2009–10 British and Irish Cup explained
| 2009–10 British and Irish Cup |
| Countries: |
 Ireland
|
| Tournament Format: | Round-robin and knockout |
| Date: | November 2009 – May 2010 |
| Teams: | 24 |
| Matches: | 63 |
| Venue: | Recreation Ground, Camborne |
| Attendance2: | 4,240 |
| Champions: | Cornish Pirates |
| Count: | 1 |
| Runner-Up: | Munster A |
| Previous Year: | 2008-09 |
| Previous Tournament: | EDF Energy Trophy |
| Next Year: | 2010–11 |
| Next Tournament: | 2010–11 British and Irish Cup |
The 2009–10 British and Irish Cup was the first season of the annual rugby union competition for second tier, semi-professional clubs from Britain and Ireland. First round matches began on Friday 20 November 2009 and the final was held on Sunday 16 May 2010.
The first competition was heavily criticised, with one reporter describing it as 'dismal'.[1]
A total of 24 teams from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales competed in the inaugural competition. Cornish Pirates lifted the cup, defeating Munster A 23–14 in the final.
Teams
The allocation of teams was as follows:
| width=20% | England | width=20% | Ireland | width=20% | Scotland | width=20% | Wales |
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| - Leinster A
- Munster A
- Ulster Ravens
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Competition format
The teams were divided into four pools of six, playing over five weekends during the Autumn International and Six Nations windows. The four pool winners contested a knock-out stage, with semi-finals on 24 and 25 April and the final on 16 May.[2] [3]
Pool stages
Pool A
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Pool B
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Pool C
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Pool D
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Knock-out stages
Qualifiers
The four pool winners proceeded to the knock out stages.
Semi-finals
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Final
Geography
| width=20% | Team | width=20% | Stadium | width=20% | Capacity | width=40% | City/Area/Country |
|---|
| Aberavon | Talbot Athletic Ground | 3,000 | Aberavon, Neath Port Talbot, Wales |
| Ayr | Millbrae | Unknown | Alloway, South Ayrshire, Scotland |
| Bedford Blues | Goldington Road | 4,684 | Bedford, Bedfordshire, England |
| Sharmans Cross Road | 3,500 | Solihull, West Midlands, England |
| Bristol | Memorial Stadium | 12,100 | Bristol, England |
| Cardiff | Cardiff Arms Park | 13,500 | Cardiff, Wales |
| Cornish Pirates | Recreation Ground | 9,000 | Camborne, Cornwall, England |
| Coventry | Butts Park Arena | 4,000 | Coventry, West Midlands, England |
| Doncaster | Castle Park | 3,075 | Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England |
| Exeter Chiefs | Sandy Park | 7,300 (10,744 by the end of the season) | Exeter, Devon, England |
| Gael Force | Bridgehaugh | 4,000 | Stirling, Scotland |
| Heriot's FP | Goldenacre | Unknown | Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Leinster A | Donnybrook | 7,000 | Dublin, Leinster, Ireland |
| Llanelli | Parc y Scarlets | 14,870 | Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, Wales |
| London Welsh | Old Deer Park | 5,850 | London, England |
| Moseley | Billesley Common | 3,000+ (650 seated) | Birmingham, West Midlands, England |
| Munster A | Musgrave Park | 8,300 | Cork, County Cork, Ireland |
| Neath | The Gnoll | 7,500 | Neath, Neath Port Talbot, Wales |
| Newport | Rodney Parade | 10,500 | Newport, Wales |
| Nottingham | Meadow Lane | 19,588 | Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England |
| Plymouth Albion | The Brickfields | 6,500 | Plymouth, Devon, England |
| Pontypridd | Sardis Road | 7,861 | Pontypridd, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales |
| Rotherham | Clifton Lane | 2,500 | Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England |
| Ulster Ravens | Ravenhill Stadium | 12,125 | Belfast, Ulster, Northern Ireland | |
External links
Notes and References
- Web site: Taxing times for clubs struggling in rugby's Championship. 25 February 2010. Brian Dick. Birmingham Post. 3 March 2010. 3 November 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20101103122956/http://www.birminghampost.net/midlands-birmingham-sport/west-midlands-sports/rfu-news/2010/02/25/taxing-times-for-clubs-struggling-in-rugby-s-championship-65233-25916539/. dead.
- Web site: New British & Irish Cup announced . 6 May 2009 . . 7 May 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090509093408/http://www.rte.ie/sport/rugby/2009/0506/british_irishcup.html . 9 May 2009 . dead .
- Web site: Home unions devise British & Irish Cup. 6 May 2009. The Daily Telegraph. 7 May 2009.
