2007–08 European Challenge Cup pool stage

The 2007–08 European Challenge Cup pool stage was the opening stage of the 12th season of the European Challenge Cup, the second-tier competition for European rugby union clubs. It began on 8 November 2007 when Sale Sharks hosted Montpellier and ended with the Newcastle Falcons / El Salvador game on 20 January 2008.

2007–08 European Challenge Cup pool stage
Season2007–08 European Challenge Cup
Date8 November 2007 – 20 January 2008
Qualifiers
Seed 1England Worcester Warriors
Seed 2England Bath
Seed 3England Sale Sharks
Seed 4England Newcastle Falcons
Seed 5France Castres Olympique
Seed 6France Brive
Seed 7England Leeds Carnegie
Seed 8France Montpellier
2006–07
(Previous)
2008–09
(Next)

Twenty teams participated in this phase of the competition; they were divided into five pools of four teams each, with each team playing the others home and away.[1] Competition points were earned using the standard bonus point system. The five pool winners and the best three runners-up advanced to the knockout stage. These teams then competed in a single-elimination tournament that ended with the final at Kingsholm Stadium in Gloucester on 25 May 2008.

Results

All times are local to the game location.

Key to colours
    Winner of each pool, advance to quarterfinals. Seed # in parentheses
    Three highest-scoring second-place teams advance to quarterfinals. Seed # in parentheses

Pool 1

TeamPWDLTries forTries againstTry diffPoints forPoints againstPoints diffTBLBPts
Bath Rugby (2)6600286+2220365+1385029
Auch63031119−8109147−381114
Albi62041521−6130177−471211
Overmach Parma61051018−8104157−53037
10 November 2007
15:00
Rugby Parma FC 23–28 Albi
Sergio Lanfranchi
Attendance: 4,000
10 November 2007
20:45
Auch 6–28 Bath
Stade Patrice Brocas
Attendance: 3,562

17 November 2007
14:15
Bath 28–0 Rugby Parma FC
Recreation Ground
Attendance: 10,025
17 November 2007
19:30
Albi 30–31 Auch
La Maison des Sports
Attendance: 4,767

7 December 2007
19:00
Albi 18–26 Bath
La Maison des Sports
Attendance: 4,000
8 December 2007
15:00
Rugby Parma FC 25–20 Auch
Sergio Lanfranchi
Attendance: 530

15 December 2007
14:15
Bath 59–15 Albi
Recreation Ground
Attendance: 9,282
15 December 2007
18:30
Auch 24–20 Rugby Parma FC
Stade Patrice Brocas
Attendance: 1,500

12 January 2008
15:00
Rugby Parma FC 13–31 Bath
Sergio Lanfranchi
Attendance: 1,000
12 January 2008
17:30
Auch 15–13 Albi
Stade Patrice Brocas
Attendance: 3,000

19 January 2008
14:15
Bath 31–13 Auch
Recreation Ground
Attendance: 9,484
19 January 2008
19:30
Albi 26–23 Rugby Parma FC
La Maison des Sports
Attendance: 4,200

Pool 2

TeamPWDLTries forTries againstTry diffPoints forPoints againstPoints diffTBLBPts
Worcester Warriors (1)6600366+3024549+1965029
Montauban63032812+16175113+623116
București6213722−1577158−810010
Gran Parma6015738−3182259−177013
9 November 2007
18:30
Montauban 65–6 Gran Parma
Stade de Sapiac
Attendance: 3,000
10 November 2007
14:00
București 8–18 Worcester Warriors
Arcul de Triumf
Attendance: 800

17 November 2007
15:00
Gran Parma 23–23 București
Sergio Lanfranchi
Attendance: 220
17 November 2007
15:00
Worcester Warriors 41–18 Montauban
Sixways Stadium
Attendance: 6,876

8 December 2007
13:00
București 19–17 Montauban
Bucharest
Attendance: 1,000
8 December 2007
15:00
Worcester Warriors 50–0 Gran Parma
Sixways Stadium
Attendance: 7,169

14 December 2007
18:30
Montauban 34–6 București
Stade de Sapiac
Attendance: 2,500
15 December 2007
15:00
Gran Parma 16–66 Worcester Warriors
Sergio Lanfranchi
Attendance: 520

11 January 2008
18:30
Montauban 7–24 Worcester Warriors
Stade de Sapiac
Attendance: 2,000
13 January 2008
14:30
București 21–20 Gran Parma
Sergio Lanfranchi
Attendance: 250

19 January 2008
15:00
Gran Parma 17–34 Montauban
Sergio Lanfranchi
Attendance: 300
19 January 2008
15:00
Worcester Warriors 46–0 București
Sixways Stadium
Attendance: 6,380

Pool 3

TeamPWDLTries forTries againstTry diffPoints forPoints againstPoints diffTBLBPts
Newcastle Falcons (4)6501343+3126457+2073124
Brive (6)6402215+1617973+1063220
Connacht63032510+1517297+752115
El Salvador6006365−6226414−388000
9 November 2007
19:30
Brive 15–6 Connacht
Stadium Municipal, Brive
Attendance: 4,850
10 November 2007
16:30
El Salvador 10–71 Newcastle Falcons
Campo de Pepe Rojo
Attendance: 4,000

