1996–97 European Challenge Cup pool stage
The pool stage of the 1996–97 European Challenge Cup took place between 12 October 1996 and 2 November 1996. 24 teams were arranged into four pools of six teams, with each team playing the other teams in their pool once. Teams were awarded two points for a win and one point for a draw. The winner and runner-up of each pool progressed to the knockout stage of the tournament.
Pool 1
Team |
P |
W |
D |
L |
Tries for |
Tries against |
Try diff |
Points for |
Points against |
Points diff |
Pts |
Agen |
5 |
5 |
0 |
0 |
20 |
0 |
+11 |
156 |
82 |
+74 |
10 |
Montferrand |
5 |
4 |
0 |
1 |
30 |
8 |
+22 |
211 |
74 |
+137 |
8 |
Sale Sharks |
5 |
3 |
0 |
2 |
18 |
14 |
+4 |
166 |
115 |
+51 |
6 |
Newport |
5 |
2 |
0 |
3 |
14 |
19 |
−15 |
98 |
158 |
−60 |
4 |
Glasgow |
5 |
1 |
0 |
4 |
15 |
30 |
−15 |
113 |
202 |
−89 |
2 |
Newbridge |
5 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
16 |
33 |
−17 |
106 |
219 |
−113 |
0 |
12 October 1996
|
Agen |
32 – 13 |
Newport |
Stade Armandie
|
|
|
|
12 October 1996
|
Newbridge |
38 – 62 |
Glasgow Rugby |
Welfare Ground
|
|
|
|
12 October 1996
|
Sale Sharks |
12 – 17 |
AS Montferrand |
Heywood Road
|
|
|
|
16 October 1996
|
Agen |
27 – 17 |
AS Montferrand |
Stade Armandie
|
|
|
|
16 October 1996
|
Glasgow Rugby |
9 – 29 |
Sale Sharks |
Hughenden
|
|
|
|
16 October 1996
|
Newport |
24 – 9 |
Newbridge |
Rodney Parade
|
|
|
|
19 October 1996
|
AS Montferrand |
76 – 9 |
Glasgow Rugby |
Stade Marcel Michelin
|
|
|
|
19 October 1996
|
Newbridge |
13 – 30 |
Agen |
Welfare Ground
|
|
|
|
19 October 1996
|
Sale Sharks |
52 – 22 |
Newport |
Heywood Road
|
|
|
|
26 October 1996
|
Agen |
33 – 16 |
Sale Sharks |
Stade Armandie
|
|
|
|
26 October 1996
|
Newbridge |
12 – 46 |
AS Montferrand |
Welfare Ground
|
|
|
|
26 October 1996
|
Newport |
25 – 10 |
Glasgow Rugby |
Rodney Parade
|
|
|
|
30 October 1996
|
Glasgow Rugby |
23 – 34 |
Agen |
Hughenden
|
|
|
|
2 November 1996
|
AS Montferrand |
55 – 14 |
Newport |
Stade Marcel Michelin
|
|
|
|
2 November 1996
|
Sale Sharks |
57 – 34 |
Newbridge |
Heywood Road
|
|
|
|
Pool 2
12 October 1996
|
Bridgend |
23 – 36 |
Castres Olympique |
Brewery Field
|
|
|
|
12 October 1996
|
Bristol Shoguns |
53 – 5 |
Treorchy |
Memorial Ground
|
|
|
|
12 October 1996
|
Narbonne |
73 – 22 |
Dinamo-Bucureşti |
Parc des Sports et de l'Amitié
|
|
|
|
16 October 1996
|
Bridgend |
30 – 27 |
Bristol Shoguns |
Brewery Field
|
|
|
|
16 October 1996
|
Castres Olympique |
67 – 6 |
Dinamo-Bucureşti |
Stade Pierre Antoine
|
|
|
|
16 October 1996
|
Treorchy |
19 – 26 |
Narbonne |
The Oval
|
|
|
|
19 October 1996
|
Bridgend |
24 – 24 |
Dinamo-Bucureşti |
Brewery Field
|
|
|
|
19 October 1996
|
Bristol Shoguns |
16 – 18 |
Narbonne |
Memorial Ground
|
|
|
|
19 October 1996
|
Castres Olympique |
61 – 17 |
Treorchy |
Stade Pierre Antoine
|
|
|
|
26 October 1996
|
Bristol Shoguns |
14 – 27 |
Castres Olympique |
Memorial Ground
|
|
|
|
26 October 1996
|
Dinamo-Bucureşti |
38 – 31 |
Treorchy |
Steaua Stadium
|
|
|
|
26 October 1996
|
Narbonne |
33 – 17 |
Bridgend |
Parc des Sports et de l'Amitié
|
|
|
|
2 November 1996
|
Dinamo-Bucureşti |
19 – 18 |
Bristol Shoguns |
Steaua Stadium
|
|
|
|
2 November 1996
|
Narbonne |
11 – 16 |
Castres Olympique |
Parc des Sports et de l'Amitié
|
|
|
|
2 November 1996
|
Treorchy |
– |
Bridgend |
The Oval
|
|
|
|
The Treorchy v Bridgend match was not played.[1]
