From Surf Wiki (app.surf) — the open knowledge base
2008–09 European Challenge Cup pool stage
Main article: 2008–09 European Challenge Cup
The 2008–09 European Challenge Cup pool stage was the opening stage of the 13th season of the European Challenge Cup, the second-tier competition for European rugby union clubs. It began on 9 October 2008 when RC Toulon hosted Northampton Saints and ended with two games on 25 January 2009.
Twenty teams participated in this phase of the competition; they were divided into five pools of four teams each, with each team playing the others home and away. Competition points were earned using the standard bonus point system. The five pool winners and the best three runners-up advanced to the knockout stage. These teams then competed in a single-elimination tournament that ended with the final at the Twickenham Stoop in London on 22 May 2009.
Results
The draw for the pool stages took place on 23 June 2008. The draw was conducted using the ERC European Ranking system which was based on the qualified teams' performances and participation in the Heineken Cup and knock-out stages of the European Challenge Cup over the past four seasons.
All times are local to the game location.
:{| class="wikitable"
| + Key to colours |
|---|
| Winner of each pool, advance to quarterfinals. Seed # in parentheses |
| - |
| Three highest-scoring second-place teams advance to quarterfinals. Seed # in parentheses |
| } |
Pool 1
| Team | P | W | D | L | Tries for | Tries against | Try diff | Points for | Points against | Points diff | TB | LB | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENG London Irish **(1)** | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 44 | 3 | +41 | 300 | 34 | +266 | 5 | 0 | **29** |
| Ireland Connacht **(7)** | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 20 | 19 | +1 | 159 | 140 | +19 | 3 | 0 | **19** |
| ITA Rovigo | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 7 | 25 | −18 | 79 | 199 | –120 | 0 | 1 | **5** |
| FRA Dax | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 29 | −24 | 55 | 220 | –165 | 0 | 0 | **4** |
Pool 2
| Team | P | W | D | L | Tries for | Tries against | Try diff | Points for | Points against | Points diff | TB | LB | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENG Northampton Saints **(2)** | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 7 | +30 | 278 | 69 | +209 | 5 | 0 | **29** |
| ENG Bristol | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 14 | 21 | −7 | 140 | 168 | −28 | 1 | 1 | **14** |
| FRA Montpellier | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 18 | −8 | 101 | 159 | −58 | 0 | 1 | **9** |
| FRA RC Toulon | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 7 | 22 | −15 | 84 | 207 | −123 | 0 | 1 | **5** |
Pool 3
| Team | P | W | D | L | Tries for | Tries against | Try diff | Points for | Points against | Points diff | TB | LB | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENG Worcester Warriors **(4)** | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 36 | 8 | +28 | 255 | 94 | +161 | 4 | 0 | **24** |
| FRA Bourgoin **(8)** | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 18 | 11 | +7 | 158 | 115 | +43 | 1 | 2 | **15** |
| ITA Petrarca Padova | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 28 | −17 | 112 | 206 | −94 | 0 | 1 | **13** |
| ROM București Oaks | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 8 | 26 | −18 | 87 | 197 | −110 | 0 | 1 | **5** |
Pool 4
| Team | P | W | D | L | Tries for | Tries against | Try diff | Points for | Points against | Points diff | TB | LB | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FRA Brive **(5)** | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 33 | 8 | +25 | 243 | 89 | +154 | 3 | 1 | **24** |
| ENG Newcastle Falcons **(6)** | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 24 | 8 | +16 | 178 | 90 | +88 | 2 | 1 | **19** |
| ITA Overmach Parma | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 19 | 13 | +6 | 165 | 120 | +45 | 2 | 2 | **16** |
| ESP El Salvador | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 52 | −47 | 46 | 333 | −287 | 0 | 0 | **0** |
Pool 5
| Team | P | W | D | L | Tries for | Tries against | Try diff | Points for | Points against | Points diff | TB | LB | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENG Saracens **(3)** | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 1 | +19 | 200 | 43 | +157 | 2 | 0 | **26** |
| ITA Viadana | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 11 | −3 | 120 | 126 | −6 | 0 | 1 | **13** |
| FRA Bayonne | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 11 | −2 | 99 | 122 | −23 | 0 | 0 | **12** |
| FRA Mont-de-Marsan | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 18 | −14 | 54 | 182 | −128 | 0 | 1 | **1** |
Seeding and runners-up
| Seed | Pool Winners | Pts | TF | +/- | Seed | Pool Runners-up | Pts | TF | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| **1** | ENG **London Irish** | 29 | 44 | +266 | |||||
| **2** | ENG **Northampton Saints** | 29 | 37 | +209 | |||||
| **3** | ENG **Saracens** | 26 | 20 | +157 | |||||
| **4** | ENG **Worcester Warriors** | 24 | 36 | +161 | |||||
| **5** | FRA **Brive** | 24 | 33 | +154 | |||||
| **6** | ENG **Newcastle Falcons** | 19 | 24 | +88 | |||||
| **7** | Ireland **Connacht** | 19 | 20 | +19 | |||||
| **8** | FRA **Bourgoin** | 15 | 18 | +43 | |||||
| – | ENG Bristol | 14 | 14 | −28 | |||||
| – | ITA Viadana | 13 | 8 | −6 |
References
This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.
Ask Mako anything about 2008–09 European Challenge Cup pool stage — get instant answers, deeper analysis, and related topics.
Research with MakoFree with your Surf account
Create a free account to save articles, ask Mako questions, and organize your research.
Sign up freeThis content may have been generated or modified by AI. CloudSurf Software LLC is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated content. Always verify important information from primary sources.
Report