European Professional Club Rugby have today announced that the play-off process for the European Champions Cup will change for the 2015/2016 tournament.
19 clubs will automatically qualify for the tournament (the top six in Aviva Premiership and Top 14 leagues, and the top seven-ranked in the PRO12 – with nationality taken into account), while the 20th team will now be decided in a two-part play-off system.
The seventh-placed Aviva Premiership Club will play the eighth-placed (or highest ranked club not to have qualified) PRO12 side in the first game, with home advantage to be decided by the toss of a coin.
The winner of that game will then play the seventh-placed Top 14 side in a kind of play-off final, with the winner of the first game getting home advantage. So, the Top 14 club automatically qualifies for the play-off ‘final’, but will always have to play away from home.
The change has been made to streamline the process and to facilitate the schedules of the various domestic leagues.
“With this revised Champions Cup play-off format, we have respected the wishes of the three leagues,” said EPCR Director General, Jacques Pineau. “The Board of EPCR has agreed an alteration to the initial format in the tournament Heads of Agreement, and we are confident that the play-offs will enhance what promises to be an exciting season of European professional club rugby.”
2015/16 EUROPEAN RUGBY CHAMPIONS CUP PLAY-OFFS
Saturday, 23 May 2015
Match 1: Aviva Premiership (seventh-ranked club) v Guinness PRO12 (eighth-ranked club or highest ranked club not already qualified)
Home advantage to be decided by toss of coin
Saturday, 30 May 2015
Match 2: Winner of Match 1 v Top 14 (seventh-ranked club)
Winner of Match 1 will have home advantage
What do you think of the new play-off format?
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