2015/2016 ERCC Play-Off Final - Gloucester v Bordeaux-Bègles, 31 May

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Gloucester Rugby v Bordeaux-Bègles
Sunday 31 May
KO: 17:00
Sixways Stadium, Worcester

Live on Sky Sports 3 / beIN Sports

Referee: Leighton Hodges (Wales)
Assistant referees: Dudley Phillips (Ireland), Rhys Thomas (Wales)
TMO: Jim Yuille (Scotland)

A. Head to Head

3 Played 3
2 Wins 1
1 Losses 2
0 Draws 0
6 Tries 5
3 Conversions 5
10 Penalties 7
0 Drop Goals 0
66 Points 56
25 Avg. Age 27

B. Run-In

Gloucester Rugby

24/05/15 - Gloucester 40 - 32 Connacht

16/05/15 - Bath 50 - 30 Gloucester

09/05/15 - Gloucester 35 - 13 London Irish

Bordeaux-Bègles

23/01/15 - Edinburgh 38 - 20 Bordeaux

16/01/15 - Bordeaux 26 - 3 L Welsh

12/12/14 - Lyon 37 - 28 Bordeaux

C. Teams

Gloucester Rugby

Cook; Sharples, Meakes, Twelvetrees (capt), May; Hook, Laidlaw; Wood, Hibbard, Afoa; Savage, Palmer; Kalamafoni, Rowan, Moriarty.

Replacements: Dawidiuk, Thomas, Knight, Stooke, Thomas, Robson, Burns, Purdy.

Bordeaux-Bègles

Guitone; Talebulamaijaina, Le Bourhis, Rey, Connor; Bernard, Adams; Poirot, Avei, Toetu, Marais, Botha, Madaule (capt), Chalmers, Saili.

Replacements: Maynadier, Poux, Gomez Kodela, Jaulhac, Clarkin, Lesgourgues, Beauxis, Serin.

The Great Aukster wrote:... and who does the place go to if they are already qualified - the next team in their league?

It would be ironic that the brave new ERCC world is promoting exactly the unmeritorious system they decried in the old HEC!


The Challenge Cup winner should still be in a playoff but get a home tie and only have one game - i.e. play the winner of the other two leagues play-off. That would still be meritorious and give enough incentive for winning the Challenge Cup.

Sorry but what's not meritorious about the next best team going through?

HongKongCherry wrote:Gutting but we only have ourselves to blame. We lacked composure for most of the 2nd half and squandered numerous opportunities. It was perhaps one game too far and last week's efforts seemed to take their toll.

I hope Gatland wasn't watching the game otherwise Moriarty will be lost to England, he had a truly immense game and was heads and shoulders above any other Glaws player.

Aye Hong Kong - you had the beating of them for sure. Sorry that I won't be able to watch Glos in the top flight next year - you did more than enough to claim that spot IMO but the matches just kept on coming...

HammerofThunor wrote:

The Great Aukster wrote:... and who does the place go to if they are already qualified - the next team in their league?

It would be ironic that the brave new ERCC world is promoting exactly the unmeritorious system they decried in the old HEC!


The Challenge Cup winner should still be in a playoff but get a home tie and only have one game - i.e. play the winner of the other two leagues play-off. That would still be meritorious and give enough incentive for winning the Challenge Cup.

Sorry but what's not meritorious about the next best team going through?

I personally really dislike the system of having the next team from the winner's league go through. To my mind it's pretty unfair to the similar placed sides from the other 2 leagues. It's profiting by virtue of association and the achievements of a higher ranked team aren't a strong enough indication of comparative quality.

I was heartbroken for Gloucester, who have a great way of playing woder than most teams and findong space out there.

I really enjoy watching Gloucester play despite not being a fan directly, and thought they would have added much more to the tournament than another French team who gives up after a loss in round 1 or 2.

That said you have to applaud BB, they fought so hard to stay in touch, made the better decisions on the day and that drop goal was superb.

Maybe that's a hint they won't be giving up after the first few rounds

I think Bordeaux will be good additions to the tournament in their own right; they play some nice attacking rugby and have one of the largest fan bases in Europe which will be great to see in this tournament. They'll be an incredibly tough nut for any team to crack away from home.

I hope already Ulster get them. And/or Exeter. Don't know how the seedings will work.

They'll be bottom seeds and will have to face the likes of Leinster or Saracens by round 3 though won't they?
As soon as they lose one they'll refocus on the league, their latest press release after last weekend was that Top 14 quarter final qualification was goal number 1 wasn't it?

Making the top tier competition was their goal, qualifying out of their group would be a pure bonus and a bit of a pipe dream, but I may be a bit cynical.

Only Toulon, clermont, racing have enough (quality) depth to be able to look good on both competition at the same time. Expect both stade (Toulousain and Francais) to make it to later stages depending of their groups. But the likes of Oyonnax and Bordeaux-Begles will have to manage their ressources carefully if they dont want to follow the path of Perpignan (and almost Castres this year). The sad thing is that the relegation dog fight involves too many teams over here and making the T14 play offs is a much more of a realistic target than European silverware for the average t14 team. Next year Pau is coming up with no intention to go down as well and a huge budget adding another potential decent team to the mix.

Havn't Paux signed Conrad Smith and Colin Slade?

Fanster wrote:Havn't Paux signed Conrad Smith and Colin Slade?

I heard that they'd signed Slade but if they'd signed Smith as well, I would be absolutely gobsmacked.

http://www1.skysports.com/rugby-union/news/12040/9700871/conrad-smith-signs-two-year-contract-with-pau-in-france

OP: well Begles win the photo competition before we even start.

I was there. Thought we had the match sewn up at HT. Glos fell asleep / and fell off the gas in the 2nd half.
Couldn't even sustain a Glaws speciality: 'up the jumper' rugby for just another 20 seconds !
My 'sour grapes' type consolation is that had Glaws qualified for Europe top tier comp next season we would probably have got seriously man shamed by the likes of Munster Toulon Sarries, if we play as we did against Connaught & Begles.
Was Gatland there ? snapped up Hook Hibbard Moriarty the very next day (today) for his Welsh cause. I feel sure Lancs had no reason to be watchingh though.