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2009–10 British and Irish Cup

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Teams
  
24

Matches played
  
63

2009–10 British and Irish Cup

Countries
  
England Ireland  Scotland  Wales

Tournament format(s)
  
Round-robin and knockout

Date
  
November 2009 – May 2010

Attendance
  
103,545 (1,644 per match)

The 2009–10 British and Irish Cup was the first season of the annual rugby union competition for second tier, semi-professional clubs from Britain and Ireland. First round matches began on Friday 20 November 2009 and the final was held on Sunday 16 May 2010.

Contents

The first competition was heavily criticised, with one reporter describing it as 'dismal'.

A total of 24 teams from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales competed in the inaugural competition. Cornish Pirates lifted the cup, defeating Munster A 23–14 in the final.

Teams

The allocation of teams was as follows:

  • – 12 teams from the RFU Championship
  • – 3 Irish provinces represented by 'A' teams
  • – 3 Scottish sides, 2 top clubs from the Scottish Premiership and Gael Force, a side made up of a combination of National Academy players
  • – 6 top clubs from the Principality Premiership

    • Competition format

    The teams were divided into four pools of six, playing over five weekends during the Autumn International and Six Nations windows. The four pool winners contested a knock-out stage, with semi-finals on 24 and 25 April and the final on 16 May.

    Qualifiers

    The four pool winners proceeded to the knock out stages.

    References

    2009–10 British and Irish Cup Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA