Top 14 and Premiership

The Challenge Cup comes into the equation for all three leagues.


The seventh-ranked club from the TOP 14, or the winner of the Challenge Cup if from the TOP 14 and not already qualified for the Champions Cup.

The seventh-ranked club from the Aviva Premiership, or the winner of the Challenge Cup if from the Aviva Premiership and not already qualified for the Champions Cup.

The eight and ninth-ranked clubs from the PRO12, or the winner of the Challenge Cup if from the PRO12 and not already qualified for the Champions Cup. This club will take the place in the play-offs of the ninth-ranked club.

So at least 5 of the Challenge Cup quarter finals - Edinburgh, Brive, Gloucester, Cardiff and Stade - could be looking at that avenue for quaification.

If La Rochelle win their QF at Murrayfield, Gloucester would travel to France for the SF. However ASR are top of the Top 14 and looking to make the end of season playoffs, preferably finishing Top 2 and avoid the 1st round of the barrage. Fair to say, it may not be the full ASR side which shows up in Scotland in April. Could see 4 home wins, with Gloucester a good shout of making the final. Would face Bath/Ospreys tough game either way.

In terms of the Pro 12, Dragons are only 2 points behind with Edinburgh 3 back...of course still have the Zebre game in hand. Still no news on that? Better if it is played during the 6N as they would be missing at least half a team. If it is in April, would be at full strength and are only 2 points behind Treviso for the Italian spot....of course if you believe the stories, they will not be in the league next year.

19-21 May 2017

Play-off 1: Aviva Premiership v PRO12

Play-off 2: TOP 14 v PRO12

The PRO12 clubs' opponents to be decided by a draw

The Premiership and TOP 14 clubs will have home advantage

26-28 May 2017

Play-off Final: winner Play-off 1 v winner Play-off 2

Home advantage to be decided by a draw

The winner of the Play-off Final will take the 20th place in the 2017/18 Champions Cup


So the Pro 12 side is away from home in the SF and most probably in the final as well!

I've been looking to those games for a few weeks too

let's be honest Toulouse again would be a disaster. Pau an unexpected good surprise for us (didin't say we'll win, but more chances)
Same for Newcastle/Gloucester rather than Northampton/Leicester.

pinky wrote: Probably not the most favourable of results for us so far in France.
Castres beating Clermont, Grenoble overcoming Racing and Brive completing the season double over Toulon (all denying their guests a losing bonus) would normally put a smile on my face, but that now leaves us with a 6-7-8 axis of Toulon/Racing/Toulouse, none of which I particularly fancy for my summer holidays. Pau's failure to beat their struggling neighbours doesn't help either.
The upside is Brive are on the up and could make 7th, but more likely Pau will drop to 8th or so, Castres will make the Barrages and we'll be left with a tough one.
Four away wins in England including Quins and Saints leave those two likely to be 6th and 7th. Bookies giving Northampton the better chance, suggesting Quins in the playoff.

Honnestly, I agree Connacht have changed, and we can beat everyone we proved it. But not away.
The rule was made by the Franglish for a reason.
In any case we have to make the stadium a home, like edinburg last season...

Doesn't matter if the "Franglish" made the rule. Because it rotates every year... Next year the 7th team in pro12 will have home semi against one of the two teams from premiership, the year after then home semi against one of the two French clubs... I firmly believe we have nothing to fear if we get into the playoff semi.. We beat Toulouse this year already and with a few more players could have beat them in France too.. We beat Quinn's only a couple of years back and they are much weaker now imo. I fancy our chances against any of the teams named away. Our squad is getting bigger by the day with injured players returning.. And by doing a bit of simple maths ... Bigger squad = more competition for places = better performances from players to prove themselves = better team form.

chops123 wrote: Doesn't matter if the "Franglish" made the rule. Because it rotates every year... Next year the 7th team in pro12 will have home semi against one of the two teams from premiership, the year after then home semi against one of the two French clubs...

I think Pinky covered this in the not-HEC qualification thread, but as there are two Pro12 teams as opposed to one from each of France and England, and as the Pro12 teams are 8th and 9th seeds as opposed to 7th seeds from the other leagues, the Pro12 teams are *always* away in the qualifier semis, there's no rotation.

m.epcrugby.com/europeanrugbychampionscup...lification/index.php

That page clearly states that is to get into the 17/18 season not for all seasons. It's rotation I read into in detail a few years ago.
1st year) pro12 travelled to England then winner had home advantage v French (Connacht travelled to Gloucester
2nd year) because of World Cup would just be the winner of the challenge cup

3rd year) (this year) the pro12 would get the two teams
And each year it would rotate and then on then on the World Cup years the challenge cup winners get qualification.
This information is not on the Internet anymore so he can shoot me down all ye want. But it's fact and ye will see at start of next season...

But more importantly we can just talk about where we think we'll have a weekend away in May, before we come back to the clan stand for one last time this season (I'm optimistic we'll win the first match and win the toss of the coin to get the home draw for the qualification final )