Not a mention anywhere of what would happen if the team that won the Champions Cup hasn't qualified through their league placings

pinky wrote: I wonder when the infamous coin gets tossed.
There could be a lot riding on its numismatic gyrations.
Will they wait til the teams are decided or toss it earlier to give a bit more time for logistics?

I'm starting taking bets on who will toss the coin:
Craig Doyle 1-2
Brian O'Driscoll 6-4
Bruce Craig 4-1
Leighton Hodges 150-1
Gerry Thornley 5000-1

Flipping the coin will create two separate Timelines

So Pinky your saying even if we manage 7th place this year we still miss out on the Championship because only 7 teams from the Pro 12 go through and one of them has to be an Italian side (Pro 12 teams not involved in the play off this year)

For what it's worth, if that is the case, 7th would give us a top seeding in the Challenge Cup and therfore a good chance of avoiding the top 2 English and French teams.

mahick wrote: Only you Pinky.. only you.....

They're letting me toss the coin?
What an honour!

pinky wrote: I wonder when the infamous coin gets tossed.
There could be a lot riding on its numismatic gyrations.
Will they wait til the teams are decided or toss it earlier to give a bit more time for logistics?

I'm starting taking bets on who will toss the coin:
Craig Doyle 1-2
Brian O'Driscoll 6-4
Bruce Craig 4-1
Leighton Hodges 150-1
Gerry Thornley 5000-1

Only you Pinky.. only you.....

I wonder when the infamous coin gets tossed.
There could be a lot riding on its numismatic gyrations.
Will they wait til the teams are decided or toss it earlier to give a bit more time for logistics?

I'm starting taking bets on who will toss the coin:
Craig Doyle 1-2
Brian O'Driscoll 6-4
Bruce Craig 4-1
Leighton Hodges 150-1
Gerry Thornley 5000-1

Home advantage turned out to be important for Gloucester. Fancied Exeter but fair play to Gloucester. Should be a good final. Really what this shows though is the value of a good seeding and a good draw.

We missed opportunities at home to Exeter which may have got us a home quarter and we could have got it to extra time against Gloucester but one of the reasons we aren't in the final in my view can be traced back to the Cardiff home game at the end of last season where we threw away a significant lead which cost us a chance at 7th or 8th and with it a top seeding. At least if we are in this competition next year our seeding should be better if the criteria don't change.

Best paste this down before they decide to change the rules again :whistle:

European Rugby Champions Cup

Clubs qualify for the 2015/16 European Rugby Champions Cup in the following ways :.

• PRO12: The seven highest-ranked clubs based on their finishing positions in the league. The seven qualifiers must include at least one club from each of Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales.

• Top 14: The six highest-ranked clubs based on their finishing positions in the league.

• Aviva Premiership: The six highest-ranked clubs based on their finishing positions in the league.

For the 2014/15 season, the 20th qualifier was determined by a play-off over two legs between the clubs ranked seventh in the Aviva Premiership and the Top 14.

For the 2015/16 season, the play-offs for the 20th qualifier will include the following clubs:

The seventh-ranked club from the Top 14.
The seventh-ranked club from the Aviva Premiership, or the winner of the 2014/15 Challenge Cup if from the Aviva Premiership and not already qualified for the Champions Cup.
The highest-ranked club from the PRO12 not already qualified for the Champions Cup.
Champions Cup play-offs:

Match 1: Aviva Premiership (seventh-ranked club or Challenge Cup winner from the Aviva Premiership if not already qualified) v PRO12 (highest-ranked club not already qualified)
Home advantage to be decided by toss of coin


Match 2: winner of Match 1 v Top 14 (seventh-ranked club)
Winner of Match 1 will have home advantage


NB To facilitate Rugby World Cup 2015, there will be no play-offs for the 2016/17 Champions Cup with the 20th place going to the winner of the 2016 Challenge Cup if not already qualified.

For the 2017/18 season and beyond, the play-off format will include four clubs with a second PRO12 club competing. If not already qualified, the winner of the Challenge Cup will take the place in the play-offs of the seventh-ranked club in the Aviva Premiership and Top 14, and will also take the place of the second PRO12 club if applicable.

