2002–03 European Challenge Cup
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| 2002-03 Parker Pen Challenge Cup | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Tournament details | |||
| Countries |  England France Ireland Italy Romania Scotland Spain Wales |
||
| Tournament format(s) | Knockout | ||
| Date | 11 October 2002 - 25 May 2003 | ||
| Tournament statistics | |||
| Teams | 32 | ||
| Matches played | 61 | ||
| Attendance | 225,733 (3,701 per match) | ||
| Tries scored | 384 (6.3 per match) | ||
| Top point scorer(s) | Olly Barkley (Bath) (118 points)[1] |
||
| Top try scorer(s) | Tom Shanklin (Saracens) (8 tries)[2] |
||
| Final | |||
| Venue | Madejski Stadium, Reading | ||
| Attendance | 18,074 | ||
| Champions | London Wasps (1st title) |
||
| Runner-up | Bath Rugby |
||
| Official website | http://www.ercrugby.com/eng/ | ||
|
|||
The 2002–03 European Challenge Cup (known as the Parker Pen Challenge Cup for sponsorship reasons) was the 7th season of the European Challenge Cup, Europe's second tier club rugby union competition below the Heineken Cup. A total of 32 teams participated, representing eight different countries.
The competition began when Gran Parma hosted Bath and Ebbw Vale hosted Montauban on 11 October 2002 and culminated in the final at the Madejski Stadium in Reading on 25 May 2003.
Unlike previous seasons, the structure of the competition was changed to a purely knockout format. Teams played each other on a home and away basis, with the aggregate points winner proceeding to the next round. The final was a single leg. For that first time, a third tier tournament was created - the European Shield. This was contested between the first round losers from the European Challenge Cup.[3]
The defending champions, England's Sale Sharks, did not have a chance to defend their crown because they qualified to play in the Heineken Cup. London Wasps claimed a victory over Bath in the final and picked up their first piece of European Club silverware.
Contents
Teams
The allocation of teams was as follows:
- England: 6 teams — all teams from the Zurich Premiership that did not qualify for the 2002–03 Heineken Cup
- France: 9 teams — all teams from the Top 16 that did not qualify for the Heineken Cup
- Ireland: 1 team — the Irish team from the Celtic League that did not play in the Heineken Cup
- Italy: 8 teams — all the teams from the Super 10 that did not qualify for the Heineken Cup
- Romania: 1 team specially created for the competition
- Scotland: 1 team — the Scottish team from the Celtic League that did not play in the Heineken Cup
- Spain: 2 teams — drawn from the División de Honor de Rugby
- Wales: 4 teams — all the teams from the Celtic League that did not qualify for the Heineken Cup
| England |
France |
Ireland |
Italy |
Romania |
Scotland |
Spain |
Wales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Matches
All kickoff times are local to the match location.[4]
Round 1
1st Leg
| 12 October 2002 14:30 |
| Dinamo București |
11 – 87 | Saracens |
| Report |
| Complexul Cultural Sportiv Attendance: 400 |
| 12 October 2002 15:00 |
| Benetton Treviso |
22 – 9 | Castres Olympique |
| Report |
| Stadio Comunale di Monigo Attendance: 3,000 |
| 12 October 2002 15:00 |
| Petrarca Padova |
23 – 29 | Leeds Tykes |
| Report |
| Stadio Plebiscito Attendance: 2,000 |
| 12 October 2002 18:00 |
| La Moraleja |
31 – 37 | Bordeaux-Bègles |
| Report |
| Pol. Municipal de Alcobendas Attendance: 550 |
| 12 October 2002 19:00 |
| Overmach Parma |
24 – 40 | London Wasps |
| Report |
| Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi Attendance: 1,500 |
| 12 October 2002 19:30 |
| Grenoble |
12 – 19 | Newcastle Falcons |
| Report |
| Stade Lesdiguières Attendance: 4,500 |
