European Rugby Continental Shield

Sport	Rugby union
Inaugural season	2014–15 (as Qualifying Competition) 2016–17 (as Continental Shield)
Organisers	EPCR Rugby Europe FIR
Number of teams	10 (8 (pools) + 2 (play-off))
Country	Italy  Georgia  Romania  Russia  Spain  Portugal  Germany  Belgium
Holders	Enisey-STM (2 titles) (2018–19)
Website	European Rugby Continental Shield Website Rugby Europe Website
Related competitions	European Rugby Champions Cup European Rugby Challenge Cup

The European Rugby Continental Shield (formerly the European Rugby Challenge Cup Qualifying Competition) was a rugby union competition, organised by European Professional Club Rugby, Rugby Europe and the Federazione Italiana Rugby, for entry into the European Rugby Challenge Cup.

The Qualifying Competition was first announced in April 2014, at the same time as the announcement of the creation of the European Rugby Champions Cup and Challenge Cup competitions. The tournament featured teams from non-EPCR countries, such as Spain, Germany, Belgium, Romania, Georgia, Russia and Portugal, as well as select Italian Eccellenza clubs. In 2016–17, the qualification competition also became a European Rugby competition in its own right, the third tier European Rugby Continental Shield, with both successful play-off teams meeting in a final as a part of European Rugby Finals weekend.

Both editions of the Shield final were won by Russian club Enisey-STM.^[1]

The competition is the first third-tier European tournament since the suspension of the Parker Pen Shield in 2005.^[2]

The competition was discontinued after the 2018–19 edition.^[3]

Format

Under the Heads of Agreement announced on 10 April 2014, there were two places available in the European Rugby Challenge Cup through the Qualifying Competition.^[4]

For the 2014–15 season, given the time constraints in filling the competition, this was a reduced competition the form of 2 two-legged play-off matches, with the aggregate winners of each taking one of the two Rugby Europe spots in the draw, and it involved the 2 best teams from Italy's National Championship of Excellence, plus a Romanian and Georgian selection.^[5]

An expanded format was announced on 22 December 2014,^[6] the expanded format includes clubs from non-EPCR Unions Russia, Spain and Portugal alongside representatives from the Italian Eccellenza.

The 6 teams in the Qualifying Competition are split into 2 pools of 3 teams each. Each team will play the other teams in their pool once, before the two pool winners compete in a two-legged play-off against the teams currently competing in the Challenge Cup from the previous Qualifying Competition.

The winners, on aggregate, of these two play-offs will take up the Qualifying Competition places in the Challenge Cup.^[6]

In 2017, the competition was rebranded as the European Rugby Continental Shield, and it was announced that the two qualifiers would play each other as part of the EPCR's finals weekend,^[7] a practice which was discontinued for 2018–19.

Summary of results

Continental Shield Finals

Season	Country	Winners	Score	Runners-up	Country	Venue
2016–17	Russia	Enisey-STM	36–8	Krasny Yar	Russia	Murrayfield Complex, Edinburgh
2017–18	Russia	Enisey-STM	24–20	Heidelberger RK	Germany	Campos Deportivos de Fadura, Getxo, Biscay

Qualifying play-off results

Season	Play-off 1			Play-off 2			Qualify for
	Winners	Score	Runners-up	Winners	Score	Runners-up
2013–14	Rovigo Delta	46–39	Tbilisi Caucasians	București Wolves	28–26	Calvisano	2014–15 European Rugby Challenge Cup
Season	Play-off 1			Play-off 2			Qualify for
	Challenge Cup Side	Score	Continental Shield Side	Challenge Cup Side	Score	Continental Shield Side
2014–15	CSM Baia Mare	32–63	Enisey-STM	Rovigo Delta	24–52	Calvisano	2015–16 European Rugby Challenge Cup
2015–16	Enisey-STM	70–5	Rovigo	Calvisano	40–64	Timișoara Saracens	2016–17 European Rugby Challenge Cup
2016–17	Enisey-STM	97–7	Mogliano	Timișoara Saracens	35–39	Krasny Yar	2017–18 European Rugby Challenge Cup
Season	Play-off from Challenge Cup			Play-off from Continental Shield			Qualify for
	Challenge Side 1	Score	Challenge Side 2	C. Shield Side 1	Score	C. Shield Side 2
2017–18	Enisey-STM	74–48	Krasny Yar	Heidelberger RK	47–41	Timișoara Saracens	2018–19 European Rugby Challenge Cup
2018–19	Enisey-STM	58–52	Timișoara Saracens	Calvisano	57–43	Rovigo Delta	2019–20 European Rugby Challenge Cup