European Rugby Challenge Cup

Clubs qualify for the 2015/16 European Rugby Challenge Cup in the following ways:

• The remaining 18 clubs from the PRO12, Top 14 and the Aviva Premiership which have not qualified for the Champions Cup.

• Two more clubs qualify from Challenge Cup Qualifying Competition play-off series featuring representatives from emerging countries and the Italian Eccellenza.

swift4prez wrote: Remember whoever wins gets the 7th spot from there league. Looks like scarlets will get 6th so if Edinburgh win the challenge cup they get the pro12 7th spot leaving connacht without anything, so let's hope for a Gloucester win, we finish 7th (6th unlikely) and we'll have a rematch vs Gloucester

No. If Gloucester win, they get into the playoff. If Edinburgh win, they don't. Pro12 playoff spot goes to 7th place regardless of Challenge Cup result.

Remember whoever wins gets the 7th spot from there league. Looks like scarlets will get 6th so if Edinburgh win the challenge cup they get the pro12 7th spot leaving connacht without anything, so let's hope for a Gloucester win, we finish 7th (6th unlikely) and we'll have a rematch vs Gloucester

You'd have to fancy Glaws in the final. So much more to play for than Edinburgh.
An Edinburgh win might leave them with a bit of a hangover for the trip to Newport the following Friday but if Dragons play like they did last night, Gunners could well have another win over them.

Recorded the game and watched iit last night, Edinburgh light years ahead. Dragons a shadow of the side that turned over Leinster last weekend, offered nothing up front.

Edinburgh in final eh, Pat must regret starting Carty in Gloucester. I know we're other side of the draw but Aki back in play again and potentially Ronaldson too we'd definitely have a punchers chance of taking Exeter at home in a Semi, then Edinburgh in the final at the Stoop would be like a home game.,

Edinburgh into the final. 45-16 win v Dragons. Didn't see it but 3 yellow cards for Dragons proved important. First yellow card they got 10 points and 2nd yellow card crucially they got 17 at a time when Dragons had got it back to 5 points.

Best of luck to them in the final, definitely a side who have improved hugely on the first half of the season. Hopefully it'll distract them but more importantly hopefully this defeat won't be the cue for Dragons to chuck in the towel. We need them to perform against Scarlets and Edinburgh at home.

Gloucester v Exeter will be interesting. If Exeter win that I'd fancy them in the final, I think Edinburgh would be confident enough if Gloucester came through.

Quarter Final Roundup

The Challenge Cup is now down to the final 4 sides as Gloucester, Dragons, Exeter and Edinburgh emerged victorious following the weekend's action.

Gloucester qualified for the quarter finals as top seeds and looked well on course for the semi-finals leading 14-0 at half time against Connacht. A 2nd half fight back from the Pro 12 side brought it back to 14-7 but Connacht were unable to force extra time and Gloucester's hopes of European Cup rugby in 2015/16 remain alive.

Dragons progressed in the Welsh derby with a 25-21 victory over Cardiff at Rodney Parade. Cardiff started well leading 14-3 following early tries from Lloyd Williams and Gareth Anscombe. However, 3 tries in 15 minutes either side of the break turned the tide in favour of the Dragons. A late try from Josh Navidi wasn't enough to rescue Cardiff and Dragons progressed to the semi-finals for the first time in 8 years.

Exeter scored a total of 6 tries in a comfortable 48-13 demolition of fellow Premiership side Newcastle to reach their 1st ever European semi-final. Leading 14-0 inside 20 minutes the result was never in doubt as Exeter showed once again why they are favoured by many to win this competition.

Edinburgh ensured that there will be a Pro 12 representative in the final following a 23-18 win away to London Irish at the Madjetski Stadium. The Scottish side led 16-0 after 20 minutes but by the 52nd minute found themselves trailing 18-16. However, Edinburgh refused to lie down and a Fraser McKenzie try helped seal their place in the last 4.

