European Challenge Cup - Qualification

Qualification

All top division English, French and Pro12 clubs that do not qualify for the Heineken Cup enter the European Challenge Cup. The Italian Super 10, now largely a developmental competition after that country joined the then-Celtic League, sends its top four teams into the Challenge Cup. This generally results in either 7 or 8 French clubs, 5 or 6 English clubs, and 4 Italian clubs, with one each from Ireland and Romania and one from either Spain or Portugal. Romania is represented by Bucureşti Rugby who are specially formed for this competition.

Through the 2009–10 competition, the number of French and English clubs depended on the results of the previous year's Heineken Cup. Under the former rules of that competition, one extra Heineken Cup berth was awarded to England, France, or Italy, based on which country's club advanced the farthest in the previous season's competition. In the time that this rule existed, an English or French club always claimed the extra berth. For example:

  • In the 2007–08 Heineken Cup, Toulouse of France advanced to the final, where they were defeated by Munster of the Celtic League (then sponsored as Magners League). As a result, France had 7 berths in the 2008–09 Heineken Cup instead of its normal 6, and 7 in that season's Challenge Cup. England therefore sent 6 teams to both competitions.
  • The 2008–09 Heineken Cup saw Leicester Tigers of England lose in the final to the Magners League's Leinster. As a result, England received 7 berths in the 2009–10 Heineken Cup instead of its normal 6, and sent only 5 teams to start the Challenge Cup (with Gloucester later parachuting in from the Heineken Cup). France sent its regular contingent of 6 teams to the Heineken Cup and sent 8 into the Challenge Cup; no French team parachuted in from the Heineken Cup.

Going forward from 2009–10, the default number of teams from each country will be 8 from France, 6 from England, and 4 from Italy, with one each from Ireland, Romania and Wales, and one from either Spain or Portugal. Subtractions are made for the countries that win the Heineken and Challenge Cups. For the 2010–11 Challenge Cup, the Italian entries were the top four teams from the Super 10 that did not enter the Celtic League.

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