
Semi-finals edit
| 24 April 2010 15:30 |
| Munster A | 27 – 3 | Ulster Ravens |
| Try: J Manning (2), D Williams, S Archer Con: D Cusack (2/4) Pen: D Cusack (1) | Report Stats | Pen: J McKinney (1) |
| Thomond Park, Limerick Attendance: 24,112 |
| 25 April 2010 15:00 |
| Cornish Pirates | 43 – 5 | Doncaster |
| Try: Davies, Bentley, Morgan, Cattle, Jackson, McGlone Con: Bently (5/6) Pen: Bently | Report | Try: Armitage |
| Recreation Ground, Camborne Attendance: 2,327 Referee: Llyr Ap Geraint Roberts |
Final edit
| 16 May 2010 18:00 |
| Cornish Pirates | 23 – 14 | Munster A |
| Try: Winn, McAtee Con: Bentley (2/2) Pen: Bentley (3) | Report Stats | Try: Barnes Pen: Cusack (3) |
| Recreation Ground, Camborne Attendance: 4,240 Referee: Leighton Hodges |
Geography edit
Locations of the 2009-10 British and Irish Cup teams
References edit
- ^ Brian Dick (25 February 2010). "Taxing times for clubs struggling in rugby's Championship". Birmingham Post. Archived from the original on 3 November 2010. Retrieved 3 March 2010.
- ^ "New British & Irish Cup announced". RTÉ Sport. 6 May 2009. Archived from the original on 9 May 2009. Retrieved 7 May 2009.
- ^ "Home unions devise British & Irish Cup". The Daily Telegraph. 6 May 2009. Retrieved 7 May 2009.