2009–10 British and Irish Cup

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.

2009–10 British and Irish Cup
Tournament details
Countries	England Ireland  Scotland  Wales
Tournament format(s)	Round-robin and knockout
Date	November 2009 – May 2010
Tournament statistics
Teams	24
Matches played	63
Attendance	103,545 (1,644 per match)
Tries scored	321 (5.1 per match)
Final
Venue	Recreation Ground, Camborne
Attendance	4,240
Champions	Cornish Pirates (1st title)
Runners-up	Munster A
← 2008-09 (Previous) (Next) 2010–11 →

The first competition was heavily criticised, with one reporter describing it as 'dismal'.^[1]

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

England	Ireland	Scotland	Wales
Bedford Blues Birmingham & Solihull Bristol Cornish Pirates Coventry Doncaster Exeter Chiefs London Welsh Moseley Nottingham Plymouth Albion Rotherham	Leinster A Munster A Ulster Ravens	Ayr Heriot's FP Gael Force	Aberavon Cardiff Llanelli Neath Newport Pontypridd

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.^[2][3]

Pool stages

Pool A

Team	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	T	TB	LB	Pts
Cornish Pirates	5	4	0	1	112	66	+46	15	2	1	19
Leinster A	5	4	0	1	89	65	+24	9	1	1	18
Newport	5	3	1	1	81	54	+27	10	1	1	16
Exeter Chiefs	5	2	0	3	82	82	0	12	1	1	10
Plymouth Albion	5	1	1	3	55	58	−3	5	0	2	8
Gael Force	5	0	0	5	35	129	−94	6	1	0	1

Updated to match(es) played on unknown. Source: ^{[citation needed]}
Rules for classification: 4 points for a win; 2 points for a draw; 1 bonus point for a loss by seven points or less; 1 bonus point for scoring four or more tries in a match

20 November 2009 19:30

Newport	21 – 14	Exeter
	Stats

Rodney Parade Attendance: 798

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21 November 2009 16:30

Plymouth Albion	13 – 16	Leinster A
	Stats

Brickfields Stadium Attendance: 2,208

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22 November 2009 14:00

Cornish Pirates	29 – 8	Gael Force
	Stats

Camborne Recreation Ground Attendance: 2,370

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27 November 2009 16:00

Leinster A	12 – 10	Cornish Pirates
	Stats

Donnybrook Attendance: 1,670

---

27 November 2009 19:30

Newport	3 – 3	Plymouth Albion
	Stats

Rodney Parade Attendance: 593

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28 November 2009 15:00

Exeter	15 – 0	Gael Force
	Stats

Sandy Park Attendance: 2,478

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12 February 2010 19:30

Newport	27 – 5	Gael Force
	Stats

Rodney Parade Attendance: 705

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13 February 2010 15:00

Exeter	10 – 22	Leinster A
	Stats

Sandy Park Attendance: 3,505

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13 February 2010 15:00

Plymouth Albion	9 – 13	Cornish Pirates
	Stats

Brickfields Stadium Attendance: 2,413

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26 February 2010 18:00

Leinster A	6 – 10	Newport
	Stats

Donnybrook Attendance: 780

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26 February 2010 19:00

Gael Force	0 – 25	Plymouth Albion
	Stats

Bridgehaugh, Stirling Attendance: 69

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28 February 2010 14:00

Cornish Pirates	34 – 17	Exeter
	Stats

Camborne Recreation Ground Attendance: 2,564

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6 March 2010 15:00

Plymouth Albion	5 – 26	Exeter
	Stats

Brickfields Stadium Attendance: 2,766

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7 March 2010 15:00

Cornish Pirates	26 – 20	Newport
	Stats

Camborne Recreation Ground Attendance: 3,650

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10 March 2010 19:00

Gael Force	22 – 33	Leinster A
	Stats

Bridgehaugh, Stirling Attendance: 300

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Pool B

Team	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	T	TB	LB	Pts
Munster A	5	5	0	0	111	41	+70	14	2	0	22
Bristol	5	4	0	1	122	74	+48	14	2	0	18
Nottingham	5	3	0	2	81	59	+22	11	1	1	14
Neath	5	2	0	3	93	98	−5	12	2	1	11
Coventry	5	1	0	4	126	144	−18	20	2	2	8
Heriot's FP	5	0	0	5	54	171	−117	7	0	1	1