| 13 October 2002 15:00 |
| Rovigo |
6 – 64 | Stade Français |
| Report |
| Stadio Comunale Mario Battaglini Attendance: 1,500 |
2nd Leg
| 19 October 2002 19:30 |
| Narbonne |
41 – 14 | Rugby Silea |
| Report |
| Parc des Sports et de l'Amitié Attendance: 2,300 |
| 20 October 2002 14:30 |
| Leeds Tykes |
52 – 13 | Petrarca Padova |
| Report |
| Headingley Stadium Attendance: 2,665 |
Aggregate Results
| Proceed to 2nd Round | Match points | Aggregate score | Points margin | Proceed to Shield |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saracens |
4 – 0 | 238 – 11 | 227 | Dinamo București |
| Stade Français |
4 – 0 | 145 – 26 | 119 | Rovigo |
| Pontypridd |
4 – 0 | 143 – 26 | 117 | Rugby Roma |
| Colomiers |
4 – 0 | 133 – 19 | 114 | L'Aquila |
| Borders |
4 – 0 | 150 – 37 | 113 | UC Madrid |
| Bath |
4 – 0 | 97 – 22 | 75 | Gran Parma |
| London Wasps |
4 – 0 | 82 – 24 | 58 | Overmach Parma |
| NEC Harlequins |
4 – 0 | 104 – 47 | 57 | Caerphilly |
| Leeds Tykes |
4 – 0 | 81 – 36 | 45 | Petrarca Padova |
| Narbonne |
4 – 0 | 75 – 37 | 38 | Rugby Silea |
| Connacht |
4 – 0 | 73 – 41 | 32 | Mont de Marsan |
| Benetton Treviso |
4 – 0 | 55 – 26 | 29 | Castres Olympique |
| Bordeaux-Bègles |
4 – 0 | 70 – 46 | 24 | La Moraleja |
| Newcastle Falcons |
4 – 0 | 52 – 29 | 23 | Grenoble |
| Montauban |
2 – 2 | 45 – 36 | 9 | Ebbw Vale |
| Bridgend |
2 – 2 | 33 – 27 | 6 | Pau |
Round 2
1st Leg
| 7 December 2002 14:30 |
| Benetton Treviso |
27 – 8 | Newcastle Falcons |
| Report |
| Stadio Comunale di Monigo Attendance: 3,500 |
| 7 December 2002 19:30 |
| Narbonne |
42 – 27 | Connacht |
| Report |
| Parc des Sports et de l'Amitié Attendance: 2,000 |
2nd Leg
| 14 December 2002 18:00 |
| Bordeaux-Bègles |
23 – 29 | London Wasps |
| Report |
| Stade André Moga Attendance: 1,500 |
| 14 December 2002 18:00 |
| Stade Français |
29 – 12 | NEC Harlequins |
| Report |
| Stade Jean-Bouin Attendance: 7,500 |
| 15 December 2002 14:30 |
| Newcastle Falcons |
35 – 5 | Benetton Treviso |
| Report |
| Kingston Park Attendance: 2,539 |
Aggregate Results
| Proceed to Quarter-final | Match points | Aggregate score | Points margin | Eliminated from competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| London Wasps |
4 – 0 | 72 – 29 | 43 | Bordeaux-Bègles |
| Stade Français |
4 – 0 | 55 – 12 | 43 | NEC Harlequins |
| Saracens |
4 – 0 | 46 – 25 | 21 | Colomiers |
| Montauban |
4 – 0 | 31 – 22 | 9 | Borders |
| Pontypridd |
3 – 1 | 56 – 42 | 14 | Leeds Tykes |
| Bath |
2 – 2 | 64 – 38 | 26 | Bridgend |
| Newcastle Falcons |
2 – 2 | 43 – 32 | 11 | Benetton Treviso |
| Connacht |
2 – 2 | 50 – 49 | 1 | Narbonne |
Quarter finals
1st Leg
2nd Leg
Aggregate Results
| Proceed to Semi-final | Match points | Aggregate score | Points margin | Eliminated from competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| London Wasps |
4 – 0 | 62 – 34 | 28 | Stade Français |
| Pontypridd |
4 – 0 | 47 – 39 | 8 | Connacht |
| Saracens |
2 – 2 | 60 – 41 | 19 | Newcastle Falcons |
| Bath |
2 – 2 | 48 – 45 | 3 | Montauban |
Semi finals
1st Leg
2nd Leg
Aggregate Results
| Proceed to Final | Match points | Aggregate score | Points margin | Eliminated from competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| London Wasps |
4 – 0 | 61 – 36 | 25 | Pontypridd |
| Bath |
2 – 2 | 57 – 57 | 0[n 1] | Saracens |
Final
| 25 May 2003 15:45 |
| Bath |
30 – 48 | London Wasps |
| Try: Balshaw Barkley Tindall Scaysbrook Con: Balshaw (1) Barkley (1) Pen: Barkley (2) |
Report | Try: Lewsey Waters Wood Greening Logan Leota Con: King (6) Pen: King (2) |
| Madejski Stadium, Reading, Berkshire Attendance: 18,074 Referee: Nigel Williams (Wales) |
See also
References
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