2015–16 European Rugby Champions–Challenge Cup play-offs

January 2015 June 2020 2015–16 European Rugby Champions–Challenge Cup play-offs European Rugby Champions Cup Qualification Play-off 23 and 30 May 2015 2014–15 2017–18 The 2015–16 European Rugby Champions Cup-Challenge Cup play-off was the second play-off for entry into the top-level competition of European Club rugby union, the European Rugby Champions Cup. Format Following the two-team play-off in 2014–15, an expanded, four-team format was due to be used. However, on 24 September 2014, it was announced this would instead be a three-team play-off, with the highest placed non-qualifying team taking part.https://www.epcrugby.com/news/28940.php European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) epcrugby.com 14 September 2017 To accommodate the longer season in the French Top 14, the format was announced as follows: One team each would qualify from the Premiership and the Pro12, with each league being represented by the highest placed team not already qualified. These two teams would play in the first game, with home advantage in the match would be decided by a coin toss. In the event that the 2014–15 European Rugby Challenge Cup winner was a Premiership club, and it had not automatically qualified for the Champions Cup, it would take the place allocated to a Premiership team.https://www.epcrugby.com/news/30479.php#.VSGSbpM2ffc European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) epcrugby.com 14 September 2017 The winner of the first game would host the 7th placed team in the French Top 14. The winner of that game would qualify for the Champions Cup.June 2020 Gloucester became the first team to qualify for the play-off, taking the place allocated to the Premiership, when they beat Edinburgh 19–13 in the Challenge Cup final on 1 May 2015. This result meant that the 7th place team in the 2014–15 Premiership will no longer take part in the play-off, and will compete in the Challenge Cup. Connacht qualified next, when the finished seventh in the 2014–15 Pro12 with 50 points, narrowly edging Edinburgh who had 48 points. Bordeaux Bègles qualified for the play-off on 23 May 2015.June 2020 Connacht played Gloucester away at Gloucester's Kingsholm Stadium on Sunday 24 May 2015,http://www.rte.ie/sport/rugby/2015/0516/701597-connacht-ospreys/ Connacht lose but make Champions Cup play-off RTÉ 16 May 2015 17 May 2015 Connacht will now play Gloucester away at Kingsholm next Sunday, with the winner of that tie playing the French Top 14 seventh-placed side for a spot in next year's Champions Cup. with the venue having been decided earlier by a coin toss.http://www.gloucestercitizen.co.uk/Gloucester-s-Champions-Cup-play-home-advantage/story-26430513-detail/story.html Gloucester's Champions Cup play-off home advantage to be settled by Twickenham coin toss Gloucester Citizen Mike Brown 2 May 2015 17 May 2015 The coin toss will take place during coverage of the Champions Cup final between Clermont Auvergne and Toulon at Twickenham. dead https://web.archive.org/web/20150506110224/http://www.gloucestercitizen.co.uk/Gloucester-s-Champions-Cup-play-home-advantage/story-26430513-detail/story.html 6 May 2015 2015-05-06 Gloucester win home advantage for Champions Cup play-off https://www.espn.com/rugby/story/_/id/12831787/gloucester-win-home-advantage-champions-cup-play-winning-toss 2025-11-27 ESPN.com en Press Association Gloucester win coin toss for home advantage in Champions Cup play-off. ... Gloucester have secured home advantage in the first play-off fixture to secure a European Champions Cup spot next season - but a Madness concert could hinder their chances of qualifying should they progress. ... 