1997 European Challenge Cup
1997/1998 European Conference

The 1997 European Challenge Cup was the 2nd tier of European club rugby, after the Heineken Cup.

There were 32 teams in the competition and they came from 7 different countries.

There were 8 pools of 4 teams, and within each pool teams played each other twice, home and away. The top team from each pool advanced to quarter-finals, semi-finals and the final.

Teams playing in the 1997/1998 European Challenge Cup were:

France

  • Narbonne
  • Agen
  • Biarritz Olympique
  • Castres Olympique
  • Grenoble
  • Béziers
  • Dax
  • Toulon
  • Perpignan
  • Montferrand
  • Colomiers
  • Bordeaux-Bègles 
  • Nice
  • Stade Français
  • Montpellier
  • La Rochelle

England

  • Bristol
  • Sale Sharks
  • London Irish
  • Northampton Saints
  • Richmond
  • Gloucester
  • Newcastle Falcons
  • Saracens

Wales

  • Neath
  • Newport
  • Ebbw Vale
  • Bridgend RFC

Ireland

  • Connacht

Scotland

  • Edinburgh Rugby

Italy

  • Petrarca Rugby

Romania

  • Farul Constanţa

     

Championship Table
Pool 1
Team Played Won Lost Drawn For Against Points
Agen 6 6 0 219 105 12
Bristol 6 2 4 115 180 4
Ebbw Vale 6 2 4 117 155 4
La Rochelle 6 2 4 128 139 4
Pool 2
Team Played Won Lost Drawn For Against Points
Montferrand 6 5 1 203 120 10
Newport 6 3 3 172 192 6
Sale Sharks 6 3 3 163 117 6
Montpellier 6 1 5 90 199 2
Pool 3
Team Played Won Lost Drawn For Against Points
Stade Français 6 5 1 337 131 10
London Irish 6 4 2 169 133 8
Dax 6 3 3 139 180 6
Farul Constanţa 6 0 6 94 295 0
Pool 4
Team Played Won Lost Drawn For Against Points
Connacht 6 5 1 144 97 10
Northampton Saints 6 3 3 161 116 6
Bordeaux-Bègles 6 3 3 112 110 6
Nice 6 1 5 94 188 2
Pool 5
Team Played Won Lost Drawn For Against Points
Colomiers 6 6 0 290 121 12
Richmond 6 4 2 196 133 8
Bridgend RFC 6 2 4 130 259 4
Grenoble 6 0 6 112 215 0
Pool 6
Team Played Won Lost Drawn For Against Points
Gloucester 6 5 1 170 101 10
Toulon 6 3 2 1 136 104 7
Béziers 6 2 3 1 150 147 5
Petrarca Rugby 6 0 4 2 108 212 2
Pool 7
Team Played Won Lost Drawn For Against Points
Newcastle Falcons 6 5 1 264 98 10
Biarritz Olympique 6 3 3 123 153 6
Perpignan  6 2 4 98 138 4
Edinburgh Rugby 6 2 4 109 205 4
Pool 8
Team Played Won Lost Drawn For Against Points
Castres Olympique 6 5 1 206 97 10
Saracens 6 5 1 197 128 10
Narbonne 6 2 4 168 138 4
Neath
 6 0 6 93 301 0

 


1997 European Challenge Cup Fixtures

September 6

      

      

September 7

      

        

         

           

          

            

          

          

          

           

           

September 9

          

September 12

September 13

    

      

      

      

     

      

           

September 14

        

         

          

          

         

         

         

September 20

        

         

     

     

    

     

     

     

     

    

September 21

           

            

        

          

        

September 27

      

         

            

      

    

    

    

     

    

    

   

    

    

September 28

      

       

October 3

October 4

      

       

           

         

           

      

         

          

            

         

         

     

      

October 5

          

October 11

     

   

        

        

     

     

     

     

October 12

Dax

Nice

Toulon

Bristol

Ebbw Vale

Newport

Montferrand

London Irish

Grenoble

Colomiers

Gloucester

Newcastle Falcons

Perpignan

Neath

Narbonne

Connacht

      

Dax

Ebbw Vale

Montferrand

Stade Français

Northampton Saints

Richmond

Gloucester

Béziers

Neath

La Rochelle

Montpellier

Nice

Colomiers

Edinburgh Rugby

Newcastle Falcons

Saracens

      

Agen

La Rochelle

Stade Français

Farul Constanţa

Northampton Saints

Bordeaux-Bègles

Bridgend RFC

Richmond

Béziers

Biarritz Olympique

Castres Olympique

Montpellier

Sale Sharks

Petrarca Rugby

Edinburgh Rugby

Saracens

     

Agen

Bristol

Newport

London Irish

Farul Constanţa

Connacht

Bordeaux-Bègles

Bridgend RFC

Grenoble

Petrarca Rugby

Biarritz Olympique

Perpignan

Castres Olympique

Narbonne

Sale Sharks

Toulon

       

Bristol

Ebbw Vale

Newport

Montferrand

London Irish

Dax

Connacht

Nice

Colomiers

Grenoble

Gloucester

Toulon

Perpignan

Neath

Narbonne

Newcastle Falcons

       

