| 2002-03 European Shield | |
| Countries: |  France Italy Romania Spain |
| Tournament Format: | Knockout |
| Date: | 6 December 2002 - 25 May 2003 |
| Teams: | 16 |
| Matches: | 29 |
| Venue: | Madejski Stadium, Reading |
| Attendance2: | 4,000 |
| Champions: | Castres Olympique |
| Count: | 1 |
| Runner-Up: | Caerphilly |
| Website: | https://web.archive.org/web/20080506141030/http://www.ercrugby.com/eng/ |
| Next Year: | 2003–04 |
| Next Tournament: | 2003–04 European Shield |
The 2002–03 European Shield (known as the Parker Pen Shield for sponsorship reasons)[1] was the 1st season of the European Shield, Europe's third-tier club rugby union competition below the Heineken Cup and European Challenge Cup. A total of 16 teams participated, representing five different countries.
This competition was contested between the first round losers from the 2002–03 European Challenge Cup.[2] The structure of the competition was a purely knockout format; teams played each other on a home and away basis, with the aggregate points winner proceeding to the next round. The final was a single leg.
The competition began on 6 December 2002 and culminated in the final at the Madejski Stadium in Reading on 25 May 2003. Castres Olympique secured a victory over Caerphilly in the final and picked up their first piece of European Club silverware.
This competition was contested between the 16 first round losers from the 2002–03 European Challenge Cup.
| width=20% | France | width=20% | Italy | width=20% | Romania | width=20% | Spain | width=20% | Wales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Castres Olympique Grenoble Mont de Marsan Pau | Gran Parma L'Aquila Overmach Parma Petrarca Padova Rugby Roma Rovigo Rugby Silea | Dinamo București | La Moraleja UC Madrid | Caerphilly Ebbw Vale |
All kickoff times are local to the match location.[3]
All kickoff times are local to the match location.[4]
| Proceed to Quarter-final | Match points | Aggregate score | Points margin | Eliminated from competition | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ebbw Vale | 4 - 0 | 75 - 32 | 43 | UC Madrid | |
| Mont de Marsan | 4 - 0 | 49 - 24 | 25 | Rugby Silea | |
| 4 - 0 | 53 - 48 | 5 | L'Aquila | ||
| Castres Olympique | 4 - 0 | 45 - 43 | 2 | Grenoble | |
| Petrarca Padova | 3 - 1 | 52 - 32 | 20 | Rugby Roma | |
| Caerphilly | 2 - 2 | 80 - 43 | 37 | Rovigo | |
| Overmach Parma | 2 - 2 | 45 - 39 | 6 | La Moraleja | |
| Pau | 2 - 2 | 46 - 41 | 5 | Gran Parma |
All kickoff times are local to the match location.[5]
All kickoff times are local to the match location.[6]
| Proceed to Semifinal | Match points | Aggregate score | Points margin | Eliminated from competition | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Castres Olympique | 4 - 0 | 211 - 0 | 211 | Dinamo București | |
| Pau | 2 - 2 | 66 - 46 | 20 | Ebbw Vale | |
| Petrarca Padova | 2 - 2 | 45 - 32 | 13 | Mont de Marsan | |
| Caerphilly | 2 - 2 | 51 - 43 | 8 | Overmach Parma |
All kickoff times are local to the match location.[7]
All kickoff times are local to the match location.[8]
| Proceed to Final | Match points | Aggregate score | Points margin | Eliminated from competition | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Castres Olympique | 2 - 2 | 78 - 51 | 27 | Pau | |
| 2 - 2 | 54 - 43 | 11 | Petrarca Padova |