European Challenge Cup - Did you know...
Scrum.com
May 19, 2008

Check out some European Challenge Cup facts and figures ahead of this year's season finale with Worcester Warriors and Bath set to go head to head at Kingsholm on May 25.

* This is the third all-English final, following London Wasps v Bath Rugby in 2003 and Gloucester Rugby v London Irish in 2006.
* The 2008 final will be the 905th tournament match.
* Bath Rugby will equal ASM Clermont Auvergne's record with their third European Challenge Cup final appearance. But while the French club (formerly Montferrand) have won the title twice, in 1999 and last season, Bath Rugby are hoping to make it third time lucky.
* Worcester Warriors are appearing in their first European final in only their fourth season competing against European opposition.
* ASM Clermont Auvergne became the third club to have won the trophy twice, joining Harlequins in 2001 and 2004 and Sale Sharks in 2002 and 2005. Their win last year ended a run of six straight English final triumphs.
* The first four tournaments were strictly French affairs won by Bourgoin, Colomiers, Montferrand and Pau.
* The only non English or French team to play in a tournament final so far was Pontypridd, who in 2002 were beaten by Sake Sharks.
* The European Challenge Cup final attendance record is the 31,986 who were at Stade Gerland in Lyon for the 1999 final when Montferrand beat Bourgoin 35-16.
* Two European Challenge Cup finals have needed extra time to decide the winner. Harlequins finally beat Narbonne in Reading in 2001 and Gloucester Rugby beat London Irish at the Twickenham Stoop in 2006.
* The most points (78) and tries (nine) scored in a tournament final came in 2003 when London Wasps beat Bath Rugby 48-30 at the Madejski Stadium in reading.
* The biggest win in a final was when Colomiers beat Agen by 38 points in 1998. They also scored a tournament equalling record seven tries in their 43-5 romp.
* London Wasps are the only club to have won both European titles, lifting the European Challenge Cup in 2003 and the Heineken Cup 12 months later.


THE 11 EUROPEAN CHALLENGE CUP FINALS

1997 BOURGOIN 18 Castres 9 (Beziers)
1998 COLOMIERS 43 Agen 5 (Toulouse)
1999 MONTFERRAND 35 Bourgoin 16 (Lyon)
2000 PAU 34 Castres 21 (Toulouse)
2001 NEC HARLEQUINS 42 Narbonne 33 (aet)(Reading)
2002 SALE SHARKS 25 Pontypridd 22 (Oxford)
2003 LONDON WASPS 48 Bath Rugby 30 (Reading)
2004 NEC HARLEQUINS 27 Montferrand 26 (Reading)
2005 SALE SHARKS 27 Pau 3 (Oxford)
2006 GLOUCESTER RUGBY 36 London Irish 34 (aet)(Twickenham Stoop)
2007 ASM CLERMONT AUVERGNE 22 Bath Rugby 16 (Twickenham Stoop)

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