2002–03_European_Challenge_Cup
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 countries.
| 2002-03 European 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) |
| Runners-up | Bath Rugby |
The competition began with Gran Parma hosting Bath and Ebbw Vale hosting Montauban on 11 October 2002. It culminated with 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.
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, and Agen who were banned by ERC [4]
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
All kickoff times are local to the match location.[5]
Round 1
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saracens |
238–11 | Dinamo București |
87–11 | 151–0 |
| Stade Français |
145–26 | Rovigo |
||
| Pontypridd |
143–26 | Rugby Roma |
||
| Colomiers |
133–19 | L'Aquila |
||
| Borders |
150–37 | UC Madrid |
||
| Bath |
97–22 | Gran Parma |
||
| London Wasps |
82–24 | Overmach Parma |
||
| Harlequins |
104–47 | Caerphilly |
||
| Leeds Tykes |
81–36 | Petrarca Padova |
||
| Narbonne |
75–37 | Rugby Silea |
||
| Connacht |
73–41 | Mont de Marsan |
||
| Benetton Treviso |
55–26 | Castres |
||
| Bordeaux-Bègles |
70–46 | La Moraleja |
||
| Newcastle Falcons |
52–29 | Grenoble |
||
| Montauban |
45–36 | Ebbw Vale |
||
| Bridgend |
33–27 | Pau |
First leg
| 12 October 2002 15:00 |
| Benetton Treviso | 22–9 | Castres Olympique |
| Report |
| Stadio Comunale di Monigo Attendance: 3,000 |
| 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 |
| 13 October 2002 15:00 |
| Rovigo | 6–64 | Stade Français |
| Report |
| Stadio Comunale Mario Battaglini Attendance: 1,500 |
Second leg
Round 2
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| London Wasps |
72–29 | Bordeaux-Bègles |
||
| Stade Français |
55–12 | Harlequins |
||
| Saracens |
46–25 | Colomiers |
||
| Montauban |
31–22 | Borders |
||
| Pontypridd |
56–42 | Leeds Tykes |
||
| Bath |
64–38 | Bridgend |
||
| Newcastle Falcons |
43–32 | Benetton Treviso |
||
| Connacht |
50–49 | Narbonne |
First leg
| 7 December 2002 14:30 |
| Benetton Treviso | 27–8 | Newcastle Falcons |
| Report |
| Stadio Comunale di Monigo Attendance: 3,500 |
Second leg
Quarter-finals
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| London Wasps |
62–34 | Stade Français |
35–22 | 27–12 |
| Pontypridd |
47–39 | Connacht |
35–30 | 12–9 |
| Saracens |
60–41 | Newcastle Falcons |
31–10 | 29–31 |
| Bath |
48–45 | Montauban |
24–27 | 24–18 |
First leg
| 12 January 2003 13:45 |
| London Wasps | 35–22 | Stade Français |
| Report |
| Adams Park, High Wycombe Attendance: 5,269 |
Second leg
| 19 January 2003 14:30 |
| Newcastle Falcons | 31–29 | Saracens |
| Report |
| Kingston Park, Newcastle upon Tyne Attendance: 2,439 |
Semi-finals
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| London Wasps |
61–36 | Pontypridd |
34–19 | 27–17 |
| Bath |
57–57[n 1] | Saracens |
30–38 | 27–19 |
First leg
Second leg
Final
- "Amlin Challenge Cup: Points Scorers". Retrieved 26 January 2013.[permanent dead link]
- "Amlin Challenge Cup: Try Scorers". Retrieved 26 January 2013.[permanent dead link]
- "Challenge Cup European Champions". ERC. Archived from the original on 6 May 2008. Retrieved 26 January 2013.
- "Agen banned from Euro comps for two years". ESPN. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
- "Challenge Cup Fixtures". ERC. Archived from the original on February 15, 2013. Retrieved 26 January 2013.
- "Bath late show stuns Sarries". BBC. 26 April 2003. Retrieved 29 January 2013.