1. LAWS OF THE GAME

The tournament will be played in accordance with World Rugby’s Laws of the Game of Rugby Union (as amended from time to time), as varied or supplemented by EPCR.

2. FORMAT

POOL DRAW and POOL STAGE

2.1 16 clubs from the United Rugby Championship (URC), the TOP 14, and the Gallagher Premiership, plus the Toyota Cheetahs and the Black Lion who are competing on an invitational basis, were entered into an open draw having qualified at the conclusion of the 2022/23 season.

2.2 Clubs were drawn or allocated into three pools – Pool 1, Pool 2 and Pool 3. A maximum of one Gallagher Premiership club, two TOP 14 clubs and three URC clubs, were drawn into each pool, with the invitational clubs taking the remaining two places.  Clubs from the same URC Shield could not be drawn into the same pool.

2.3 With the exception of the URC (which has eight representatives across the three pools), clubs which were drawn into the same pool but which were not from the same league, will play one another at home or away during the pool stage.

2.4 Four match points will be awarded for a win, and two match points will be awarded for a draw during the pool stage. A bonus point will be awarded to a club scoring four or more tries and to a club losing by seven points or fewer.

2.5 If two or more clubs are equal on match points, their ranking will be determined as follows:
(i) the best aggregate points difference from the pool stage; or
(ii) if equal, the number of tries scored in the pool stage; or
(iii) if equal, the club with the fewest number of players suspended for disciplinary incidents in the pool stage; or
(iv) if equal, by drawing lots.

KNOCKOUT STAGE – Round 0f 16

2.6 The four highest-ranked clubs in Pool 1, the four highest-ranked clubs in Pool 2, the four highest-ranked clubs in Pool 3 and the fifth-ranked clubs from each of the four Investec Champions Cup pools will qualify for the Round of 16.

2.7 All clubs will thereafter be ranked in descending order based firstly on their ranking in their pool and subsequently on the number of match points they have accumulated, to create an overall ranking from 1 to 16.

The pool winners will be ranked 1 to 3, the second-placed clubs will be ranked 4 to 6, the two highest-ranked third-placed clubs will be ranked 7 and 8, the qualifying Investec Champions Cup clubs will be ranked 9 to 12, the remaining third-placed club will be ranked 13, and the fourth-placed clubs will be ranked 14 to 16.

The Round of 16 will thereafter be played over one match as follows:

R16 1: Number 1-ranked club v Number 16-ranked club
R16 2: Number 2-ranked club v Number 15-ranked club
R16 3: Number 3-ranked club v Number 14-ranked club
R16 4: Number 4-ranked club v Number 13-ranked club
R16 5: Number 5-ranked club v Number 12-ranked club
R16 6: Number 6-ranked club v Number 11-ranked club
R16 7: Number 7-ranked club v Number 10-ranked club
R16 8: Number 8-ranked club v Number 9-ranked club

NB The clubs ranked numbers 1 to 8 will have home advantage in the Round of 16.

Quarter-finals
2.8 Clubs with the higher rankings from the pool stage will have home venue advantage in the quarter-final matches as follows:

QF 1: winner R16 1 v winner R16 8
QF 2: winner R16 2 v winner R16 7
QF 3: winner R16 3 v winner R16 6
QF 4: winner R16 4 v winner R16 5

Semi-finals
2.9 The highest-ranked clubs from the pool stage will have home advantage.

SF 1: winner QF 1 v winner QF 4
SF 2: winner QF 2 v winner QF 3

Final
2.10 The 2024 EPCR Challenge Cup final will be played at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London on Friday 24 May.

NB In the event of a tie at full-time in the Round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals or final, extra time of 10 minutes each way will be played. If the scores remain tied at the end of extra time, the winner will be determined as follows: 
(a) the club that scored the most tries in the match (including extra time) or 
(b) if equal, by a place kick competition. 

3. ELIGIBILITY OF PLAYERS

3.1 Each club must nominate a squad, however, there is no limit on the number of players nominated at First Registration of the season. A minimum of 10 of the players nominated by the club must be capable of playing in front row forward positions. All players must be fully and properly registered with their club and Union.

3.2 A club must nominate a squad of between 19 and 23 players for each match.

3.3 A minimum of six front row players must be included in each match day squad such that on the first occasion that a replacement is required in each position, a replacement can be made. Where uncontested scrums are ordered due to the departure of a front row player and there is no suitable replacement, the player whose departure caused the uncontested scrums may not be replaced (i.e. the club will be required to play with 14 players).

3.4 Each club may register up to five Additional Players during the pool stage but none during the knockout stage, each to replace a player previously registered. A minimum of three Additional Players must be front row players, and two Additional Players can be from any position. Players must have a three-month contract with the club and must not have played for another club in the same tournament. Additional Player registrations must be submitted by 12 noon (GMT) on the Wednesday before the match. De-registered players may be re-registered (in place of the relevant Additional Players) during the pool stage.

3.5 For Second Registration, clubs can add up to three players to supplement their squads and one of the players must be a front row player.

4. CLUB COLOURS

Clubs nominate their preferred playing strips at the start of the season. Where possible, EPCR attempts to accommodate club preferences, however, if EPCR determines that there is a colour clash, then EPCR will decide which playing strip each club must play in.

