EPCR Challenge Cup Archives - SportsNewsIreland

URC EPCR Qualification Explained As Connacht Face European Twist

JoeNa Connacht — Thu, 21 May 2026 10:10:08 +0000

The URC’s EPCR Qualification Twist Explained As Connacht, Ulster And Lions Wait On Final Outcome

The race for qualification to next season’s EPCR Investec Champions Cup has become one of the most confusing and fascinating subplots of the BKT United Rugby Championship season.

While supporters naturally assume the top eight teams in the final URC standings qualify automatically for Europe’s top competition, the reality is far more complicated due to EPCR regulations surrounding trophy winners.

Under normal circumstances, the top eight teams in the final BKT URC table secure qualification for the following season’s Investec Champions Cup.

However, EPCR rules also guarantee Champions Cup qualification for any club that wins either the Investec Champions Cup or the EPCR Challenge Cup, even if that side finishes outside the league qualification positions.

How Ulster Could Change Everything

The current complication centres around Ulster, who finished ninth in the URC standings but have reached this weekend’s EPCR Challenge Cup Final.

If Ulster win the Challenge Cup, they automatically qualify for next season’s Investec Champions Cup despite finishing outside the URC top eight.

That qualification place would come from the URC’s allocation of eight Champions Cup spots.

As things currently stand, that would mean Connacht, who occupy eighth place, would lose their Champions Cup place and instead drop into the EPCR Challenge Cup.

The Further Connacht Twist

However, the story does not end there.

If Connacht were then to go on and win the BKT United Rugby Championship title itself, they would qualify automatically for the Investec Champions Cup as URC champions.

In that scenario, Connacht would effectively regain a Champions Cup place despite losing the original top-eight allocation.

That would then create another shift in qualification places, with the side that finished seventh in the table — the Fidelity SecureDrive Lions — dropping into the EPCR Challenge Cup instead.

Why The System Is Causing Confusion

The situation has created considerable confusion among supporters because league finishing position alone no longer guarantees European qualification.

Instead, qualification is now directly tied to a combination of:

Final URC table positions
EPCR Challenge Cup winners
Investec Champions Cup winners
URC playoff winners

As a result, teams can technically finish inside the top eight and still miss out on Champions Cup rugby depending on results elsewhere.

For Connacht supporters especially, the permutations have added another dramatic layer to an already tense playoff campaign.

The URC is expected to formally confirm all final EPCR qualification places once the remaining European and URC knockout fixtures are completed.

Potential Qualification Scenarios

Ulster lose Challenge Cup Final: Top eight URC teams qualify normally.
Ulster win Challenge Cup Final: Ulster qualify for Champions Cup and Connacht drop into Challenge Cup.
Ulster win Challenge Cup + Connacht win URC: Connacht regain Champions Cup qualification as URC champions, while the Lions would move into the Challenge Cup.

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Connacht v Cardiff: Challenge Cup Last 16 Preview, Prediction, Team News & Key Stats

JoeNa Connacht — Tue, 01 Apr 2025 15:44:22 +0000

Preview: Connacht Rugby v Cardiff Rugby — EPCR Challenge Cup Last 16

The knockout stages of the EPCR Challenge Cup arrive this weekend, with Connacht Rugby welcoming Cardiff Rugby to The Sportsground on Saturday night (8pm). For Connacht, this is now their biggest game of the season after their URC play-off hopes were dashed. For Cardiff, it’s a chance to rescue a difficult year and cause an upset on the road.

Form Guide

Connacht suffered a disappointing 24-30 URC defeat to Munster last weekend in Castlebar, a result that officially ended their play-off ambitions. However, they dominated the pool stages of the Challenge Cup, winning all four matches, including a 28-19 away win over Cardiff in Round 4.

Cardiff, meanwhile, arrive in Galway after a narrow 20-19 defeat to Benetton Rugby in Italy last weekend. They qualified for the knockouts as the 16th seed, with just one win in the pool stages, but will take confidence from how close they pushed Connacht earlier this season. They were having an injury crisis at the time and should be stronger on Saturday.

Previous Meeting

The sides last met in Round 4 of the Challenge Cup pool stages, where Connacht emerged with a 28-19 victory at Cardiff Arms Park.