Tournaments

2014

The reduced format for the inaugural Qualifying Competition included two Italian Clubs, a Romanian and a Georgian side. Sides were paired up and competed in two matches, home and away. The winners, on aggregate, of these two games received one of the two places in the 2014–15 European Rugby Challenge Cup.

Pool 1	Pool 2
Rovigo Delta	București Wolves
Tbilisi Caucasians	Calvisano

Rugby Europe 1 play-off

20 September 2014 16:00 CEST

Rovigo Delta	22–18	Tbilisi Caucasians

Stadio Mario Battaglini Referee: Lloyd Linton (SRU)

27 September 2014 17:00 GET

Tbilisi Caucasians	21–24	Rovigo Delta

Vake Stadium, aka Meskhi Referee: Matthew Carley (RFU)

• Rovigo Delta won the play-off 46 – 39 on aggregate, and qualifies as Rugby Europe 1 for the 2014–15 European Rugby Challenge Cup.

Rugby Europe 2 play-off

20 September 2014 21:00 EEST

București Wolves	18–13	Calvisano

Stadium Arcul de Triumf Referee: Gary Conway (IRFU)

27 September 2014 19:30 CEST

Calvisano	13–10	București Wolves

Peroni Stadium Referee: Alexandre Ruiz (FFR)

• București Wolves won the play-off 28 – 26 on aggregate, and qualified as Rugby Europe 2 for the 2014–15 European Rugby Challenge Cup.

2015

The expanded competition for entry into the 2015–16 European Rugby Challenge Cup features six teams, in two pools of three. Russia is represented in European competition for the first time.^[8] Matches are scheduled for the same weekends as the 2014–15 Challenge Cup, beginning with the 5th Round of the Challenge Cup.

Pool 1	Pool 2
Calvisano	Enisey-STM
Viadana	Centro Desportivo Universitário de Lisboa
El Salvador	Mogliano

Pool 1

Matches
17 January 2015 Calvisano 34 – 3 Viadana 24 January 2015 Viadana 36 – 7 El Salvador 4 April 2015 El Salvador 12 – 62 Calvisano

	P	W	D	L	PF	PA	Diff	TF	TA	TB	LB	Pts
Calvisano	2	2	0	0	96	15	+81	13	2	2	0	10
Viadana	2	1	0	1	39	41	–2	6	5	1	0	5
El Salvador	2	0	0	2	19	98	–79	3	15	0	0	0

Qualifying play-off

18 April 2015

Rovigo Delta	17 – 17	Calvisano

2 May 2015

Calvisano	35 – 7	Rovigo Delta

• Calvisano won the play-off 52–24 on aggregate, and will play in the 2015–16 European Rugby Challenge Cup.

Pool 2

Matches
17 January 2015 Mogliano 45 – 17 Centro Desportivo Universitário de Lisboa 24 January 2015 Centro Desportivo Universitário de Lisboa 6 – 28 Enisey-STM 4 April 2015 Enisey-STM 19 – 15 Mogliano

	P	W	D	L	PF	PA	Diff	TF	TA	TB	LB	Pts
Enisey-STM	2	2	0	0	47	15	+32	5	2	1	0	9
Mogliano	2	1	0	1	60	19	+41	6	4	1	1	6
Centro Desportivo Universitário de Lisboa	2	0	0	2	17	73	–56	3	10	0	0	0

Qualifying play-off Zdroj:https://en.wikipedia.org?pojem=European_Rugby_Continental_Shield
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