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
editThe 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
editThe 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
editPool A
edit| Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | T | 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 |
Updated to match(es) played on unknown. Source: [citation needed]
Rules for classification: 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
Rules for classification: 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 | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | T | 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 |
Updated to match(es) played on unknown. Source: [citation needed]
Rules for classification: 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
Rules for classification: 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 | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | T | 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 |
Updated to match(es) played on unknown. Source: [citation needed]
Rules for classification: 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
Rules for classification: 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 | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | T | 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 |
Updated to match(es) played on unknown. Source: [citation needed]
Rules for classification: 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
Rules for classification: 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
editQualifiers
editThe four pool winners proceeded to the knock out stages.
| Grp | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | T | TB | LB | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D | Doncaster
|
5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 163 | 58 | +105 | 22 | 5 | 0 | 25 |
| B | Munster A
|
5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 111 | 41 | +70 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 22 |
| C | Ulster Ravens
|
5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 165 | 62 | +103 | 22 | 3 | 0 | 21 |
| A | Cornish Pirates
|
5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 112 | 66 | +46 | 15 | 2 | 1 | 19 |
Source: [citation needed]
| 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.