Head-to-Head Europe Averages 2024/25

Category	Connacht Rugby	Cardiff Rugby
Tries	6.2	3.2
Points	38.5	22.8
Passes	172.8	123
Kicks in Play	18.8	20
Carries	144	110.5
Metres	518.2	351.8
Defenders Beaten	28.8	17.8
Clean Breaks	9.5	8.8
Offloads	7.8	6.2
Penalties Conceded	10.8	10.5
Yellow Cards	0.5	0
Missed Tackles	27	19.2
Turnovers Won	4.5	8.8
Lineout Success %	91.5%	79%
Scrum Success %	91.7%	91.7%

Top Performers In Europe This Season

Connacht Rugby

Top Points: Chay Mullins (20)
Top Metres: Santiago Cordero (326)
Top Carries: Santiago Cordero (50)
Top Tackles: Paul Boyle (44)
Top Tries: Chay Mullins (4)
Top Turnovers Won: Shamus Hurley-Langton, Josh Murphy (2 each)

Cardiff Rugby

Top Points: Josh Adams (15)
Top Metres: Josh Adams (120)
Top Carries: Alun Lawrence (35)
Top Tackles: Teddy Williams (68)
Top Tries: Josh Adams (3)
Top Turnovers Won: Rey Lee-Lo (5)

Predicted Team News

Connacht have to freshen up their line-up following the Munster defeat, handing starts to Shayne Bolton, Matthew Devine need to start, with JJ coming in at ten.

Predicted Connacht Rugby Starting XV

1. Jordan Duggan
2. Dave Heffernan
3. Finlay Bealham
4. Joe Joyce
5. Darragh Murray
6. Josh Murphy
7. Shamus Hurley-Langton
8. Sean Jansen
9. Matthew Devine
10. JJ Hanrahan
11. Finn Treacy
12. Bundee Aki
13. Hugh Gavin
14. Shayne Bolton
15. Mack Hansen

Replacements

16. Dylan Tierney-Martin
17. Denis Buckley
18. Jack Aungier
19. Niall Murray/ Oisin Dowling
20. Paul Boyle
21. Ben Murphy/Caolin Blade
22. Josh Ioane/Cathal Forde/David Hawkshaw
23. Piers O’Conor

What’s at Stake

Connacht enter as the No.1 seed after an unbeaten pool campaign. Victory will guarantee them a home quarter-final against either Racing 92 or Perpignan.

Cardiff, seeded 16th, will travel to Galway as underdogs but will look to make life uncomfortable for Connacht — as they did in the pool stages.

Match Facts

Connacht average the most carries (144) and metres (518.2) per game in the competition.
They also lead the tournament in successful 22m entries (9.5 per game).
Cardiff made the most tackles (646) in the pool stages and are one of only three sides yet to receive a card.
Cardiff’s Rey Lee-Lo leads the competition in turnovers won (5).

Verdict

The statistics heavily favour Connacht, who have been far more consistent and dynamic in attack this season. Cardiff’s defensive resilience and breakdown threat could trouble the hosts, but the quality and depth of Connacht’s squad — especially at home — should see them through.

Prediction: Connacht by 10+

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Draws for European Rugby Competitions on 28 June

JoeNa Connacht — Sun, 19 Jun 2022 12:30:20 +0000

EPCR has confirmed the formats and qualifiers for next season’s expanded Heineken Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup.

The 2022-23 Heineken Champions Cup will be competed for by 24 elite clubs. There will be eight representatives from the United Rugby Championship (URC) – including historic first appearances by the Stormers, Bulls and Sharks. The Gallagher Premiership in England will have eight clubs participating as will France’s TOP 14.

Clubs will be divided into two pools of 12 – Pool A and Pool B – and the tournament will be played over eight weekends with four rounds of matches in the pool stage.

The eight highest-ranked clubs from each pool will qualify for the knockout stage. This will consist of a Round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals and the final at the Aviva Stadium on 20 May 2023.

The draw for the Heineken Champions Cup pools on June 28 will be carried out on the same lines as last season with the clubs separated into four tiers based on their rankings. Clubs from the same league in the same tier will not be drawn into the same pool.

Champions Cup Draw

The number 1 and number 2 ranked clubs from each league will be in Tier 1, the number 3 and number 4 ranked clubs will be in Tier 2, the number 5 and 6 ranked clubs will be in Tier 3, and the number 7 and number 8 ranked clubs will be Tier 4.

