European Challenge Cup Winners
Wed, 21 May 2008 13:45
Once there were three competitions - the European Championship Cup, the European Challenge Cup and the European Shield and there have been name changes. Now two competitions remain - the European Championship Cup as the Heineken Cup and the European Challenge Cup.
It started in 1996. Then there was the European Conference Cup with twenty-four teams from England, France, Italy, Romania, Scotland and Wales divided into four groups of six.
In 1997 this became the European Shield with 32 teams divided into eight groups of four teams of four each.
The next year English and Scottish teams did not compete and there were 21 teams divided into three groups of seven teams each. In 1999 the English and the Scottish returned and the numbers jumped to 28.
From time to time the competition has included teams from Spain, Portugal and Romania.
In 2001 it became the Park Pen Shield with 32 teams but in 2002 the competition became a two-part knock-out for the 32 clubs. Those knocked out in the first round played for the Shield along with a team from Romania, two teams from Spain and a team from Portugal. The others went on to the Challenge Cup.
In 2003 the Welsh clubs formed regions. In 2005 the Shield was abandoned in a restructuring. It went back to being a league leading to a knock-out for the top sides.
In 2002 and 2003 the teams making up the Shield were those who had been knocked out in the first round of the Challenge Cup. In 2004 the teams which did not go to the qualifying round for the Challenge Cup played for the Shield .
In 2005 the Challenge Cup was again restructured and the Shield fell away.
In the early days French clubs dominated but since winning the Challenge Cup gives entry to the Heineken Cup competition has been keener.
European Shield Finals
2003: Castres vs Caerphilly, 40-12
2004: Montpellier vs Arix Viadana, 25-19
2005:
Auch vs Worcester, 23-10
European Challenge Cup Finals
1997: Bourgoin vs Castres, 18-9 at Stade De la Mediterranée, Béziers
1998: Colomiers vs Agen, 43-5 at Les Sept Deniers, Toulouse
1999: Montferrand vs Bourgoin, 35-16 at Stade de Gerland, Lyon
2000: Pau vs Castres, 34-21 at Les Sept Deniers, Toulouse
2001: Harlequins vs Narbonne, 42-33 at Madejski Stadium, Reading
2002: Sale vs Pontypridd, 25-22 at Kassam Stadium, Oxford
2003: London Wasps vs Bath, 48-30 at Madejski Stadium, Reading
2004: Harlequins vs Montferrand, 27-26 at Madejski Stadium, Reading
2005: Sale vs Pau, 27-3 at Kassam Stadium, Oxford
2006: Gloucester vs London Irish, 36-34 at The Stoop, London
2007: Clermont Auvergne vs Bath, 22-16 at The Stoop, London
Spectators
1997: 10 000
1998: 12 500
1999: 31 986
2000: 6 000
2001: 11 211
2002: 12 000
2003: 18
074
2004: 13 123
2005: 7 230
2006: 12 053
2007: 10 134
Referees in European Challenge Cup Finals
1997: Patrick Robin
1998: Ed Morrison
1999: Joël Dumé
2000: Chris White
2001: Nigel Whitehouse
2002: Alan Lewis
2003: Nigel Williams
2004: Nigel Whitehouse
2005: Alan Lewis
2006: Nigel Whitehouse
2007: Nigel Owen
