BRITISH & IRISH CUP 14/15

[Kofi Annan]

Following discussion among all four Unions, four Principality Premiership teams will continue to represent Wales in the competition, joining the 12 clubs of the Greene King IPA Championship as well as four provincial teams from Ireland.

Due to changes in the competition dates for the forthcoming season, the Scottish Rugby Union (SRU) has confirmed that Scottish clubs will not participate in the 2014-15 competition. As a result, this season's competition will move from 24 teams to 20, playing in five pools of four.

RFU Professional Rugby Director Rob Andrew said: "The revision to the British & Irish Cup structure reflects a desire to bring forward the competition knock-out stages, thereby creating its own window within the season with a fitting and unencumbered climax.

It allows for less congestion and conflict during the business end of the league season. Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of all participating Unions, that requirement could not be accommodated by the SRU, due to the impact it would have on their own domestic calendar. As such, the British & Irish Cup will continue with teams from the remaining three unions next season.

"We would like to thank the SRU for their involvement in the competition since its formation in 2009. The British & Irish Cup has produced some thrilling, cross-border rugby rivalry and while we regret the loss of Scottish participation, the Organising Committee is confident in the high level of competition between the Championship, Welsh and Irish teams and we will continue to explore ways to help grow the competition.”

Colin Thomson, Scottish Rugby's Director of Rugby Operations, said: "Our negotiations around the format of the B&I Cup fixtures for season 2014-15 have now been completed.

"This has been a difficult and protracted process and we have done everything in our power to try to influence a solution that would meet the needs of all participants. Regrettably this has not been achieved and the B&I Cup pool dates have been set for two blocks of three fixtures either side of the Autumn International window. Given this, we simply could not support six B&I cup games in the first half of the season as this would have a significant impact on the integrity of our own BT Premiership competition.

"Scottish Rugby will continue to work with its clubs to find suitable cross border opportunities.”

The pool groupings and full fixture list for the 2014-2015 British & Irish Cup will be released in due course.

2014-15 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

Pool Stages
*Taking place on 11, 18, 25 October, 29 November and 6, 13 December 2014
* 5 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
* Taking place on 24 January 2015
* Top side in each pool progress to knockout stage, plus three 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 which takes place on weekend of 13/14/15 March 2015
* Winning semi-finalists progress to final to take place on weekend of 3/4/5 April 2015

Discuss, being in a block of games will this help academy. Will team be more consistent , will we take it seriously,

[BaggyTrousers]

Before commenting on the issues from an Ulster perspective, it's clear the SRU are preparing for an independent Scotland and won't play because it's not yet called the British Irish and Scottish Cup. Yes they trot out an entirely different reason but they'd need to get up earlier of a morning to sell me that.

Blocks of games might in theory help teams but then we all know that the Ravens have never had preparation time as a team for they are too busy being used in preparation of the senior team.

Furthermore on either side of the AIs we can be assured that some would be Ravens will play for Ulster due to Irish requirements, so really it's hard to see this competition as anything but a Leinster benefit as normal, the benefits of decent SID.

My expectation therefore is that we will be the usual shambles sadly.

[dublane]

Not great for our ail sides

[Kofi Annan]

Not great for our ail sides

nope , but will it channel AIL sides to help develop their own players rather than rely on being propped up by Academy etc. and now that all AIL clubs are stopping the crazy payments, it must be good ?

[dublane]

The payments havent stopped they have just been swapped for people being bought holidays or having cars paid for etc.

I do agree with what you said about teams being propped up by the academy, although there are only so many good players and if the ulster branch want teams to get promoted its difficult without their better players. At the moment the only ulster team looking like getting promoted is armagh.

[Kofi Annan]

Dublane
Maybe then if UR give more back to the clubs in support and aid they my get more promoted. Let's see the CEO putting his money where his mouth is.

[Cockatrice]

Isn't some of the 400k per sponsorship of the Kingspan stadium supposed to be for rugby at all levels including grassroots but then again are clubs important to UR.

[dublane]

Dublane
Maybe then if UR give more back to the clubs in support and aid they my get more promoted. Let's see the CEO putting his money where his mouth is.

agreed

[Kofi Annan]

Postby mikerob » Tue Jun 24, 2014 1:00 pm

It's what you've all been waiting for - the 14/15 B&I Cup draw.

Have endless hours of fun guessing where, when and who will be playing for the Ravens.

