European Challenge Cup Finals
The final of the European Challenge Cup takes place at The Stoop when Clermont Auvergne meet Bath. We give a brief record of European Challenge Cup finals.
For Clermont Auvergne it will be their third final. Bath's second. Clermont have won once.
The European Conference started a competition in 1996. It has changed name and format since then and is now played in the same way as the Heineken Cup.
In 1996 there were four pools of six sides each. The teams suggest how things have changed - Agen, Montferrand, Sale, Newport, Glasgow and Newbridge; Castres, Narbonne, Dinamo Bucaresti, Bridgend, Bristol and Treorchy; Northampton, Toulon, Connacht, Orrell, Padova, Dunvant; Bourgoin, Begles-Bordeaux, Swansea, Gloucester, Ebbw Vale and London Irish.
The next year La Rochelle, Montpellier, Stade Francais, Dax, Farul Constanta, Nice, Richmond, Toulon, Beziers, Padova, Newcastle, Perpignan, Edinburgh, Castres, Saracens, Narbonne, Neath and Grenoble were in the mix as the format changed to eight pools of four sides each. The year after that Italy joined in.
Spain and Portugal also got involved in 1998-99 when there were three pools of seven sides each, but not with great enthusiasm as they got hidings. The year after that there were seven pools of four sides each and then eight of four each.
Other teams involved have been Narbonne, Caerphilly, Perigueux, Racing Club de France, Rovigo, Roma, Aberavon, Brive, Calvisano, Bedford, Pau, Steaua Bucuresti, Gloucester, Aurillac, London Irish, Treviso, Cross Keys, Rotherham, Auch, Harlequins, Piacenza, Mont-de-Marsan, Parma (Overmach and GRAN), Viadana, Montauban, Petrarca, Madrid, Leeds, Pontypridd, L'Aquila, Valladolid, Bologna, Bera Bera, Montpellier, Leonessa, UE Santboiana, Lisboa, Coimbra, the B orders, Worcester, Bayonne and Catania.
When Parker Pen were the sponsors for three seasons (2002 to 2004) there was also a European Shield competition when those knocked out early in the Challenge Cup played for the Shield. In the third season they were joined by four other sides. It was complicated! To add to the confusion the Shield had been the name for the previous competition which was now called the European Challenge Cup.
This season there has been another change of format with twenty teams from six countries ion five pools of four each. The pool winners plus the best three losers form the quarter-finals.
However things have changed there has always been a final, usually a high-scoring affair.
In the early years France dominated but since 2001 the winners have all been English clubs. This year the final will be between Clermont Auvergne, which has a newish name though still in Montferrand, and Bath, to be played at The Stoop, the Harlequins ground in Twickenham.
The teams taking part this year were: Albi, ASM Clermont Auvergne, Bath, Bayonne, Bristol, Brive, Bucuresti, Connacht, Dragons, GRAN Rugby Parma, Glasgow Warriors, Montauban, Montpellier, Narbonne, Harlequins, Newcastle Falcons, Petrarca Padova, Saracens, Viadana, Worcester Warriors.
European Challenge Cup Finals
1997: Bourgoin vs Castres, 18-9 at Stade de la Mediterranee, Beziers
1998: Colomiers vs Agen, 43-5 at Les Sept Deniers, Toulouse
1999: Clermont Ferrand vs Bourgoin, 35-16 at Stade Gerland, Lyons
2000: Pau vs Castres, 34-21 at Les Sept Deniers, Toulouse
2001: Harlequins vs Narbonne, 42-33 at Madejski Stadium, Reading
2002: Sale Sharks vs Pontypridd, 25-22 at The Kassam Stadium, Oxford
2003: London Wasps vs Bath, 48-30 at Madejski Stadium, Reading
2004: Harlequins vs Clermont Ferrand, 27-26 at Madejski Stadium, Reading
2005: Sale Sharks vs Pau, 27-3 at The Kassam Stadium, Oxford
2006: Gloucester vs London Irish, 36-34 at The Stoop, Twickenham
2007: Clermont Auvergne vs Bath at The Stoop, Twickenham
European Shield Finals
2003 Castres vs Caerphilly, 40-12
2004 Montpellier vs Arix Viadana, 25-19
2005 Auch vs Worcester, 23-10
Referees for European Challenge Cup Finals
1997: Patrick Robin
1998: Ed Morrison
1999: Joel Dume
2000: Chris White
2001: Nigel Whitehouse
2002: Alan Lewis
2003: Nigel Williams
2004: Nigel Whitehouse
2005: Alan Lewis
2006: Nigel Whitehouse
2007: Nigel Owens