2003–04 European Challenge Cup
The 2003–04 European Challenge Cup (known as the Parker Pen Challenge Cup for sponsorship reasons) was the 8th season of the European Challenge Cup, Europe's second tier club rugby union competition below the Heineken Cup. A total of 28 teams participated, representing seven countries. This was the first year of the competition following the introduction of regional rugby union teams in Wales. With the reduction of Welsh teams from nine to five, and with all teams participating in the 2003-04 Heineken Cup, there were no Welsh teams in the 2003–04 Parker Pen Challenge Cup.
| 2003-04 Parker Pen Challenge Cup | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Countries |  England France Ireland Italy Romania Scotland Spain |
| Tournament format(s) | Knockout |
| Date | 5 December 2003 – 22 May 2004 |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Teams | 28 |
| Matches played | 57 |
| Attendance | 225,213 (3,951 per match) |
| Tries scored | 323 (5.67 per match) |
| Top point scorer(s) | Olly Barkley (Bath) (120 points)[1] |
| Top try scorer(s) | Simon Danielli (Bath) (6 tries)[2] |
| Final | |
| Venue | Madejski Stadium, Reading, Berkshire |
| Attendance | 13,123 |
| Champions | NEC Harlequins (2nd title) |
| Runners-up | Montferrand |
The competition began when Rotherham hosted Narbonne and Leonessa hosted Montferrand on 5 December 2003 and culminated in the final at the Madejski Stadium in Reading on 22 May 2004.
As in the previous season, the competition was organised in a 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 the second time, a third tier tournament was held - the European Shield. This was contested between the first round losers from the European Challenge Cup.[3] As there were only 28 teams involved, the 2 "best" 1st Round losers were reprieved and proceeded to the 2nd Round.
The defending champions, England's London Wasps, did not have a chance to defend their crown because they qualified to play in the Heineken Cup. NEC Harlequins claimed the narrowest of victories over Montferrand in the final and picked up their second piece of European Club silverware.
Teams
The allocation of teams was as follows:
- England: 6 teams — all teams from the Zurich Premiership that did not qualify for the 2003–04 Heineken Cup
- France: 10 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
- 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
| England |
France |
Ireland |
Italy |
Scotland |
Spain |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Matches
All kickoff times are local to the match location.[4]
1st leg
| 6 December 2003 12:30 |
| Valladolid RAC | 10 – 71 | Newcastle Falcons |
| Report |
| Estadio Pepe Rojo Attendance: 3,000 |
| 6 December 2003 15:00 |
| Rovigo | 14 – 53 | Castres Olympique |
| Report |
| Stadio Comunale Mario Battaglini Attendance: 300 |
2nd leg
| 12 December 2003 19:45 |
| Narbonne | 35 – 13 | Rotherham |
| Report |
| Parc des Sports et de l'Amitié Attendance: 1,500 |
Aggregate Results
Key to colours 14 winners and 2 best losers advance to 2nd Round. 12 other teams to Shield.
| Winners | Match points | Aggregate score | Points margin | Losers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bath | 4 – 0 | 125 – 11 | 114 | L'Aquila |
| Montferrand | 4 – 0 | 113 – 3 | 110 | Leonessa |
| Saracens | 4 – 0 | 127 – 18 | 109 | Rugby Roma |
| Castres Olympique | 4 – 0 | 128 – 24 | 104 | Rovigo |
| Newcastle Falcons | 4 – 0 | 137 – 37 | 100 | Valladolid RAC |
| NEC Harlequins | 4 – 0 | 94 – 21 | 73 | El Salvador |
| Grenoble | 4 – 0 | 76 – 16 | 60 | Gran Parma |
| Glasgow | 4 – 0 | 68 – 24 | 44 | Montpellier |
| Colomiers | 4 – 0 | 75 – 32 | 43 | Petrarca Padova |
| Narbonne | 4 – 0 | 52 – 23 | 29 | Rotherham |
| Pau | 4 – 0 | 58 – 34 | 24 | Overmach Parma |
| Brive | 2 – 2 | 61 – 41 | 20 | Viadana |
| London Irish | 2 – 2 | 62 – 54 | 8 | Montauban |
| Connacht | 2 – 2 | 29 – 23 | 6 | Béziers |
1st leg
2nd leg
| 17 January 2004 19:30 |
| Narbonne | 29 – 10 | London Irish |
| Report |
| Parc des Sports et de l'Amitié Attendance: 4,000 |
| 18 January 2004 15:00 |
| Montferrand | 25 – 13 | Newcastle Falcons |
| Report |
| Stade Marcel-Michelin Attendance: 7,500 |
Aggregate Results
| Proceed to Quarter-final | Match points | Aggregate score | Points margin | Eliminated from competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NEC Harlequins | 4 – 0 | 79 – 25 | 54 | Montauban |
| Béziers | 4 – 0 | 43 – 23 | 20 | Grenoble |
| Bath | 4 – 0 | 58 – 42 | 16 | Colomiers |
| Connacht | 2 – 2 | 35 – 17 | 18 | Pau |
| Narbonne | 2 – 2 | 42 – 30 | 12 | London Irish |
| Brive | 2 – 2 | 58 – 48 | 10 | Castres Olympique |
| Montferrand | 2 – 2 | 28 – 23 | 5 | Newcastle Falcons |
| Saracens | 2 – 2 | 42 – 39 | 3 | Glasgow |
1st leg
2nd leg
Aggregate Results
| Proceed to Semifinal | Match points | Aggregate score | Points margin | Eliminated from competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Connacht | 4 – 0 | 43 – 28 | 15 | Narbonne |
| NEC Harlequins | 2 – 2 | 61 – 44 | 17 | Brive |
| Bath | 2 – 2 | 45 – 31 | 14 | Béziers |
| Montferrand | 2 – 2 | 40 – 28 | 12 | Saracens |
1st leg
2nd leg
Aggregate Results
| Proceed to Final | Match points | Aggregate score | Points margin | Eliminated from competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NEC Harlequins | 2 – 2 | 49 – 45 | 4 | Connacht |
| Montferrand | 2 – 2 | 53 – 51 | 2 | Bath |
Final
| 22 May 2004 12:00 |
| Montferrand | 26 – 27 | NEC Harlequins |
| Try: Azam Mignoni Con: Floch (2) Pen: Floch (3) Drop: Merceron (1) | Report | Try: Duffy Keogh Con: Dunne (1) Pen: Burke (4) Dunne (1) |
| Madejski Stadium, Reading, Berkshire Attendance: 13,123 Referee: Nigel Whitehouse (Wales) |
References
- "Amlin Challenge Cup: Points Scorers". Retrieved 28 January 2013.
- "Amlin Challenge Cup: Try Scorers". Retrieved 28 January 2013.
- "Challenge Cup European Champions". ERC. Archived from the original on 6 May 2008. Retrieved 26 January 2013.
- "Challenge Cup Fixtures". ERC. Retrieved 28 January 2013.
- According to the ERC web site. Montauban usually play at Stade Sapiac.
- According to the ERC web site. Viadana usually play at Stadio Luigi Zaffanella.