The Tier 1 and the Tier 4 clubs which have been drawn in the same pool, but which are not in the same league, will play one another home and away during the pool stage, as will the Tier 2 and Tier 3 clubs which have been drawn in the same pool, but which are not in the same league.

Challenge Cup

Twenty clubs will play in next season’s EPCR Challenge Cup with eight representatives from the United Rugby Championship, including the Johannesburg-based Lions who will also be making a historic first appearance in an EPCR competition, six from the TOP 14, five from the Premiership, as well as the Cheetahs from Bloemfontein who have accepted an invitation to compete.

The clubs will be divided into two pools of 10 – Pool A and Pool B – and in a similar format to the Heineken Champions Cup, the tournament will be played over eight weekends with four rounds of matches in the pool stage.

The six highest-ranked clubs from each pool, as well as the 9th and 10th ranked clubs from each of the Heineken Champions Cup pools, will qualify for a Round of 16, which will be followed by quarter-finals, semi-finals and the final at the Aviva Stadium on 19 May 2023.

The live-streamed draw for the EPCR Challenge Cup pools is also scheduled to take place at the Aviva Stadium on Tuesday 28 June with the clubs separated into three tiers based on their rankings, and clubs from the same league will not play against one another during the pool stage.

Challenge Cup Draw

The number 1 and number 2 ranked clubs from each league will be in Tier 1, and the number 3 and number 4 ranked clubs from each league, as well as the number 5 and number 6 ranked clubs from the URC, will be in Tier 2. The Dragons, Zebre Parma, Aviron Bayonnais, USAP, Bath Rugby and the Cheetahs will be in Tier 3.

The Tier 1 and the Tier 3 clubs which have been drawn in the same pool, but which are not in the same league, will play one another home and away over four pool stage rounds.

The Tier 2 clubs which have been drawn in the same pool, but which are not from the same league, will play one another home and away during the pool stage. In order to adhere to the key principle of no same-league matches, Tier 2 clubs from the TOP 14 can only play against opposition from the URC, and similarly, Tier 2 clubs from the Premiership can also only play against opposition from the URC.

Further details and timings regarding the draws for both the Heineken Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup pools will be communicated shortly.

2022/23 HEINEKEN CHAMPIONS CUP QUALIFIERS

TOP 14: Castres Olympique, Montpellier Hérault Rugby, Union Bordeaux-Bègles, Stade Toulousain, 5 Stade Rochelais, 6 Racing 92, 7 ASM Clermont Auvergne, 8 Lyon
Gallagher Premiership: Leicester Tigers, Saracens, 3 Harlequins, 4 Northampton Saints, 5 Gloucester Rugby, 6 Sale Sharks, 7 Exeter Chiefs, 8 London Irish
United Rugby Championship: Stormers, Bulls, 3 Leinster Rugby, 4 Ulster Rugby, 5 Sharks, 6 Munster Rugby, 7 Edinburgh Rugby, 8 Ospreys.

2022/23 EPCR CHALLENGE CUP QUALIFIERS

United Rugby Championship: 1 Glasgow Warriors, 2 Scarlets, 3 Connacht Rugby, 4 Lions, 5 Benetton Rugby, 6 Cardiff Rugby, 7 Dragons, 8 Zebre Parma
TOP 14: 1 RC Toulon, 2 Section Paloise, 3 Stade Français Paris, 4 CA Brive, 5 Aviron Bayonnais, 6 USAP
Gallagher Premiership: 1 Wasps, 2 Bristol Bears, 3 Worcester Warriors, 4 Newcastle Falcons, 5 Bath Rugby
Invited: Cheetahs

2022/23 key dates
Round 1 – 9/10/11 December 2022
Round 2 – 16/17/18 December 2022
Round 3 – 13/14/15 January 2023
Round 4 – 20/21/22 January 2023
Round of 16 – 31 March/ 1/2 April 2023
Quarter-finals – 7/8/9 April 2023
Semi-finals – 28/29/30 April 2023
EPCR Challenge Cup final – Friday 19 May 2023; Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Heineken Champions Cup final – Saturday 20 May 2023; Aviva Stadium, Dublin.

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