Results
Gloucester 14-7 Connacht
Dragons 25-21 Cardiff Blues
Exeter 48-13 Newcastle
London Irish 18-23 Edinburgh

The semi-final line up is as follows:
17th April Edinburgh v Dragons
Edinburgh will fancy their chances of reaching the challenge cup final when they host Dragons at Murrayfield. Edinburgh won the sole league meeting between the sides so far this season 24-10 at Murrayfield in October. Both sides have so far lost just once in the competition this season. Dragons have won all their away games while Edinburgh have secured 3 wins from 3 on home soil.

18th April Gloucester v Exeter
In the last meeting between the sides Gloucester emerged victorious 26-25 at Sandy Park. Exeter were previously on the right side of a 1 point margin when the sides met in the LV Cup and edged out Gloucester when the sides met in the league earlier this season at Kingsholm 25-22. On that evidence it would appear a tight game is in the offing between these two local rivals. In 5th place on 54 points Exeter look well placed to secure European Cup rugby for next season via the league. For Gloucester in 9th place on 37 points the prospect of winning the Challenge Cup and subsequent play off looks their only route back to the premier European competition for next season.

Don't really know how to feel about Edinburgh winning today. Obviously they will have a busy schedule but they have built huge momentum the last few weeks and have been one of the form teams in the league since their win against Glasgow at the start of January.

Would fancy Munster to take them next week though (hopefully by more than 7!)

With Edinburgh beating London Irish today, and facing Dragons in the semi final, they'll fancy their chances at getting to the final. Good news for our prospects in the league as it'll keep them busy over the next few weeks.

Quarter Final Lineup

The Challenge Cup resumes with 4 English sides and 4 Pro 12 sides vying for silverware. The fluctuating European Cup qualification criteria look to have finally been settled and overall victory for one of the English sides would see them qualify for the end of season play off for the 20th European Cup spot for 2015/16 if they hadn't already qualified automatically. This news will interest Gloucester who trail 7th place Sale by 10 points, London Irish who are a further 4 points back and Newcastle who trail 7th place by a full 21 points.

For the Pro 12 sides, it appears at present that silverware is the only carrot on offer which may result in Connacht and Edinburgh having one eye on the resumption of the Pro 12 next weekend.

Following the completion of the group stage of the Challenge Cup the quarter final line-up is as follows:
Friday 3rd April Gloucester v Connacht
Gloucester qualified for the quarter finals as top seeds collecting 29 points from a possible 30 to win Pool 5. Connacht qualified as 8th seeds having finished Pool 2 on 20 points. In the previous meetings between the sides in the Heineken Cup in December 2011, Gloucester emerged victorious 14-10 at the Sportsground and 23-19 at Kingsholm.

Saturday 4th April Newport Gwent Dragons v Cardiff Blues
Dragons qualified for the quarter finals on top of Pool 3 with 25 points. Cardiff qualified in 2nd place in Pool 1 with 24 points. Dragons lost 9-11 at home to Cardiff in the Pro 12 on New Year's Day 2015. However, Dragons won 23-17 away to Cardiff at the Cardiff Arms Park on December 26th 2014.

Saturday 4th April Exeter Chiefs v Newcastle Falcons
Exeter host Newcastle in the quarter final having topped Pool 2 with 25 points. Newcastle emerged in 2nd spot from Pool 3 with 21 points to qualify for the quarter finals. Newcastle defeated Exeter 29-24 at Kingston Park in October 2014 in the Premiership. However, Exeter gained revenge with a 46-17 victory in February.

Sunday 5th April London Irish v Edinburgh
London Irish qualified for the quarter finals by topping Pool 1 with 24 points, Edinburgh qualified as the top side in Pool 4 with 22 points. Edinburgh enjoyed a double over London Irish in the 2011/12 Heineken Cup beating the Premiership side 20-19 away from home and enjoying a comfortable 34-11 victory at home.

The semi-final line up is as follows:
Gloucester/Connacht v Exeter/Newcastle
London Irish/Edinburgh v Dragons/Cardiff Blues