Pool 3
Team |
P |
W |
D |
L |
Tries for |
Tries against |
Try diff |
Points for |
Points against |
Points diff |
Pts |
Northampton Saints |
5 |
5 |
0 |
0 |
28 |
12 |
+16 |
207 |
88 |
+119 |
10 |
Toulon |
5 |
4 |
0 |
1 |
22 |
10 |
+12 |
164 |
102 |
+62 |
8 |
Orrell |
5 |
2 |
0 |
3 |
18 |
22 |
−4 |
122 |
173 |
−51 |
4 |
Connacht |
5 |
2 |
0 |
3 |
9 |
17 |
−8 |
94 |
131 |
−37 |
4 |
Dunvant |
5 |
1 |
0 |
4 |
15 |
22 |
−7 |
106 |
169 |
−63 |
2 |
Petrarca Rugby |
5 |
1 |
0 |
4 |
10 |
19 |
−9 |
118 |
148 |
−30 |
2 |
12 October 1996
|
Connacht |
34 – 12 |
Petrarca Rugby |
The Sports Ground
|
|
|
|
12 October 1996
|
Orrell |
32 – 29 |
Dunvant |
Edgehall Road
|
|
|
|
12 October 1996
|
Toulon |
29 – 38 |
Northampton Saints |
Stade Félix Mayol
|
|
|
|
16 October 1996
|
Dunvant |
26 – 9 |
Connacht |
Broadacre
|
|
|
|
16 October 1996
|
Northampton Saints |
61 – 7 |
Orrell |
Franklin's Gardens
|
|
|
|
16 October 1996
|
Toulon |
32 – 23 |
Petrarca Rugby |
Stade Félix Mayol
|
|
|
|
19 October 1996
|
Connacht |
11 – 31 |
Northampton Saints |
The Sports Ground
|
|
|
|
19 October 1996
|
Orrell |
23 – 28 |
Toulon |
Edgehall Road
|
|
|
|
19 October 1996
|
Petrarca Rugby |
49 – 11 |
Dunvant |
Stadio Plebiscito
|
|
|
|
26 October 1996
|
Northampton Saints |
48 – 32 |
Dunvant |
Franklin's Gardens
|
|
|
|
26 October 1996
|
Orrell |
42 – 25 |
Petrarca Rugby |
Edgehall Road
|
|
|
|
27 October 1996
|
Toulon |
44 – 10 |
Connacht |
Stade Félix Mayol
|
|
|
|
2 November 1996
|
Connacht |
30 – 18 |
Orrell |
The Sports Ground
|
|
|
|
2 November 1996
|
Dunvant |
8 – 31 |
Toulon |
Broadacre
|
|
|
|
2 November 1996
|
Petrarca Rugby |
9 – 29 |
Northampton Saints |
Stadio Plebiscito
|
|
|
|
Pool 4
Team |
P |
W |
D |
L |
Tries for |
Tries against |
Try diff |
Points for |
Points against |
Points diff |
Pts |
Bourgoin |
5 |
5 |
0 |
0 |
27 |
4 |
+23 |
196 |
66 |
+130 |
10 |
Bordeaux-Begles |
5 |
3 |
1 |
1 |
29 |
13 |
+16 |
195 |
99 |
+96 |
7 |
Swansea |
5 |
3 |
1 |
1 |
28 |
19 |
+9 |
207 |
138 |
+69 |
7 |
Gloucester |
5 |
2 |
0 |
3 |
17 |
17 |
0 |
119 |
123 |
−4 |
4 |
Ebbw Vale |
5 |
1 |
0 |
4 |
6 |
36 |
−30 |
48 |
243 |
−195 |
2 |
London Irish |
5 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
12 |
30 |
−18 |
90 |
186 |
−96 |
0 |
12 October 1996
|
Bourgoin |
45 – 22 |
Bordeaux- Begles |
Stade Pierre Rajon
|
|
|
|
12 October 1996
|
Gloucester |
59 – 7 |
Ebbw Vale |
Kingsholm
|
|
|
|
12 October 1996
|
Swansea |
63 – 38 |
London Irish |
St Helen's
|
|
|
|
16 October 1996
|
Ebbw Vale |
3 – 32 |
Swansea |
Eugene Cross Park
|
|
|
|
16 October 1996
|
Gloucester |
10 – 17 |
Bordeaux-Begles |
Kingsholm
|
|
|
|
16 October 1996
|
London Irish |
13 – 34 |
Bourgoin |
The Avenue
|
|
|
|
19 October 1996
|
Bordeaux-Begles |
32 – 6 |
London Irish |
Stade Andre Moga
|
|
|
|
19 October 1996
|
Bourgoin |
39 – 3 |
Ebbw Vale |
Stade Pierre Rajon
|
|
|
|
19 October 1996
|
Swansea |
62 – 12 |
Gloucester |
St Helen's
|
|
|
|
26 October 1996
|
Ebbw Vale |
28 – 20 |
London Irish |
Eugene Cross Park
|
|
|
|
26 October 1996
|
Swansea |
31 – 31 |
Bordeaux-Begles |
St Helen's
|
|
|
|
27 October 1996
|
Gloucester |
9 – 24 |
Bourgoin |
Kingsholm
|
|
|
|
2 November 1996
|
London Irish |
13 – 29 |
Gloucester |
The Avenue
|
|
|
|
2 November 1996
|
Bordeaux-Begles |
93 – 7 |
Ebbw Vale |
Stade Andre Moga
|
|
|
|
2 November 1996
|
Bourgoin |
54 – 19 |
Swansea |
Stade Pierre Rajon
|
|
|
|
Qualifiers
See also
References