How the EPCR Challenge Cup works

Friday 08 April 2022 Written by: Adam


There are three pools of five teams in this season’s Challenge Cup, and the Falcons have been pooled with French pair Toulon and Biarritz, Italian club Zebre and fellow English outfit Worcester Warriors.

**POOL A:** Biarritz, Newcastle Falcons, Toulon, Worcester Warriors, Zebre.

**POOL B:** Benetton, Dragons, Gloucester, Lyon, Perpignan.

**POOL C:** Brive, Edinburgh, London Irish, Pau, Saracens.

[**Click here**][1] to view the pool standings.

The top three teams from each pool and the highest-ranked fourth-placed club, as well as the three clubs ranked 9 to 11 from each of the two Heineken Champions Cup pools, will qualify for the one-leg Round of 16 on the weekend of April 15/16/17.

So that’s 10 teams going through from the Challenge Cup pools, and six dropping down from the Champions Cup.

**To determine ranking if teams are tied on the same number of points, the deciding factor will be, in order:**

* Points difference.

* Tries scored during the pool stage.

* Fewest number of players suspended for disciplinary incidents.

**The qualifying teams for the round of 16 will be ranked as follows:**

1-3: The three Challenge Cup pool winners.

4-6: The three Challenge Cup pool runners-up.

7-8: The two leading third-placed Challenge Cup teams.

9-14: The six teams dropping down from the Heineken Champions Cup.

15: The third-best third-placed team from the Challenge Cup.

16: The best fourth-placed Challenge Cup team.

**The eight round of 16 matches, in which the top eight Challenge Cup qualifiers will have home advantage, are as follows:**

Match 1: CC ranked 1 v CC ranked 10

Match 2: CC ranked 2 v CC ranked 9

Match 3: CC ranked 3 v HCC ranked 6

Match 4: CC ranked 4 v HCC ranked 5

Match 5: CC ranked 8 v HCC ranked 1

Match 6: CC ranked 7 v HCC ranked 2

Match 7: CC ranked 6 v HCC ranked 3

Match 8: CC ranked 5 v HCC ranked 4

**The quarter-final matches will be as follows (home advantage TBC):**

QF 1: winner Match 1 v winner Match 8

QF 2: winner Match 4 v winner Match 5

QF 3: winner Match 2 v winner Match 7

QF 4: winner Match 3 v winner Match 6

**The semi-final matches will be as follows (home advantage TBC):**

SF 1: winner QF 1 v winner QF 4

SF 2: winner QF 2 v winner QF 3

**NEWCASTLE FALCONS’ FIXTURES**

Fri Dec 10: v Worcester (won 31-26)

Fri Jan 14: v Biarritz (won 13-17)

Sat Jan 22: v Toulon (cancelled due to Covid)

Sat Apr 9: v Zebre Parma (home, 8pm)

Apr 15/16/17: Round of 16

May 6/7/8: Quarter-final

May 13/14/15: Semi-final

Fri May 27: Final (Marseille)

[**Click here**][2] to buy tickets for Newcastle Falcons’ last group game against Zebre Parma on Saturday April 9 at Kingston Park Stadium (kick-off 8pm).

Season ticket members are reminded that this game is already included in your 2021-22 package.

[1]: https://www.epcrugby.com/challenge-cup/matches/pool-tables/
[2]: https://www.eticketing.co.uk/newcastle-falcons/EDP/Event/Index/1720