'We are delighted to have won the toss to stage the first fixture, and now look forward to seeing who we will meet in that game,' Gloucester chief executive Stephen Vaughan told the club's official website.'Should we win that match, and no-one is taking anything for granted, we have had to make contingency plans for the second play-off game, and that contingency would be for us to play at Sixways Stadium in Worcester. It was decided that, in the event of a Gloucester win, the second play-off match would be played at Sixways Stadium in Worcester, to avoid a clash of fixtures with a Madness concert. Teams League Team Coach Stadium Premiership Gloucester IRE rugby union David Humphreys Kingsholm Stadium Pro12 Connacht SAM Pat Lam Galway Sportsgrounds Top 14 Bordeaux Bègles FRA Raphaël Ibañez Stade André Moga Matches Match 1 24 May 2015 15:30 GMT Gloucester ENG 40−32 Reporthttps://www.bbc.com/sport/rugby-union/32803113 Champions Cup play-off: Gloucester 40-32 Connacht BBC Sport 24 May 2015 14 September 2017 IRE rugby union Connacht Moriarty 1' cSharples 26' mMeakes 80' cDawidiuk 95' mMay 98' c Laidlaw (3/5) 1', 80', 98' Laidlaw (2/3) 19', 43'Hook (1/1) 92' J. Cooney 8' cCarty 29' cHealy (2) 60' m, 92' c Carty (3/4) 9', 30', 92' Carty (2/3) 7', 79' Kingsholm Stadium, Gloucester 7,633 Romain Poite (FFR) FB 15ENG Charlie Sharples 64RW 14ENG Jonny MayOC 13AUS Bill MeakesIC 12ENG Billy Twelvetrees (c)LW 11ENG Henry Purdy 50FH 10WAL James HookSH 9 SCO Greig LaidlawN8 8 WAL Ross Moriarty 71 88OF 7 WAL Dan Thomas 33 44 65BF 6 ENG Jacob RowanRL 5 ENG Tom PalmerLL 4 ENG Tom SavageTP 3 NZL John Afoa 33 43 88HK 2 WAL Richard Hibbard 59LP 1 ENG Nick Wood 65Replacements:HK 16ENG Darren Dawidiuk 59PR 17ENG Yann Thomas 65PR 18ENG Shaun Knight 33 44 88LK 19ENG Elliott Stooke 71FL 20ENG Lewis Ludlow 65 88SH 21ENG Dan Robson 64FH 22ENG Billy BurnsFB 23ENG Rob Cook 50Coach:IRE rugby union David Humphreys FB 15IRE rugby union Tiernan O'Halloran 65RW 14IRE rugby union Fionn Carr 75OC 13IRE rugby union Robbie HenshawIC 12NZL Bundee AkiLW 11IRE rugby union Matt HealyFH 10IRE rugby union Jack CartySH 9 IRE rugby union John Cooney 64N8 8 IRE rugby union Eoin McKeon 71OF 7 SCO Eoghan Masterson 55 65 33 44BF 6 IRE rugby union John Muldoon (c)RL 5 ENG Aly MuldowneyLL 4 NZL George Naoupu 54TP 3 IRE rugby union Rodney Ah You 54HK 2 NZL Tom McCartney 70 79 90LP 1 IRE rugby union Denis Buckley 33 43Replacements:HK 16IRE rugby union Dave Heffernan 94 100 70 79 90PR 17IRE rugby union JP Cooney 33 44PR 18IRE rugby union Finlay Bealham 54LK 19IRE rugby union Andrew Browne 54FL 20IRE rugby union James Connolly 71SH 21IRE rugby union Ian Porter 64FH 22NZL Miah Nikora 75CE 23CAN Shane O'Leary 65Coach:SAM Pat Lam Gloucester advanced to play Bordeaux Bègles. Connacht went on to compete in the 2015–16 European Rugby Challenge Cup. Match 2 31 May 2015 17:00 GMT Gloucester ENG 22−23 Reporthttps://www.bbc.com/sport/rugby-union/32883925 European Rugby Champions Cup: Gloucester 22-23 Bordeaux-Begles BBC Sport 31 May 2015 14 September 2017 FRA Bordeaux Bègles Purdy 15' c Laidlaw (1/1) 16' Laidlaw (5/6) 2', 10', 24', 32', 70' Talebula (2) 37' c, 56' c Bernard (2/2) 39', 58' Bernard (2/2) 28', 35' Bernard (1/1) 80' Sixways Stadium, Worcester 5,447 Leighton Hodges (WRU) FB 15ENG Rob CookRW 14ENG Charlie SharplesOC 13AUS Bill Meakes 66IC 12ENG Billy Twelvetrees (c)LW 11ENG Henry PurdyFH 10WAL James HookSH 9 SCO Greig LaidlawN8 8 WAL Ross MoriartyOF 7 ENG Jacob Rowan 58BF 6 TON Sione Kalamafoni 45 56 71RL 5 ENG Tom PalmerLL 4 ENG Tom SavageTP 3 NZL John Afoa 45 55HK 2 WAL Richard Hibbard 59LP 1 ENG Nick Wood 58Replacements:HK 16ENG Darren Dawidiuk 59PR 17ENG Yann Thomas 58PR 18ENG Shaun Knight 45 56LK 19ENG Elliott Stooke 71N8 20ENG Dan Thomas 58SH 21ENG Callum BraleyFH 22ENG Billy BurnsFB 23SCO Steve McColl 66Coach:IRE rugby union David Humphreys FB 15FRA Lionel Beauxis 46RW 14FIJ Metuisela TalebulaOC 13FRA Félix Le BourhisIC 12FRA Julien ReyLW 11AUS Blair ConnorFH 10FRA Pierre BernardSH 9 RSA Heini Adams 56N8 8 NZL Peter SailiOF 7 NZL Hugh Chalmers 45 56BF 6 FRA Louis-Benoît Madaule (c) 56RL 5 RSA Berend Botha 36LL 4 RSA Jandré MaraisTP 3 NZL Patrick Toetu 40HK 2 SAM Ole Avei 69LP 1 FRA Jefferson Poirot 45 55 56 71Replacements:HK 16FRA Clément Maynadier 69PR 17FRA Jean-Baptiste Poux 45 71PR 18ARG Francisco Gómez Kodela 40LK 19FRA Adam Jaulhac 36N8 20NZL Matthew Clarkin 56SH 21FRA Yann Lesgourgues 56CE 22NZL Jayden SpenceFB 23FRA Baptiste Serin 46Coach:FRA Raphaël Ibañez Bordeaux Bègles qualified for the 2015–16 European Rugby Champions Cup. Gloucester played in the 2015–16 European Rugby Challenge Cup. See also 2015–16 European Rugby Champions Cup 2015–16 European Rugby Challenge Cup References 2015-16 Category:2015–16 European Rugby Champions Cup Category:2015–16 European Rugby Challenge Cup Category:2014–15 in English rugby union Category:2014–15 in French rugby union Category:2014–15 in Irish rugby union Category:Connacht Rugby matches Category:Gloucester Rugby