Parker Pen Challenge Cup begins

28 teams in Europe's second-tier tournament

The Parker Pen Challenge Cup starts this weekend, a knock-out competition initially for 28 teams. They play over two legs in the last two weekends of this month.

In Round 1, 14 seeded teams play against 14 unseeded teams. The 14 seeded teams are: six teams from France, four from England, two from Italy, and one each from Scotland and Ireland.

The matches over two legs will produce 14 winners. Those who win on aggregate will go through. In the event of a tie, try difference, and, if that fails, the toss of a coin will settle the outcome.

That will produce 14 winners. The best two losers - "lucky losers" - determined by the number of points they scored in their matches - will join the 14 for the Challenge Cup.

That means that 12 teams will have dropped out from the first round. They will be joined by four other teams, fresh into the competition, to form the Parker Pen Shield - again of 16 teams.

 

Amongst the unseeded teams are two from Spain and one from Portugal.

The 28 teams in the first round are:

France: Brive, Agen, Pau, Montpellier, Béziers, Auch, Bayonne, Narbonne, Grenoble, Clermont Auvergne. They are all the France Top 16 teams who are not in the Heineken Cup.

England: Worcester Warriors, London Irish, Saracens, Leeds Tykes and Sale Sharks - the Zurich Premiership sides not in the Heineken Cup.

Italy: L'Aquila, Petrarca, Gran Rugby Parma, Rovigo, Viadana, Leonessa, Rugby Parma, Catania - the eight Super 10 teams not in the Heineken Cup.

Spain: Cetransa El Salvador, VRAC Quesos Entrepinares - both from Valladolid as it happens.

Scotland: The Borders - Scotland's third professional team while the other two are in the Heineken.

Ireland: Connacht, Ireland's fourth province. The other three are in the Heineken.

Portugal: Coimbra, the top Portuguese side last season.

It is a big competition but several of these teams are performing strongly this season - better than some of the Heineken sides.

Agen, who were for two weeks the only unbeaten team in France's Top 16,  are sixth in a league in which the top eight sides are separated by only five points. Pau, who are in the Parker Pen Shield, last week beat Top 16 table-toppers Perpignan 22-0.

All the English sides are above Heineken Cup participants Harlequins who are rock bottom without a win in the Zurich Premiership. Sale Sharks are second in the Zurich Premiership, beaten just once. Sale Sharks, Saracens, Leeds Tykes and London Irish are above not only Harlequins but also Northampton Saints.

Connacht have a tough time proving their worth against the other three Irish provinces seemingly entrenched in the Heineken Cup. They are fifth in the Celtic League above Glasgow, Llanelli, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Ulster, who are all in the top tournament.

The strength in the Parker Pen is likely to come from the French and English sides and, of course, Connacht.

If you were a betting man, you would have a close look at Sale Sharks, Clermont Auvergne, who were formerly called Montferrand, and Pau - all previous winners. But there is no doubt that Agen, so tough at home, and Connacht could produce upsets.

The split after the first two weeks may well produce an Anglo-French competition for the Challenge Cup and a pleasant southern European competition for the Shield.

The fixtures for the 1st Leg of the 1st Round, with match officals:

Parker Pen Challenge Cup

RC Coimbra vs The Borders at Estádio Sergio Conceição
Referee: Stefano Mancini (Italy) 
Touch judges: Mauro Dordolo, Giovanni Bonacci (both Italy)

Worcester Warriors vs Brive at Sixways
Referee: Carlo Damasco (Italy)
Touch judges: Nereo Dordolo, Salvatore de Falco (both Italy)   
Match commissioner: Rick Charles (England)

L'Aquila vs Agen at Stadio Tommaso Fattori
Referee: Simon McDowell (Ireland) 
Touch judges: Ger English, David Napier (both Ireland)
Match commissioner: Pietro Megha (Italy)

Gran Rugby Parma vs Pau at Stadio Nando Capra
Referee: David Keane (Ireland) 
Touch judges: Gareth Doyle, John Sheehan (both Ireland)   
Match commissioner: Robert Carra (Italy)

Rovigo vs Montpellier at Stadio Mario Battaglini
Referee: Sean Davey (England) 
Touch judges: Andrew Smal, Andy Watson (both England)
Match commissioner: Guiseppe Pera (Italy)

Petrarca vs Béziers at Stadio Plebiscito
Referee: Phil Fear (Wales) 
Touch judges: Reg Hughes, Simon Wycherley (both Wales)
Match commissioner: Vittorio Barzan (Italy)

VRAC Quesos Entrepinares vs Viadana at Pepe Rojo in Valladollid
Referee: Jean-Christophe Gastou (France) 
Touch judges: Jean-Pierre Pellaprat, Jean-Louis Suau (both France)
Match commissioner: Iain Goodall (Scotland)

Auch vs London Irish at Stade Patrice Brocas
Referee: Nigel Whitehouse (Wales)
Touch judges: Chris Rees (England), Hugh Banfield (Wales)
Match commissioner: Jean Combe (France)

Bayonne vs Saracens at Stade Jean Dauger
Referee: Giulio de Santis (Italy) 
Touch judges: Eric Campin Briquet, Cédric Marchet (both France)
Iain Goodall (Scotland)

Narbonne vs Connacht at Parc des Sports, de L'Amitié
Referee: Wayne Barnes (England)
Touch judges: Rob Debney, Don Helme (both England)
Match commissioner: Francois Alguacil (France)

Grenoble vs Leeds Tykes at Stade Lesdiguieres
Referee: Malcolm Changleng (Scotland)
Touch judges: Graeme Hannah, David Anderson (both Scotland)
Match commissioner: Gilbert Chevrien (France)

Leonessa vs Clermont Auvergne at Campo Comunale di Rugby
Referee: Andy Ireland (Scotland) 
Touch judges: David Jack (Scotland), Gareth Doyle (Ireland)
Match commissioner: Robert Carra (Italy)

Cetransa El Salvador vs Rugby Parma at Pepe Rojo in Valladolid
Referee: Jean-Luc Rebollal (France)
Touch judges: Eric Campin Briquet, Cédric Marchet (both France)
Match commissioner: Iain Goodall (Scotland)

Catania vs Sale Sharks at Stadio Santa Maria Goretti
Referee: Jean-Pierre Matheu (France)
Touch judges: Franck Maciello, Hervé Dubes (both France)
Match commissioner: Gianpaulo Celon (Italy)