The Anglo-Welsh Cup (currently under the name LV Cup due to sponsorships ) is a cup competition for rugby union teams from England and Wales . All twelve teams of the English Premiership as well as the four Welsh representatives of the Pro14 are eligible to participate . Prior to the 2005/06 season, the competition was only open to English teams.
The first phase is played in four groups, each with three English teams and one Welsh team. Each team competes once against the three group opponents. The four group winners then meet in two semi-finals. The cup winner will be determined in the final. This was also qualified for the European Heineken Cup until 2014 , since then the winner has started in the new European Rugby Champions Cup .
The cup competition took place for the first time in 1972 under the name RFU Club Competition. In the first few years there was neither a trophy nor a sponsor. Gloucester became the first cup winner . The competition has had a main sponsor since 1976, which is why it was renamed the John Player Cup. For the first seventeen years the competition was dominated by Bath and Leicester , who won four and three times respectively. In 1989 the name was changed to Pilkington Cup. Bath won no fewer than five times over the next nine years. From 1998, Tetley's Bitter was the main sponsor for three years. After the name changed again in 2001 to Powergen, a brand name of the British E.ON division, only Newcastle could win more than once.
A new format was introduced from the 2005/06 season. Only the English teams of the English Premiership were allowed to start, plus the four best teams from Wales for the first time. Teams from National Division One , the second highest division in England, have been competing for the Powergen National Trophy ever since . The new format brought an increase of 12 percent in the audience. At the end of the first Anglo-Welsh season, Powergen announced its withdrawal, as the parent company, the German E.ON group, is now a leading sponsor of the Football Association and Wembley Stadium . Powergen was followed by Électricité de France , which already supports the French professional league Top 14 . In 2008, the Ospreys became the first Welsh team to win the trophy.
Final encounters
RFU Club Competition
The Powergen Cup (center) in the London Irish trophy room
England Wales