Agen

Stade Français

Farul Constanţa

Northampton Saints

Bordeaux-Bègles

Bridgend RFC

Béziers

Biarritz Olympique

Castres Olympique

La Rochelle

Montpellier

Sale Sharks

Richmond

Petrarca Rugby

Edinburgh Rugby

Saracens

v

v

v

v

v

v

v

v

v

v 

v

v

v

v

v

v

  

v

v

v

v

v

v

v

v

v

v

v

v

v

v

v

v

  

v

v

v

v

v

v

v

v

v

v

v

v

v

v

v

v

  

v

v

v

v

v

v

v

v

v

v

v

v

v

v

v

v

  

v

v

v

v

v

v

v

v

v

v

v

v

v

v

v

v

  

v

v

v

v

v

v

v

v

v

v

v

v

v

v

v

v

Farul Constanţa

Bordeaux-Bègles

Béziers

La Rochelle

Agen

Montpellier

Sale Sharks

Stade Français

Bridgend RFC

Richmond

Petrarca Rugby

Biarritz Olympique

Edinburgh Rugby

Castres Olympique

Saracens

Northampton Saints

         

London Irish

Bristol

Newport

Farul Constanţa

Bordeaux-Bègles

Bridgend RFC

Toulon

Petrarca Rugby

Narbonne

Agen

Sale Sharks

Connacht

Grenoble

Biarritz Olympique

Perpignan

Castres Olympique

        

Bristol

Ebbw Vale

Dax

London Irish

Nice

Connacht

Colomiers

Grenoble

Gloucester

Perpignan

Narbonne

Montferrand

Newport

Toulon

Newcastle Falcons

Neath

        

La Rochelle

Ebbw Vale

Montferrand

Dax

Stade Français

Nice

Northampton Saints

Richmond

Colomiers

Béziers

Edinburgh Rugby

Newcastle Falcons

Saracens

Neath

Montpellier

Gloucester

        

Agen

La Rochelle

Sale Sharks

Montpellier

Farul Constanţa

Stade Français

Bordeaux-Bègles

Northampton Saints

Bridgend RFC

Richmond

Béziers

Petrarca Rugby

Biarritz Olympique

Saracens

Castres Olympique

Edinburgh Rugby

     

Ebbw Vale

London Irish

Dax

Connacht

Nice

Grenoble

Toulon

Newcastle Falcons

Neath

Bristol

Newport

Montferrand

Colomiers

Gloucester

Perpignan

Narbonne

Dax

Nice

Toulon

Bristol

Ebbw Vale

Newport

Clermont-Ferrand

Sunbury-on-Thames

Grenoble

Colomiers

Gloucester

Newcastle

Perpignan

Neath

Narbonne

Galway

        

Dax

Ebbw Vale

Clermont-Ferrand

Paris

Northampton

Richmond

Gloucester

Béziers

Neath

La Rochelle

Montpellier

Nice

Colomiers

Edinburgh

Newcastle

Watford

      

Agen

La Rochelle

Paris

Constanţa

Northampton

Bègles

Bridgend

Richmond

Béziers

Biarritz

Castres

Montpellier

Sale

Padua

Edinburgh

Watford

      

Agen

Bristol

Newport

Sunbury-on-Thames

Constanţa

Galway

Nice

Bridgend

Grenoble

Padua

Biarritz

Perpignan

Castres

Narbonne

Sale

Toulon

      

Bristol

Ebbw Vale

Newport

Clermont-Auvergne

Sunbury-on-Thames

Dax

Galway

Nice

Colomiers

Grenoble

Gloucester

Toulon

Perpignan

Neath

Narbonne

Newcastle

      

Agen

Paris

Constanţa

Northampton

Bègles

Bidgend

Béziers

Biarritz

Castres

La Rochelle

Montpellier

Sale

Richmond

Padua

Edinburgh

Watford

32

24

19

33

16

42

25

25

33

34

43

37

21

12

16

43

  

34

28

58

83

25

43

18

40

10

20

30

20

60

15

60

26

   

45

25

65

9

66

9

24

37

27

18

24

16

61

13

16

69

   

21

18

26

24

28

28

23

12

24

26

25

13

32

52

43

16

  

24

21

17

56

46

20

22

10

69

16

38

20

40

12

14

72

  

51

28

17

15

27

25

26

32

68

35

14

20

25

16

18

40

20

25

14

14

27

17

16

41

35

18

10

10

9

36

18

13

  

19

15

32

10

13

14

15

23

50

33

12

16

10

32

3

21

  

18

24

19

26

7

15

49

8

29

6

19

18

27

54

40

30

   

15

16

31

11

85

25

16

44

29

26

27

27

18

21

3

13

  

42

19

11

10

10

35

15

26

20

29

17

20

6

24

26

25

  

12

29

23

20

8

21

12

28

8

7

28

15

49

29

15

17

Quarter-Finals

November 8


November 9

Stade Français

Agen

Colomiers

Newcastle Falcons

v

v

v

v

Gloucester

Connacht

Montferrand

Castres Olympique

Paris

Agen

Colomiers

Newcastle

53

40

23

44

22

27

13

0

Semi-Finals

December 20

Agen

Colomiers

v

v

Newcastle Falcons

Stade Français

Agen

Colomiers

12

19

9

13

Final

February 2

Colomiers

v

Agen

Toulouse

45

5

  

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