The 2013-14 British & Irish Cup fixtures have been unveiled and Current cup holders Leinster A will begin their title defence against newcomers Ealing Trailfinders. The west London club will make their debut in the competition, having been promoted from SSE National League 1 to the second tier in May…
Bristol Rugby, 2011 British & Irish Cup winners, will kick-off their cup campaign by welcoming fellow Greene King IPA Championship club Leeds Carnegie to The Memorial Stadium, while inaugural winners of the trophy, Cornish Pirates, will host Ulster Ravens in Penzance.
Munster A, who are seeded top in Pool 4, will also start their British & Irish Cup with a home game, hosting Stirling County from the RBS Premier Division.
Commenting on the 2013-14 British & Irish Cup, RFU Professional Rugby Director Rob Andrew said: “The British & Irish Cup offers up some really traditional clashes between old rivals, and this season promises to be no different. With the revision to the structure and a reduction in clubs, the Organising Committee is confident that this will be one of the most competitive seasons yet in the competition.’
As revealed in April, the British & Irish Cup has been revised for the 2013-14 season, moving from 32 teams to 24, playing in six pools of four. Four Principality Premiership teams will now represent Wales in the competition, joining the 12 clubs of the Green King IPA Championship as well as four from each of Ireland and Scotland.
Selection of the Welsh teams will be based on regional play-offs at the start of next season, with final positions in this season’s Principality Premiership giving teams Home field advantage.
2013-14 British & Irish Cup structure:
Teams
* 12 Greene King IPA Championship clubs
* 4 Welsh Principality Premiership clubs
* 4 Irish provinces – Connacht, Munster, Leinster and Ulster Ravens
* 4 Scottish teams – top 4 finishers in RBS Premier Division: Ayr, Gala, Stirling County and Edinburgh Academicals.
Pool Stages
* 6 pools of 4 playing home and away
* 4 points for a win, 2 for a draw, 1 bonus point for a) scoring 4 or more tries and/or b) losing by 7 points or less
Quarter finals
* top side in each pool progress to knockout stage, plus two best runners-up
* 8 quarter-finalists ranked with teams ranked 1-4 having home advantage
Semi-finals and final
* four winning quarter finalists progress to semi -final draw
* winning semi-finalists progress to final
Pool 1: Leinster A, Wales 3, Moseley, Ealing Trailfinders
Pool 2: London Welsh, Wales 2, London Scottish, Edinburgh Academicals
Pool 3: Bedford Blues, Rotherham Titans, Wales 4, Connacht
Pool 4: Munster A, Nottingham Rugby, Plymouth Albion, Stirling County
Pool 5: Bristol Rugby, Wales 1, Leeds Carnegie, Gala
Pool 6: Cornish Pirates, Ulster Ravens, Ayr, Jersey RFC
Round 1
Pool 1: Leinster A v Ealing Trailfinders, Wales 3 V Moseley
Pool 2: London Welsh V London Scottish, Edinburgh Academicals V Wales 2
Pool 3: Rotherham V Bedford, Wales 4 V Connacht
Pool 4: Plymouth v Nottingham, Munster A V Stirling County
Pool 5: Bristol Rugby v Leeds Carnegie, Gala v Wales 1
Pool 6: Cornish Pirates V Ulster Ravens, Jersey v Ayr
Round 2
Pool 1: Ealing v Wales 3, Moseley v Leinster A
Pool 2: London Scottish v Edinburgh Academicals, Wales 2 v London Welsh
Pool 3: Bedford Blues v Wales 4, Connacht v Rotherham
Pool 4: Nottingham Rugby v Munster A, Stirling County v Plymouth Albion
Pool 5: Leeds Carnegie v Gala, Wales 1 v Bristol Rugby
Pool 6: Ulster Ravens v Jersey RFC, Ayr vs Cornish Pirates
Round 3
Pool 1: Moseley v Ealing Trailfinders, Leinster A v Wales 3
Pool 2: Wales 2 v London Scottish, London Welsh v Edinburgh Academicals
Pool 3: Connacht v Bedford Blues, Rotherham v Wales 4
Pool 4: Stirling County v Nottingham Rugby, Plymouth Albion v Munster A
Pool 5: Wales 1 v Leeds Carnegie, Bristol Rugby v Gala
Pool 6: Ayr v Ulster Ravens, Cornish Pirates v Jersey RFC
Round 4
Pool 1: Ealing Trailfinders v Mosely, Wales 3 v Leinster A
Pool 2: London Scottish v Wales 2, Edinburgh Academicals v London Welsh
Pool 3: Bedford Blues v Connacht, Wales 4 v Rotherham Titans
Pool 4: Nottingham Rugby v Stirling County, Munster A v Plymouth Albion
Pool 5: Leeds Carnegie v Wales 1, Gala v Bristol Rugby
Pool 6: Ulster Ravens v Ayr, Jersey RFC v Cornish Pirates
Round 5
Pool 1: Leinster A v Moseley, Wales 3 v Ealing Trailfinders
Pool 2: London Welsh v Wales 2, Edinburgh Academicals v London Scottish
Pool 3: Rotherham Titans v Connacht, Wales 4 v Bedford Blues
Pool 4: Plymouth Albion v Stirling County, Munster A v Nottingham Rugby
Pool 5: Bristol Rugby v Wales 1, Gala v Leeds Carnegie
Pool 6: Cornish Pirates v Ayr, Jersey RFC v Ulster Ravens
Round 6
Pool 1: Ealing Trailfinders v Leinster A, Moseley v Wales 3
Pool 2: London Scottish v London Welsh, Wales 2 v Edinburgh Academicals
Pool 3: Bedford Blues v Rotherham Titans, Connacht v Wales 4
Pool 4: Nottingham Rugby v Plymouth, Stirling County v Munster A
Pool 5: Leeds Carnegie v Bristol Rugby, Wales 1 v Gala
Pool 6: Ulster Ravens v Cornish Pirates, Ayr v Jersey RFC