Updated to match(es) played on unknown. Source: ^{[citation needed]}
Rules for classification: 4 points for a win; 2 points for a draw; 1 bonus point for a loss by seven points or less; 1 bonus point for scoring four or more tries in a match

20 November 2009 19:30

Neath	11 – 18	Bristol
	Stats

The Gnoll Attendance: 1,500

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20 November 2009 19:45

Coventry	13 – 20	Munster A
	Stats

Butts Park Arena Attendance: 2,066

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21 November 2009 15:00

Heriot's FP	0 – 5	Nottingham
	Stats

Goldenacre Attendance: 650

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27 November 2009 19:30

Munster A	18 – 6	Bristol
	Stats

Nenagh RFC Attendance: 1,200

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27 November 2009 19:45

Coventry	57 – 12	Heriot's FP
	Stats

Butts Park Arena Attendance: 806

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29 November 2009 15:00

Nottingham	14 – 3	Neath
	Stats

Meadow Lane Attendance: 2,087

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12 February 2010 19:00

Munster A	18 – 3	Nottingham
	Stats

Waterford RSC Attendance: 3,500

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13 February 2010 14:00

Bristol	40 – 15	Coventry
	Stats

Memorial Stadium Attendance: 2,461

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14 February 2010 14:00

Heriot's FP	21 – 38	Neath
	Stats

Goldenacre Attendance: 500

---

27 February 2010 14:00

Neath	12 – 21	Munster A
	Stats

The Gnoll Attendance: 1,250

---

28 February 2010 14:00

Bristol	37 – 14	Heriot's FP
	Stats

Memorial Stadium Attendance: 2,521

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28 February 2010 15:00

Nottingham	43 – 17	Coventry
	Stats

Meadow Lane Attendance: 1,263

---

6 March 2010 14:00

Neath	29 – 24	Coventry
	Stats

The Gnoll Attendance: 1,000

---

7 March 2010 15:00

Nottingham	16 – 21	Bristol
	Stats

Meadow Lane Attendance: 1,046

---

12 March 2010 19:30

Munster A	34 – 7	Heriot's FP
	Stats

Musgrave Park

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Pool C

Team	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	T	TB	LB	Pts
Ulster Ravens	5	4	1	0	165	62	+103	22	3	0	21
London Welsh	5	4	0	1	137	78	+59	18	3	1	20
Bedford Blues	5	3	0	2	92	94	−2	11	1	0	13
Aberavon	5	2	0	3	51	131	−80	4	0	1	9
Llanelli	5	1	1	3	106	117	−11	11	1	1	8
Moseley	5	0	0	5	69	138	−69	10	1	0	1

Updated to match(es) played on unknown. Source: ^{[citation needed]}
Rules for classification: 4 points for a win; 2 points for a draw; 1 bonus point for a loss by seven points or less; 1 bonus point for scoring four or more tries in a match