2014-15 British & Irish Cup structure
Teams

12 Greene King IPA Championship clubs
4 Welsh Principality Premiership clubs
4 Irish provinces – Connacht, Munster, Leinster 'A' and Ulster Ravens
Pool Stages

Taking place on 11, 18, 25 October, 29 November and 6, 13 December 2014
5 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

Taking place on 24 January 2015
Top side in each pool progress to knockout stage, plus three 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 which takes place on weekend of 13/14/15 March 2015
Winning semi-finalists progress to final to take place on weekend of 3/4/5 April 2015
Pools

Pool 1: London Scottish, Wales 2, Bristol Rugby, Connacht
Pool 2: Rotherham Titans, Leeds Carnegie, Ulster Ravens, Wales 4
Pool 3: Worcester Warriors, Nottingham Rugby, Moseley, Munster 'A'
Pool 4: Wales 1, Cornish Pirates, Doncaster Knights, Bedford Blues
Pool 5: Leinster 'A', Plymouth Albion, Wales 3, Jersey RFC

Fixtures
Round 1 – 10/11/12 October

Pool 1
Wales 2 v London Scottish
Bristol Rugby v Connacht

Pool 2
Leeds Carnegie v Rotherham Titans
Wales 4 v Ulster Ravens

Pool 3
Nottingham Rugby v Worcester Warriors
Munster 'A' v Moseley

Pool 4
Cornish Pirates v Bedford Blues
Wales 1 v Doncaster Knights

Pool 5
Plymouth Albion v Leinster 'A'
Jersey RFC v Wales 3

Round 2 – 17/18/19 October

Pool 1
London Scottish v Bristol Rugby
Connacht v Wales 2

Pool 2
Rotherham v Wales 4
Ulster Ravens v Leeds Carnegie

Pool 3
Worcester Warriors v Munster 'A'
Moseley v Nottingham Rugby

Pool 4
Bedford Blues v Wales 1
Doncaster Knights v Cornish Pirates

Pool 5
Leinster 'A' v Jersey RFC
Wales 3 v Plymouth Albion

Round 3 – 24/25/26 October

Pool 1
Connacht v London Scottish
Bristol Rugby v Wales 2

Pool 2
Rotherham Titans v Ulster Ravens
Leeds Carnegie v Wales 4

Pool 3
Moseley v Worcester Warriors
Nottingham Rugby v Munster 'A'

Pool 4
Doncaster Knights v Bedford Blues
Cornish Pirates v Wales 1

Pool 5
Wales 3 v Leinster 'A'
Plymouth Albion v Jersey RFC

Round 4 – 28/29/30 November

Pool 1
London Scottish v Connacht
Bristol Rugby v Wales 2

Pool 2
Rotherham Titans v Ulster Ravens
Wales 4 v Leeds Carnegie

Pool 3
Worcester Warriors v Moseley
Munster 'A' v Nottingham Rugby

Pool 4
Bedford Blues v Doncaster Knights
Wales 1 v Cornish Pirates

Pool 5
Leinster 'A' v Wales 3
Jersey RFC v Plymouth Albion

Round 5 – 5/6/7 December

Pool 1
Wales 2 v Connacht
Bristol Rugby v London Scottish

Pool 2
Leeds Carnegie v Ulster Ravens
Wales 3 v Rotherham Titans

Pool 3
Nottingham Rugby v Moseley
Munster 'A' v Worcester Warriors

Pool 4
Cornish Pirates v Doncaster Knights
Wales 1 v Bedford Blues

Pool 5
Plymouth Albion v Wales 3
Jersey RFC v Leinster 'A'

Round 6 - 12/13/14 December

Pool 1
London Scottish v Wales 2
Connacht v Bristol Rugby

Pool 2
Rotherham Titans v Leeds Carnegie
Ulster v Wales 4

Pool 3
Worcester Warriors v Nottingham Rugby
Moseley v Munster 'A'

Pool 4
Bedford Blues v Cornish Pirates
Doncaster Knights v Wales 1

Pool 5
Leinster 'A' v Plymouth Albion
Wales 3 v Jersey RFC

Quarter-finals: 23/24/25 January

Semi-finals: 13/14/15 March

Final: 3/4/5 April
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Re: 14/15 B&I Cup
Postby mikerob » Tue Jun 24, 2014 1:08 pm

I think round 4 should be Ulster v Rotherham.
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Re: 14/15 B&I Cup
Postby Russ » Tue Jun 24, 2014 1:10 pm

So basically, what we have, is the format of the ERC?
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Re: 14/15 B&I Cup
Postby Cornerfleg » Tue Jun 24, 2014 1:43 pm

No relegation - devalued cup!
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[Kofi Annan]

Why bother when morons don't read threads

[ruckover]

According to that list we play Rotherham away twice in Rounds 3 and 4. PRL giving themselves an unfair advantage at all levels

[Russ]

According to that list we play Rotherham away twice in Rounds 3 and 4. PRL giving themselves an unfair advantage at all levels

Are Rotherham in the PRL?

Anscombe Out

[Rooster]

According to that list we play Rotherham away twice in Rounds 3 and 4. PRL giving themselves an unfair advantage at all levels

Are Rotherham in the PRL?

Anscombe Out

They probably don't realise that they have joined without getting any payments or voting rights