European Challenge Cup 2004/05

European Challenge Cup 2004/05

master	England Sale Sharks (2nd title)
Teams	28
countries	England England France Ireland Italy Portugal Scotland Spain France Ireland Italy Portugal Scotland Spain
Games	57 (of which 57 played)
tries	360 (ø 6.32 per game)
spectator	177,521 (ø 3,114 per game)
Most of the points	Australia Paul Warwick , Connacht (97)
Most attempts	England Mark Cueto , Sale Sharks (9)
← European Challenge Cup 2003/04 European Challenge Cup 2005/06 →

The European Challenge Cup 2004/05 was the ninth edition of the European Challenge Cup , the second-tier European cup competition in rugby union . 28 teams from seven countries took part. The competition began on October 23, 2004 and the final took place on May 21, 2005 at Kassam Stadium in Oxford . The English team Sale Sharks won the title .

mode

All teams from the English Zurich Premiership , the French Top 14 , the international Magners League and the Italian Super 10 that had not qualified for the Heineken Cup took part in the European Challenge Cup. There were also two teams from the Spanish División de Honor de Rugby and a representative of Portugal.

As in the two previous events, the competition was held in the knockout format . The teams faced each other in a home and an away game, with the team with the better overall result going into the next round. The final consisted of a single playoff.

Games

1 round

First leg: October 23-24, 2004
Second legs: October 29-31, 2004
Participants: 28

	total		First leg	Return leg
AA Coimbra Portugal	06: 206	Scotland Border Reivers	03:98	03: 107
Worcester Warriors England	39: 055	France CA Brive	29:15	10: 040
Gran Parma Italy	37: 066	France Section Paloise	15:35	22: 031
L'Aquila Rugby Italy	48: 109	France SU Agen	27:50	21: 059
Rugby Rovigo Italy	10: 110	France Montpellier Hérault RC	07:51	03: 059
Petrarch Padova rugby Italy	42: 126	France AS Béziers	24:57	18: 069
Valladolid RAC Spain	10: 147	Italy Rugby Viadana	03:88	07: 059
FC too France	36: 062	England London Irish	18:20	18: 042
Aviron Bayonnais France	31: 060	England Saracens	21:24	10: 036
FC Grenoble France	27: 026	England Leeds Tykes	09: 09	18: 017
RC Narbonne France	46: 051	Ireland Connacht rugby	25:11	21: 040
Rugby Leonessa Italy	06: 116	France ASM Clermont Auvergne	00:65	06: 051
CR El Salvador Spain	46: 048	Italy Rugby Parma	36:12	10: 036
Amatori Catania Italy	25: 081	England Sale Sharks	22:31	03: 050

The two best losers, RC Narbonne and CR El Salvador, also advanced one round.

2nd round

First leg: from December 3rd to 5th, 2004
Second legs: December 10-12, 2004
Participants: 16

	total		First leg	Return leg
AS Béziers France	038:65	France FC Grenoble	12:27	26:38
Connacht rugby Ireland	070:22	France Montpellier Hérault RC	56: 03	14:19
Rugby Parma Italy	025:70	England Saracens	19:18	06:52
RC Narbonne France	025:58	England Sale Sharks	15:33	10:25
Section Paloise France	041:38	England London Irish	25:19	16:19
SU Agen France	040:37	Italy Rugby Viadana	23:15	17:22
CA Brive France	102: 29	Spain CR El Salvador	57: 06	45:23
ASM Clermont Auvergne France	078:37	Scotland Border Reivers	44:14	34:23

Quarter finals

First legs

January 7, 2005 7:30 p.m. CET	France FC Grenoble	21:26	Connacht rugby	Stade Lesdiguières , Grenoble Spectators: 2,700
January 7, 2005 7:30 p.m. CET				Stade Lesdiguières , Grenoble Spectators: 2,700

January 7, 2005 7:45 PM GMT	England Sale Sharks	34:18	France SU Agen	Edgeley Park , Stockport Spectators: 4,866
January 7, 2005 7:45 PM GMT				Edgeley Park , Stockport Spectators: 4,866

January 8, 2005 19:30 CET	France Section Paloise	25:21	France ASM Clermont Auvergne	Stade du Hameau , Pau audience: 3,000
January 8, 2005 19:30 CET				Stade du Hameau , Pau audience: 3,000

January 9, 2005 3:00 PM GMT	England Saracens	19: 6	France CA Brive	Vicarage Road , Watford Spectators: 4,201
January 9, 2005 3:00 PM GMT				Vicarage Road , Watford Spectators: 4,201

Return legs

January 14, 2005 19:30 CET	France ASM Clermont Auvergne	26:25	France Section Paloise	Stade Marcel-Michelin , Clermont-Ferrand Spectators: 5,222
January 14, 2005 19:30 CET				Stade Marcel-Michelin , Clermont-Ferrand Spectators: 5,222

January 15, 2005 2:00 PM GMT	Connacht rugby	19: 3	France FC Grenoble	Galway Sportsgrounds , Galway spectators: 2,500
January 15, 2005 2:00 PM GMT				Galway Sportsgrounds , Galway spectators: 2,500

January 15, 2005 19:30 CET	France SU Agen	17:15	England Sale Sharks	Stade Armandie , Agen spectators: 3,500
January 15, 2005 19:30 CET				Stade Armandie , Agen spectators: 3,500

January 16, 2005 15:00 CET	France CA Brive	31:16	England Saracens	Stade Amédée-Domenech , Brive-la-Gaillarde spectators: 6,000
January 16, 2005 15:00 CET

Semifinals

First legs

April 2, 2005 1:00 p.m. WEST	Connacht rugby	18:25	England Sale Sharks	Galway Sportsgrounds , Galway spectators: 5,800
April 2, 2005 1:00 p.m. WEST				Galway Sportsgrounds , Galway spectators: 5,800

April 3, 2005 14:00 CEST	France Section Paloise	37:16	France CA Brive	Stade du Hameau , Pau spectators: 2,000
April 3, 2005 14:00 CEST				Stade du Hameau , Pau spectators: 2,000

Return legs

April 23, 2005 19:15 CEST	France CA Brive	27: 13	France Section Paloise	Stade Amédée-Domenech , Brive-la-Gaillarde spectators: 5,000
April 23, 2005 19:15 CEST

April 24, 2005 1:00 p.m. WEST	England Sale Sharks	59: 9	Connacht rugby	Edgeley Park , Stockport Spectators: 6,456
April 24, 2005 1:00 p.m. WEST				Edgeley Park , Stockport Spectators: 6,456

final

May 21, 2005 12:45 PM WEST	England Sale Sharks	27: 3	France Section Paloise	Kassam Stadium , Oxford Spectators: 7,230 Referee: Alan Lewis ( Ireland )
May 21, 2005 12:45 PM WEST	Attempts: Hodgson 24th received, 68th received Titterrell 36th received Cueto 56th received Elevations: Hodgson (2/4) Penalty kicks: Hodgson (1) 3.	(17: 3) Report	Dropgoals: Beauxis (1) 30.