20 November 2009 19:15

Llanelli	16 – 19	Aberavon
	Stats

Parc y Scarlets Attendance: 600

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20 November 2009 19:30

Moseley	27 – 38	London Welsh
	Stats

Billesley Common Attendance: 563

---

20 November 2009 19:30

Ulster Ravens	29 – 3	Bedford Blues
	Stats

Ravenhill Attendance: 1,132

---

27 November 2009 19:15

Aberavon	7 – 36	London Welsh
	Stats

Talbot Athletic Ground Attendance: 712

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27 November 2009 19:30

Moseley	21 – 32	Ulster Ravens
	Stats

Billesley Common Attendance: 750

---

28 November 2009 15:00

Bedford Blues	36 – 24	Llanelli
	Stats

Goldington Road Attendance: 2,553

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12 February 2010 19:15

Llanelli	21 – 21	Ulster Ravens
	Stats

Parc y Scarlets Attendance: 500

---

13 February 2010 14:00

London Welsh	26 – 13	Bedford Blues
	Stats

Old Deer Park Attendance: 810

---

23 February 2010 19:30

Aberavon	10 – 0	Moseley
	Stats

Talbot Athletic Ground Attendance: 362

---

26 February 2010 19:30

Ulster Ravens	21 – 17	London Welsh
	Stats

Ravenhill Attendance: 739

---

27 February 2010 14:00

Bedford Blues	17 – 15	Aberavon
	Stats

Goldington Road Attendance: 1,230

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27 February 2010 14:30

Llanelli	35 – 21	Moseley
	Stats

Parc y Scarlets Attendance: 580

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5 March 2010 19:30

Moseley	0 – 23	Bedford Blues
	Stats

Billesley Common Attendance: 520

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6 March 2010 14:00

London Welsh	20 – 10	Llanelli
	Stats

Old Deer Park Attendance: 1,650

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12 March 2010 19:30

Ulster Ravens	62 – 0	Aberavon
	Stats

Ravenhill Attendance: 793

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Pool D

Team	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	T	TB	LB	Pts
Doncaster	5	5	0	0	163	58	+105	22	5	0	25
Cardiff	5	4	0	1	147	124	+23	20	3	0	19
Rotherham	5	2	0	3	147	127	+20	19	3	1	12
Ayr	5	2	0	3	132	111	+21	14	1	2	11
Pontypridd	5	2	0	3	99	124	−25	12	1	1	10
Birmingham & Solihull	5	0	0	5	76	220	−144	9	0	1	1

Updated to match(es) played on unknown. Source: ^{[citation needed]}
Rules for classification: 4 points for a win; 2 points for a draw; 1 bonus point for a loss by seven points or less; 1 bonus point for scoring four or more tries in a match

20 November 2009 19:15

Pontypridd	16 – 22	Cardiff
	Stats

Sardis Road Attendance: 921

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21 November 2009 14:00

Rotherham	52 – 10	Birmingham & Solihull
	Stats

Clifton Lane Attendance: 876

---

22 November 2009 14:00

Doncaster	32 – 7	Ayr
	Stats

Castle Park Attendance: 1,496

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27 November 2009 20:00

Ayr	28 – 13	Rotherham
	Stats

Millbrae Attendance: 1,370

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28 November 2009 14:00

Birmingham & Solihull	20 – 51	Cardiff
	Stats

Sharmans Cross Road Attendance: 377

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13 February 2010 14:00

Rotherham	33 – 23	Pontypridd
	Stats

Clifton Lane Attendance: 789

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13 February 2010 16:00

Ayr	49 – 14	Birmingham & Solihull
	Stats

Millbrae Attendance: 780

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14 February 2010 15:00

Doncaster	34 – 10	Cardiff
	Stats

Castle Park Attendance: 1,124

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27 February 2010 14:00

Cardiff	34 – 27	Rotherham
	Stats

Cardiff Arms Park

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27 February 2010 14:00

Doncaster	41 – 8	Birmingham & Solihull
	Stats

Castle Park Attendance: 783

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27 February 2010 15:00

Ayr	21 – 22	Pontypridd
	Stats

Millbrae Attendance: 1,290

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3 March 2010 19:30

Pontypridd	11 – 24	Doncaster
	Stats

Sardis Road

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6 March 2010 14:00

Rotherham	22 – 32	Doncaster
	Stats

Clifton Lane Attendance: 1,427

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6 March 2010 14:30

Birmingham & Solihull	24 – 27	Pontypridd
	Stats

Sharmans Cross Road

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6 March 2010 14:30

Cardiff	30 – 27	Ayr
	Stats

Cardiff Arms Park

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Knock-out stages

Qualifiers

The four pool winners proceeded to the knock out stages.