5. ANTI-DOPING PROGRAMME

Players will be subject to doping control as set out in EPCR’s Anti-Doping Programme, which is based on and subject to Regulation 21 (Anti-Doping) of World Rugby’s Regulations.

6. DISCIPLINE

(i) Red Cards
a) The case of any player sent off in an EPCR Challenge Cup match shall be adjudicated by an independent Disciplinary Committee or an independent Judicial Officer as soon as is practicable.

b) Until the hearing the player is ineligible to play in any tournament.

(ii) Citing Commissioners
a) Citing Commissioners are appointed by EPCR for all EPCR Challenge Cup matches and shall be entitled to cite a player for any act or acts of Foul Play that in the Citing Commissioner’s opinion warranted a red card

b) For such matches, clubs will not have the power to cite a player but may refer incidents to the Citing Commissioner within 26 hours of the start of the match.

c) The Citing Commissioner will have 26 hours from the start of the match to make a citing. In certain circumstances this deadline can be extended.

d) The EPCR Disciplinary Officer may forward the submitted citing to a Citing Officer to determine whether there are sufficient grounds for the citing to progress.

e) The Disciplinary Officer will then bring a charge against the cited player.

(iii) Disciplinary Hearings
a) The independent Disciplinary Committee or independent Judicial Officer is chosen by the chairman of the independent Disciplinary Panel, Mike Hamlin.

b) EPCR’s Disciplinary Officer presents the case against a player, club representative or club.

c) If a citing complaint against a player is upheld, the independent Disciplinary Committee/Judicial Officer will be required to consider the appropriate sanction. Under World Rugby’s sanctioning regime, which EPCR is obliged to follow, the Committee/Officer will first assess the seriousness of the player’s actions and determine which of the three stipulated entry points (lower end, mid range and top end) is the most appropriate.

d) The Disciplinary Committee/Judicial Officer will determine the appropriate entry point based on an assessment of a number of particular characteristics of the player’s actions, including whether or not they were intentional, whether or not they caused any injuries and whether or not they had any effect on the relevant match.

e) After deciding the entry point, the Disciplinary Committee/Judicial Officer will then consider whether the suspension should be increased from the entry point to take account of certain specified aggravating factors, such as a poor disciplinary record or the need for deterrence, and/or decreased from the entry point to take account of certain specified mitigating actions, such as a guilty plea, a good disciplinary record, the player’s conduct at the hearing and expressions of remorse.

f) A suspension is a blanket ban from playing rugby union anywhere in the world. Players are suspended on the basis that a one-week period of suspension would ordinarily result in a player missing one match. Suspensions take into account periods of inactivity (such as the close season), periods when a player is injured or otherwise not fit to play, and when a player is not available or not expected to play. Suspensions should also take into account any out-of-season matches which are not considered to be meaningful, or which are not close enough to the season to be a determining factor in a player’s future selection.

g) Both parties to the hearing (EPCR and the player) have the right to appeal decisions of the Disciplinary Committee/Judicial Officer. Appeals must be lodged within three (3) working days of receiving the full written decision of the Committee.

h) The full written decision of the Disciplinary Committee/Judicial Officer will be available on epcrugby.com when the disciplinary process is complete

i) For World Rugby’s Sanctions for Foul Play, found at Appendix 1 to World Rugby Regulation 17, visit www.world.rugby

(iv) Citing Commissioner Warnings
a) EPCR-appointed Citing Commissioners are entitled to issue a Warning to any player who has, in his/her opinion, committed an act(s) of Foul Play that (in the words of World Rugby) “falls just short” of warranting that the player be shown a red card (where such act(s) did not result in a yellow card or a red card). A Citing Commissioner is not limited in the number of Warnings he/she may issue to a player in respect of a match.

b) The Citing Commissioner will have 26 hours from the start of the match to issue a Warning. In certain circumstances this deadline can be extended.

c) If a player considers that a Citing Commissioner Warning was wrongly issued to him, he can give written notice to that effect within 48 hours of the receipt of the Warning.

d) Players who accumulate three or more Citing Commissioner Warnings or who are issued with three yellow cards for Foul Play offences, or a combination of both, will be required to attend a Disciplinary Hearing.

e) World Rugby introduced Citing Commissioner Warnings in 2014 as a mandatory provision where Citing Commissioners are present at matches.

7. ABANDONMENT

7.1 Where a match is abandoned after 60 minutes or more, the result will stand.

7.2 Where a match is abandoned after fewer than 60 minutes, (a) if both clubs and the EPCR Board agree, the result will stand, or (b) the match will be replayed in full no earlier than 48 hours after kick-off of the abandoned match (unless both clubs and EPCR agree otherwise), with both clubs entitled to select new teams.

8. TOURNAMENT MEDIA REGULATION – TEAM ANNOUNCEMENTS

8.1 Each club must announce its match squad by 12 noon (GMT) on the Thursday before a Friday match and by 12 noon (GMT) on the Friday before a weekend match. The match squad announced must not differ from the squad that plays save in exceptional circumstances. Breaches of the match squad regulations may result in fines being imposed by the Board of EPCR.