The 2003 European Challenge Cup was the 2nd tier of European club rugby, after the Heineken Cup.
There were 28 teams in the competition and they came from 6 different countries, with no Welsh teams following the introduction of regional teams in Wales and all those teams playing in the Heineken Cup.
This was the last year of the knock-out format that had been in use for the past 2 seasons. The teams played their opposition on a home and away basis. The team with the best aggregate score over the two games progressed to the next round. With 28 teams in this competition, the 'best' 2 losing teams were also progressed into the 2nd round of the competition. The final was a single match.
There was also another, 3rd tier competition held, the European Shield. This was played for amongst the 12 first round losers from the European Challenge Cup matches. The competition followed the same knock-out format as the European Challenge Cup.
Teams playing in the 2003/04 European Challenge Cup were:
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France
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England
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Italy
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Spain
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Ireland
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Scotland
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1st Leg December 5 December 6 December 7 2nd Leg December 12 December 13 December 14 |
Rotherham Leonessa Valladolid RAC Rugby Roma Gran Parma L'Aquila Rovigno Colomiers Montpellier Brive El Savador Montauban Overmach Parma Béziers Glasgow Rugby Narbonne Connacht Bath Harlequins Petrarca Padova Montferrand Castres Olympique Pau Grenoble Newcastle Falcons Rugby Viadana London Irish 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 |
Narbonne Montferrand Newcastle Falcons Saracens Grenoble Bath Castres Olympique Petraca Padova Glasgow Rugby Rugby Viadana Harlequins London Irish Pau Connacht Montpellier Rotherham Béziers L'Aquila El Savador Colomiers Leonessa Rovigno Overmach Parma Gran Parma Valladolid RAC Brive Montauban Rugby Roma |
Millmoor Brescia Valladolid Rome Parma L'Aquila Rovigo Colomiers Montpellier Brive Vallalodid Montauban Parma Béziers Glasgow Narbonne Galway Bath London Padua Clermont-Ferrand Castres Pau Grenoble Newcastle Llanelli Reading Watford |
10 0 10 13 10 11 14 37 11 39 18 30 28 10 38 35 11 50 63 20 58 75 25 41 66 38 36 82 |
17 55 71 45 35 75 53 12 30 3 31 26 33 18 13 13 13 0 3 38 3 10 6 6 27 22 24 5 |
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Winners Bath Montferrand Saracens Castres Olympique Newcastle Falcons Harlequins Grenoble Glasgow Rugby Colomiers Narbonne Pau Brive London Irish Connacht |
Losers L'Aquila Leonessa Rugby Roma Rovigo Valladolid RAC El Salvador Gran Parma Montpellier Petrarca Padova Rotherham Overmach Parma Rugby Viadana Montauban Béziers |
Aggregate Score 125 - 11 113 - 3 127 - 18 128 - 24 137 - 37 94 - 21 76 - 16 68 - 24 75 - 32 52 - 23 58 - 34 61 - 41 62 - 54 29 - 23 |
Match Points 4-0 4-0 4-0 4-0 4-0 4-0 4-0 4-0 4-0 4-0 4-0 2-2 2-2 2-2 |
Points Margin 114 110 109 104 100 73 60 44 43 29 24 20 8 6 |
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1st Leg January 10 January 11 2nd Leg |
Connacht Montauban Newcastle Falcons Brive Colomiers Grenoble London Irish Saracens Glasgow Rugby Bath Harlequins Pau Béziers Narbonne Montferrand Castres Olympique |
v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v v |
Pau Harlequins Montferrand Castres Olympique Bath Béziers Narbonne Glasgow Rugby Saracens Colomiers Montauban Connacht Grenoble London Irish Newcastle Falcons Brive |
Galway Montauban Newcastle Brive Colomiers Grenoble Reading Watford Glasgow Bath London Pau Béziers Narbonne Clermont-Ferrand Castres |
29 8 10 30 25 15 20 37 33 26 36 10 24 29 25 31 |
7 43 3 17 32 19 13 6 5 17 17 6 8 10 13 28 |
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Winners Harlequins Béziers Bath Connacht Narbonne Brive Montferrand Saracens |
Losers Montauban Grenoble Colomiers Pau London Irish Castres Olympique Newcastle Falcons Glasgow Rugby |
Aggregate Score 79 - 25 43 - 23 58 - 42 35 - 17 42 - 30 58 - 48 28 - 23 42 - 39 |
Match Points 4-0 4-0 4-0 2-2 2-2 2-2 2-2 2-2 |
Points Margin 54 20 16 18 12 10 5 3 |
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1st Leg January 24 January 25 2nd Leg January 31 February 1 |
Harlequins Béziers Narbonne Montferrand Connacht Bath Brive Saracens |
v v v v v v v v |
Brive Bath Connacht Saracens Narbonne Béziers Harlequins Montferrand |
London Béziers Narbonne Clermont-Ferrand Galway Bath Brive Watford |
41 24 18 26 16 26 36 18 |
8 19 27 10 10 7 20 14 |
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Winners Connacht Harlequins Bath Montferrand |
Losers Narbonne Brive Béziers Saracens |
Aggregate Score 43 - 28 61 - 44 45 - 31 40 - 28 |
Match Points 4-0 2-2 2-2 2-2 |
Points Margin 15 17 14 12 |
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1st Leg April 10 April 11 2nd Leg April 24 April 25 |
Bath Harlequins Montferrand Connacht |
v v v v |
Montferrand Connacht Bath Harlequins |
Bath London Clermont-Ferrand Galway |
29 31 38 23 |
15 22 22 18 |
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Winners Harlequins Montferrand |
Losers Connacht Bath |
Aggregate Score 49 - 45 53 - 51 |
Match Points 2-2 2-2 |
Points Margin 4 2 |
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May 22 |
Montferrand |
v |
Harlequins |
Reading |
26 |
27 |