Grp	Team	Pld	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	T	TB	LB	Pts
D	Doncaster	5	5	0	0	163	58	+105	22	5	0	25
B	Munster A	5	5	0	0	111	41	+70	14	2	0	22
C	Ulster Ravens	5	4	1	0	165	62	+103	22	3	0	21
A	Cornish Pirates	5	4	0	1	112	66	+46	15	2	1	19

Source: ^{[citation needed]}

	Semi-finals				Final
	25 April 2010 - Camborne
	Cornish Pirates	43
					16 May 2010 - Camborne
	Doncaster	5
					Cornish Pirates	23
	24 April 2010 - Thomond Park
					Munster A	14
	Munster A	27
	Ulster Ravens	3

Semi-finals

24 April 2010 15:30

Munster A	27 – 3	Ulster Ravens
Try: J Manning (2), D Williams, S Archer Con: D Cusack (2/4) Pen: D Cusack (1)	Report Stats	Pen: J McKinney (1)

Thomond Park, Limerick Attendance: 24,112

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25 April 2010 15:00

Cornish Pirates	43 – 5	Doncaster
Try: Davies, Bentley, Morgan, Cattle, Jackson, McGlone Con: Bently (5/6) Pen: Bently	Report	Try: Armitage

Recreation Ground, Camborne Attendance: 2,327 Referee: Llyr Ap Geraint Roberts

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Final

16 May 2010 18:00

Cornish Pirates	23 – 14	Munster A
Try: Winn, McAtee Con: Bentley (2/2) Pen: Bentley (3)	Report Stats	Try: Barnes Pen: Cusack (3)

Recreation Ground, Camborne Attendance: 4,240 Referee: Leighton Hodges

Geography

Bedford

B'ham & Solihull

Bristol

Cornish Pirates

Coventry

Doncaster

Exeter

London Welsh

Moseley

Nottingham

Plymouth

Rotherham

Leinster A

Munster A

Ulster Ravens

Aberavon

Llanelli

Neath

Pontypridd

Cardiff

Newport

Ayr

Gael Force

Heriot's FP

Locations of the 2009-10 British and Irish Cup teams

Team	Stadium	Capacity	City/Area/Country
Aberavon	Talbot Athletic Ground	3,000	Aberavon, Neath Port Talbot, Wales
Ayr	Millbrae	Unknown	Alloway, South Ayrshire, Scotland
Bedford Blues	Goldington Road	4,684	Bedford, Bedfordshire, England
Birmingham & Solihull	Sharmans Cross Road	3,500	Solihull, West Midlands, England
Bristol	Memorial Stadium	12,100	Bristol, England
Cardiff	Cardiff Arms Park	13,500	Cardiff, Wales
Cornish Pirates	Recreation Ground	9,000	Camborne, Cornwall, England
Coventry	Butts Park Arena	4,000	Coventry, West Midlands, England
Doncaster	Castle Park	3,075	Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England
Exeter Chiefs	Sandy Park	7,300 (10,744 by the end of the season)	Exeter, Devon, England
Gael Force	Bridgehaugh	4,000	Stirling, Scotland
Heriot's FP	Goldenacre	Unknown	Edinburgh, Scotland
Leinster A	Donnybrook	7,000	Dublin, Leinster, Ireland
Llanelli	Parc y Scarlets	14,870	Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, Wales
London Welsh	Old Deer Park	5,850	London, England
Moseley	Billesley Common	3,000+ (650 seated)	Birmingham, West Midlands, England
Munster A	Musgrave Park	8,300	Cork, County Cork, Ireland
Neath	The Gnoll	7,500	Neath, Neath Port Talbot, Wales
Newport	Rodney Parade	10,500	Newport, Wales
Nottingham	Meadow Lane	19,588	Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England
Plymouth Albion	The Brickfields	6,500	Plymouth, Devon, England
Pontypridd	Sardis Road	7,861	Pontypridd, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales
Rotherham	Clifton Lane	2,500	Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England
Ulster Ravens	Ravenhill Stadium	12,125	Belfast, Ulster, Northern Ireland