UPDATED SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 2ND
Congratulations to both Leinster A & Munster A for reaching the last 8 of the British & Irish Cup yet again.
Don’t rule out the two meeting each other in the last eight!!!!
Only one of the eight pools is still up for decision, with the Nottingham v Llandovery fixture, now set for February 24 with a 2:15pm kickoff, set to determine who wins Pool 8. The Welsh outfit need just a single point to win the pool while Nottingham need to score four tries, win by at least 10pts and prevent their opposition from scoring four tries themselves.
As things stand right now, Championship sides Bedford Blues & Newcastle Falcons have mathematically secured a home quarter-final. Leinster A can’t get one while holders Munster A need at least either Bristol or Llandovery to lose (Bristol must lose by 8 pts or more and score three tries or less).
Unlike the Heineken Cup, the B&I Cup regulations require an actual draw for the quarterfinals BUT the four pool winners with the best records get home advantage, so the re-arranged fixtures from the final round of pool matches need to be completed in order for the draw to take place. Also, teams from the same country won’t be kept apart so a repeat of last season’s Irish derby semifinal is still on the cards, although after the results of Feb 1st it now seems unlikely.
Here’s how the pools stand to date, in order of seeding so far…
- Bedford – P 6 PTS 30 W 6 PD +265 (POOL 2)
- Newcastle Falcons – P6 PTS 27 W 6 PD +228 (POOL 4)
- Cornish Pirates – P6 PTS 24 W 5 PD +91 (POOL 3)
- Munster A – P 6 PTS 23 W 5 PD +46 (POOL 7)
- Bristol – P 5 PTS 22 W 5 PD +81 (POOL 1)
- Leinster A – P 6 PTS 22 W 4 PD +74 (POOL 5)
- Llandovery (Nottingham) – P 5 PTS 20 W 4 PD +42 (POOL 8)
- Llanelli – P 6 PTS 20 W 4 PD +36 (POOL 6)
Remaining fixtures
Friday February 1
Cross Keys 3-34 Newcastle Falcons
Bedford Blues 64-0 Bedwas
Friday, February 22
Bristol v Cardiff RFC
Sunday, February 24
Nottingham v Llandovery
