Parker Pen Challenge Cup 2002 / 2003

Welsh Rugby Union | Wales & Regions Published 5:41 pm 26th Jun 2002 News

The face of European rugby will change next season, with Bridgend, Caerphilly, Ebbw Vale and Pontypridd all affected. The format for the tournament formally knows as the PARKER PEN SHIELD has changed. The 32 teams taking part next season will participate in the PARKER PEN CHALLENGE CUP.
The PARKER PEN CHALLENGE CUP 2002 / 2003 tournament will be run on a knock-out basis – with each of the 32 competing teams from eight nations assured of a minimum of four matches.
Round 1 will consist of the 16 seeded teams – six from England, six from France, two from Wales and one each from Scotland and Ireland – being drawn against the 16 unseeded teams. They will play each other home and away on the weekends of 11/12/13 October (Leg One unseeded teams at home) and 18/19/20 October (Leg Two seeded teams at home). No two teams from any one country will be drawn together.
The 16 aggregate winners will go forward to Round 2 of the PARKER PEN CHALLENGE CUP and play home and away. The 16 unsuccessful teams will combine in a separate competition run on identical lines, the PARKER PEN SHIELD. All these matches will be played on the weekends of 6/7/8 and 13/14/15 December, with a draw taking place to determine the order of home advantage
The last eight and then the last four in each competition will continue on the home and away format in the quarter-finals and semi-finals, with a draw taking place to determine the order of home advantage. The two finals will be staged on the last weekend in May as straight winner-takes-all contests at neutral venues. The winner of PARKER PEN CHALLENGE CUP will automatically qualify for the Heineken Cup 2003 / 2004 tournament.
The seeded teams are:
ENGLAND: Bath Rugby, Leeds Tykes, London Wasps, NEC Harlequins, Newcastle Falcons, Saracens
FRANCE: Bordeaux-Begles, Castres Olympique, Colomiers, Montauban, RC Narbonne, Stade Francais
WALES: Bridgend, Pontypridd
IRELAND: Connacht
SCOTLAND: Scottish Borders
The unseeded teams are:
FRANCE: Grenoble, Mont de Marsan, Pau
WALES: Caerphilly, Ebbw Vale
ITALY: GR.A.N. Rugby Parma, Parma Rugby, Petrarca Padova, Pol Rugby L’Aquila, Rugby Roma, Rugby Rovigo, Rugby Silea, Rugby Treviso
SPAIN: La Moraleja Alcobendas, Madrid 2012
ROMANIA: Dinamo Bucuresti
PARKER PEN CHALLENGE CUP
ROUND 1
First leg: 11 / 12 / 13 October – Second leg: 18 / 19 / 20 October
1) Grenoble v Newcastle Falcons – Second leg: Newcastle Falcons v Grenoble
2) Rugby Treviso v Castres Olympique – Second leg: Castres Olympique v Rugby Treviso
3) Pol Rugby L’Aquila v Colomiers – Second leg: Colomiers v Pol Rugby L’Aquila
4) Dinamo Bucaresti v Saracens – Second leg: Saracens v Dinamo Bucaresti
5) Ebbw Vale v Montauban – Second leg: Montauban v Ebbw Vale
6) Madrid 2012 v Scottish Borders – Second leg: Scottish Borders v Madrid 2012
7) G.R.A.N. Rugby Parma v Bath Rugby – Second leg: Bath Rugby v G.R.A.N. Rugby Parma
8) Pau v Bridgend – Second leg: Bridgend v Pau
9) Parma Rugby v London Wasps – Second leg: London Wasps v Parma Rugby
10) La Moraleja Alcobendas v Bordeaux-Begles – Second leg: Bordeaux-Begles v La Moraleja Alcobendas
11) Caerphilly v NEC Harlequins – Second leg: NEC Harlequins v Caerphilly
12) Rugby Rovigo v Stade Francais – Second leg: Stade Francais v Rugby Rovigo
13) Rugby Silea v RC Narbonne – Second leg: RC Narbonne v Rugby Silea
14) Mont de Marsan v Connacht – Second leg: Connacht v Mont de Marsan
15) Petrarca Padova v Leeds Tykes – Second leg: Leeds Tykes v Petrarca Padova
16) Rugby Roma v Pontypridd – Second leg: Pontypridd v Rugby Roma
UNSEEDED TEAMS
FRANCE: Grenoble, Mont de Marsan, Pau
WALES: Caerphilly, Ebbw Vale
ITALY: GR.A.N. Rugby Parma, Parma Rugby, Petrarca Padova, Pol Rugby L’Aquila, Rugby Roma, Rugby Rovigo, Rugby Silea, Rugby Treviso
SPAIN: La Moraleja Alcobendas, Madrid 2012
ROMANIA: Dinamo Bucuresti
PARKER PEN CHALLENGE CUP
ROUND 2
First leg: 6 / 7 / 8 December – Second leg: 13 / 14 / 15 December
(There will be a draw to determine the order of home advantage for each pairing)
17) WINNER 1 v WINNER 2
18) WINNER 3 v WINNER 4
19) WINNER 5 v WINNER 6
20) WINNER 7 v WINNER 8
21) WINNER 9 v WINNER 10
22) WINNER 11 v WINNER 12
23) WINNER 13 v WINNER 14
24) WINNER 15 v WINNER 16
QUARTER-FINALS (Home and away)
First leg: 10 /11 /12 January – Second leg: 17 / 18 / 19 January
(There will be a draw to determine the order of home advantage for each pairing)
25) WINNER 17 v WINNER 18
26) WINNER 19 v WINNER 20
27) WINNER 21 v WINNER 22
28) WINNER 23 v WINNER 24
SEMI-FINALS (Home and away)
First leg: 12 /13 April – Second leg: 26 / 27 April
(There will be a draw to determine the order of home advantage for each pairing)
29) WINNER 25 v WINNER 26
30) WINNER 27 v WINNER 28
PARKER PEN CHALLENGE CUP FINAL
(Neutral venue) – 23 / 24 / 25 May, 2003
WINNER 29 v WINNER 30
PARKER PEN SHIELD
ROUND 1
First leg: 6 / 7 / 8 December – Second leg: 13 / 14 / 15 December
(There will be a draw to determine the order of home advantage for each pairing)
31) LOSER 1 v LOSER 2
32) LOSER 3 v LOSER 4
33) LOSER 5 v LOSER 6
34) LOSER 7 v LOSER 8
35) LOSER 9 v LOSER 10
36) LOSER 11 v LOSER 12
37) LOSER 13 v LOSER 14
38) LOSER 15 v LOSER 16
QUARTER-FINALS (Home and away)
First leg: 10 /11 /12 January – Second leg: 17 / 18 / 19 January
(There will be a draw to determine the order of home advantage for each pairing)
39) WINNER 31 v WINNER 32
40) WINNER 33 v WINNER 34
41) WINNER 35 v WINNER 36
42) WINNER 37 v WINNER 38
SEMI-FINALS (Home and away)
First leg: 12 /13 April – Second leg: 26 / 27 April
(There will be a draw to determine the order of home advantage for each pairing)
43) WINNER 39 v WINNER 40
44) WINNER 41 v WINNER 42
PARKER PEN SHIELD FINAL
Neutral venue) – 23 / 24 / 25 May, 2003
WINNER 43 v WINNER 44