See main article: 2001–02 European Challenge Cup. The 2001–02 European Challenge Cup pool stage (known as the Parker Pen Shield for sponsorship reasons) was the opening stage of the sixth season of the European Challenge Cup, the second-tier competition for European rugby union clubs. It began when Connacht hosted Narbonne on 28 September 2001 and ended with four matches on 13 January 2002.
Thirty two teams participated in this phase of the competition; they were divided into eight pools of four teams each, with each team playing the others home and away. Competition points were award for games won (2 points) and drawn (1 point). There were no points for losing, nor were there bonus points as in the more modern bonus point system. The eight pool winners advanced to the knockout stage. These teams then competed in a single-elimination tournament that ended with the final at the Kassam Stadium in Oxford on 26 May 2002.
All kickoff times are local to the match location.[1]
| Winner of each pool, advance to quarterfinals. Seed # in parentheses |
| Team | P | W | D | L | Tries for | Tries against | Try diff | Points for | Points against | Points diff | Pts | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ebbw Vale (7) | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 15 | 10 | 5 | 153 | 90 | 63 | 8 | ||||
 Agen | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 25 | 13 | 12 | 199 | 119 | 80 | 8 | ||||
| Montauban | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 16 | 9 | 7 | 146 | 123 | 23 | 8 | ||||
 Rovigo | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 8 | 32 | -24 | 78 | 244 | -166 | 0 | ||||
| Source : www.ercrugby.com Points breakdown: *2 points for a win *1 point for a draw | |||||||||||||||
| Ebbw Vale, Agen and Montauban finished on the same Competition Points. In head-to-head matches Ebbw Vale beat Agen 68–30 on aggregate, having won one game and lost the other Ebbw Vale beat Montauban 31–24 on aggregate, having won one game and lost the other Agen beat Montauban 60–41 on aggregate, having won one game and lost the other hence Ebbw Vale top the table | |||||||||||||||
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| Team | P | W | D | L | Tries for | Tries against | Try diff | Points for | Points against | Points diff | Pts | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pau (4) | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 3 | 24 | 217 | 63 | 154 | 12 | ||||
| Colomiers | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 32 | 9 | 23 | 259 | 105 | 154 | 8 | ||||
| Petrarca Padova | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 14 | 26 | -12 | 114 | 223 | -109 | 4 | ||||
 UC Madrid | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 8 | 43 | -35 | 90 | 289 | -199 | 0 | ||||
| Source : www.ercrugby.com Points breakdown: *2 points for a win *1 point for a draw | |||||||||||||||
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| Team | P | W | D | L | Tries for | Tries against | Try diff | Points for | Points against | Points diff | Pts | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pontypridd (8) | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 7 | 5 | 139 | 87 | 52 | 8 | ||
| Leeds Tykes | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 21 | 15 | 6 | 188 | 154 | 34 | 8 | ||
| Béziers | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 15 | 19 | -4 | 136 | 187 | -51 | 4 | ||
| Overmach Parma | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 11 | 18 | -7 | 127 | 162 | -35 | 4 | ||
| Source : www.ercrugby.com Points breakdown: *2 points for a win *1 point for a draw | |||||||||||||
| Pontypridd and Leeds finished on the same Competition Points. In head-to-head matches, Pontypridd beat Leeds 55–46 on aggregate, having won one game and lost the other. | |||||||||||||
| Béziers and Overmach Parma finished on the same Competition Points. In head-to-head matches, Béziers beat Overmach Parma 63–60 on aggregate, having won one game and lost the other. | |||||||||||||
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| Team | P | W | D | L | Tries for | Tries against | Try diff | Points for | Points against | Points diff | Pts | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sale Sharks (3) | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 7 | 33 | 286 | 79 | 207 | 12 | ||||
 Connacht | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 15 | 17 | -2 | 157 | 140 | 17 | 6 | ||||
| Narbonne | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 13 | 9 | 4 | 128 | 111 | 17 | 6 | ||||
| Rugby Roma | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 7 | 42 | -35 | 57 | 298 | -241 | 0 | ||||
| Source : www.ercrugby.com Points breakdown: *2 points for a win *1 point for a draw | |||||||||||||||
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| Team | P | W | D | L | Tries for | Tries against | Try diff | Points for | Points against | Points diff | Pts | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bristol Shoguns (6) | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 21 | 12 | 9 | 189 | 115 | 74 | 10 | ||||
| Neath | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 16 | 13 | 3 | 160 | 131 | 29 | 8 | ||||
| Viadana | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 13 | 25 | -12 | 120 | 210 | -90 | 4 | ||||
| Bourgoin | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 19 | 19 | 0 | 160 | 173 | -13 | 2 | ||||
| Source : www.ercrugby.com Points breakdown: *2 points for a win *1 point for a draw | |||||||||||||||
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| Team | P | W | D | L | Tries for | Tries against | Try diff | Points for | Points against | Points diff | Pts | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| London Irish (5) | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 37 | 8 | 29 | 284 | 85 | 199 | 11 | ||||
| Dax | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 42 | 9 | 33 | 306 | 119 | 187 | 9 | ||||
| L'Aquila | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 11 | 34 | -23 | 107 | 239 | -132 | 4 | ||||
| Valladolid RAC | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 7 | 46 | -39 | 53 | 307 | -254 | 0 | ||||
| Source : www.ercrugby.com Points breakdown: *2 points for a win *1 point for a draw | |||||||||||||||
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| Team | P | W | D | L | Tries for | Tries against | Try diff | Points for | Points against | Points diff | Pts | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gloucester (2) | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 47 | 9 | 38 | 362 | 62 | 300 | 12 | ||||
| La Rochelle | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 21 | 14 | 7 | 161 | 177 | -16 | 8 | ||||
| Caerphilly | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 18 | 38 | -20 | 170 | 281 | -111 | 4 | ||||
| Gran Parma | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 11 | 36 | -25 | 104 | 277 | -173 | 0 | ||||
| Source : www.ercrugby.com Points breakdown: *2 points for a win *1 point for a draw | |||||||||||||||
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| Team | P | W | D | L | Tries for | Tries against | Try diff | Points for | Points against | Points diff | Pts | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saracens (1) | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 64 | 7 | 57 | 435 | 66 | 369 | 12 | ||||
| Bordeaux-Bègles | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 53 | 15 | 38 | 354 | 117 | 237 | 8 | ||||
| Dinamo București | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 15 | 58 | -43 | 102 | 403 | -301 | 2 | ||||
| Bologna | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 9 | 61 | -52 | 93 | 398 | -305 | 2 | ||||
| Source : www.ercrugby.com Points breakdown: *2 points for a win *1 point for a draw | |||||||||||||||
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