15 November 2007
19:45
Newcastle Falcons 25–19 Brive
Kingston Park
Attendance: 5,140
16 November 2007
18:30
Connacht 75–8 El Salvador
Sportsground
Attendance: 1,943

7 December 2007
18:30
Connacht 16–13 Newcastle Falcons
Sportsground
Attendance: 2,856
9 December 2007
15:00
Brive 71–0 El Salvador
Stadium Municipal, Brive
Attendance: 2,000

16 December 2007
12:30
El Salvador 8–40 Brive
Campo de Pepe Rojo
Attendance: 3,000
16 December 2007
15:00
Newcastle Falcons 39–0 Connacht
Kingston Park
Attendance: 7,426

11 January 2008
19:00
Brive 12–19 Newcastle Falcons
Stadium Municipal, Brive
Attendance: 7,500
13 January 2008
12:30
El Salvador 0–60 Connacht
Campo de Pepe Rojo
Attendance: 3,500

18 January 2008
18:30
Connacht 15–22 Brive
Sportsground
Attendance: 3,544
20 January 2008
15:00
Newcastle Falcons 97–0 El Salvador
Kingston Park
Attendance: 4,872

Pool 4

TeamPWDLTries forTries againstTry diffPoints forPoints againstPoints diffTBLBPts
Sale Sharks (3)6510348+2624462+1825027
Montpellier (8)64111214−2114115−11019
Bayonne61051620−4100164−64228
Petrarca Padova6105727−2073190−117015
8 November 2007
19:45
Sale Sharks 49–6 Montpellier
Edgeley Park
Attendance: 6,606
9 November 2007
19:30
Bayonne 37–20 Petrarca Padova
Stade Jean Dauger
Attendance: 6,000

17 November 2007
15:00
Petrarca Padova 14–53 Sale Sharks
Stadio Plebiscito
Attendance: 2,850
17 November 2007
20:45
Montpellier 18–12 Bayonne
Stade Yves du Manoir, Montpell
Attendance: 5,000

8 December 2007
15:00
Petrarca Padova 13–19 Montpellier
Stadio Plebiscito
Attendance: 1,000
8 December 2007
20:45
Bayonne 12–51 Sale Sharks
Stade Jean Dauger
Attendance: 8,000

13 December 2007
19:45
Sale Sharks 32–10 Bayonne
Edgeley Park
Attendance: 7,285
14 December 2007
19:30
Montpellier 31–3 Petrarca Padova
Stade Yves du Manoir, Montpell
Attendance: 4,200

11 January 2008
19:45
Sale Sharks 45–6 Petrarca Padova
Edgeley Park
Attendance: 6,708
12 January 2008
20:45
Bayonne 24–26 Montpellier
Stade Jean Dauger
Attendance: 4,000

19 January 2008
15:00
Petrarca Padova 17–5 Bayonne
Stadio Plebiscito
Attendance: 900
19 January 2008
20:45
Montpellier 14–14 Sale Sharks
Stade Yves du Manoir, Montpell
Attendance: 12,250

Pool 5

TeamPWDLTries forTries againstTry diffPoints forPoints againstPoints diffTBLBPts
Castres Olympique (5)65011912+7160105+551021
Leeds Carnegie (7)64021810+8157101+562119
Calvisano62041329−16123200−77109
Dax61051514+1109143−34137
9 November 2007
20:00
Leeds Carnegie 35–18 Castres
Headingley Stadium
Attendance: 2,138
11 November 2007
15:00
Calvisano 54–19 Dax
Centro Sportivo San Michele
Attendance: 1,600

16 November 2007
20:00
Dax 20–23 Leeds Carnegie
Stade Maurice Boyau
Attendance: 4,000
17 November 2007
18:00
Castres 61–28 Calvisano
Stade Pierre Antoine
Attendance: 6,000

8 December 2007
16:00
Castres 25–15 Dax
Stade Pierre Antoine
Attendance: 5,400
9 December 2007
15:00
Leeds Carnegie 45–5 Calvisano
Headingley Stadium
Attendance: 2,107

15 December 2007
20:45
Dax 15–16 Castres
Stade Maurice Boyau
Attendance: 3,500
16 December 2007
15:00
Calvisano 27–26 Leeds Carnegie
Centro Sportivo San Michele
Attendance: 1,500

11 January 2008
20:00
Leeds Carnegie 25–18 Dax
Headingley Stadium
Attendance: 2,011
12 January 2008
15:00
Calvisano 9–27 Castres
Centro Sportivo San Michele
Attendance: 1,500

17 January 2008
20:45
Castres 13–3 Leeds Carnegie
Stade Pierre Antoine
Attendance: 6,800
18 January 2008
19:00
Dax 22–0 Calvisano
Stade Maurice Boyau
Attendance: 2,000

Seeding and runners-up

SeedPool WinnersPtsTF+/-
1 Worcester Warriors2936+196
2 Bath2928+138
3 Sale Sharks2734+182
4 Newcastle Falcons2434+207
5 Castres Olympique2119+55
SeedPool Runners-upPtsTF+/-
6 Brive2021+106
7 Leeds Carnegie1918+56
8 Montpellier1912−1
Montauban1628+62
Auch1411−38

See also

References