# 2017–18 European Rugby Continental Shield

The 2017–18 European Rugby Continental Shield is 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.

## Format

The format of the Qualifying Competition remains similar to the previous season. As before, two places in the next year's Challenge Cup will be available for teams in the Continental Shield. Clubs from six countries will compete in the 2017/18 Continental Shield.
Four representatives from the Italian Eccellenza – Pataro Rugby Calvisano, Femi-CZ Rugby Rovigo, Rugby Petrarca and Rugby Viadana – will be joined by Romania's Timișoara Saracens, RC Batumi from Georgia, Heidelberger RK of Germany and Portugal's Centro Desportivo Universitario de Lisboa (CDUL Rugby) competing in two pools of four.
Following the pool stage matches, the winner of Pool A will play the runner-up in Pool B, and the winner of Pool B will play the runner-up in Pool A on a home and away basis.
The two clubs which advance will then play each other home and away with the winner securing a place in the Continental Shield final in Bilbao next May and also qualifying for the 2018/19 Challenge Cup.
The other Continental Shield finalist will be decided by a home and away play-off between Russia's Enisei-STM and Krasny Yar who have both received a bye into the knockout stage of the competition due to their participation in this season's Challenge Cup and to their success in last season's Continental Shield.
The winner of the Enisei-STM v Krasny Yar play-offs will go through to the Continental Shield final in Bilbao and will also qualify for the 2018/19 Challenge Cup.
The aim of the Continental Shield is to widen the footprint of club rugby across Europe and to give both emerging and established clubs in different territories the opportunity to qualify for the Challenge Cup.
* Advances to Pool play-offs
| Pool A | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | Diff | TB | LB | Pts |
| Timișoara Saracens | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 106 | 68 | +38 | 1 | 1 | 14 |
| Heidelberger RK | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 96 | 74 | +22 | 1 | 0 | 13 |
| Rovigo | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 89 | 86 | +3 | 2 | 1 | 11 |
| Viadana | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 66 | 128 | -62 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| Pool B | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | Diff | TB | LB | Pts |
| Calvisano | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 107 | 52 | +55 | 2 | 2 | 12 |
| Batumi | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 107 | 95 | +12 | 2 | 2 | 12 |
| Petrarca | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 99 | 69 | +30 | 1 | 2 | 11 |
| CDUL | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 43 | 142 | -99 | 0 | 0 | 4 |

### Fixtures

Matches :
14 October 2017 15:00Timișoara Saracens 29 – 25 Petrarca (BP)Dan Paltinisanu Stadium, Timișoara Referee: Lloyd Linton
14 October 2017 15:00(BP) Rovigo 31 – 27 Batumi (2 BP)Stadio Comunale Mario Battaglini, Rovigo Referee: Maxime Burlet
14 October 2017 15:00Heidelberger RK 23 – 19 Calvisano (BP)Sportzentrum Süd, Heidelberg Referee: Iñigo Atorrasagasti
14 October 2017 15:00(BP) Viadana 14 – 19 CDULStadio Luigi Zaffanella, Viadana Referee: Nika Amashukeli
21 October 2017 15:00(BP) Calvisano 41 – 14 ViadanaCentro Sportivo San Michele, Calvisano Referee: Sam Grove White
21 October 2017 15:00Petrarca 18 – 13 Rovigo (BP)Centro Sportivo Plebiscito, Padua Referee: Shota Tevzadze
21 October 2017 15:00(BP) Batumi 33 – 16 Heidelberger RKRugby Arena, Batumi Referee: Maxime Burlet
21 October 2017 15:00CDUL 10 – 45 Timișoara Saracens (BP)Estadio Universitario de Lisboa, Lisbon Referee: Andrea Piardi
9 December 2017 15:00Heidelberger RK 19 – 15 Petrarca (BP)Sportzentrum Süd, Heidelberg Referee: Andrea Piardi
9 December 2017 15:00Timișoara Saracens 15 – 13 Calvisano (BP)Dan Paltinisanu Stadium, Timișoara Referee: Nika Amashukeli
9 December 2017 15:00(BP) Viadana 31 – 27 Batumi (BP)Stadio Luigi Zaffanella, Viadana Referee: Iñigo Atorrasagasti
9 December 2017 15:00(BP) Rovigo 45 – 7 CDULStadio Comunale Mario Battaglini, Rovigo Referee: Ben Blain
16 December 2017 15:00(BP) Calvisano 34 – 0 RovigoCentro Sportivo San Michele, Calvisano Referee: Lloyd Linton
16 December 2017 15:00CDUL 7 – 38 Heidelberger RK (BP)Estadio Universitario de Lisboa, Lisbon Referee: Shota Tevzadze
16 December 2017 12:00Batumi 20 – 17 Timișoara Saracens (BP)Rugby Arena, Batumi Referee: Keith Allen
16 December 2017 15:00(BP) Petrarca 41 – 7 ViadanaImpianti Sportivi Memo Geremia, Padua Referee: Andrea Piardi :

### Pool play-offs

* 13 January 2018 15:00
| Batumi | 6 – 11 | Timișoara Saracens |
* Rugby Arena, Batumi
* 13 January 2018 15:00
| Heidelberger RK | 34 – 29 | Calvisano |
* Sportzentrum Süd, Heidelberg
* 20 January 2018 14:00
| Timișoara Saracens | 21 – 12 | Batumi |
* Cluj Arena, Cluj
Timișoara Saracens won 32–18 on aggregate.
* 20 January 2018 15:00
| Calvisano | 13 – 17 | Heidelberger RK |
* Centro Sportivo San Michele, Calvisano
Heidelberger RK won 51–42 on aggregate.

### Qualifying play-offs

* 31 March 2018
| Enisey-STM | 47 – 22 | Krasny Yar |
* Trud Stadium, Krasnodar
* 31 March 2018
| Timișoara Saracens | 26 – 20 | Heidelberger RK |
* Stadionul Dan Păltinișanu, Timișoara Attendance: 3212
* 21 April 2018
| Krasny Yar | 26 – 27 | Enisey-STM |
* Krasny Yar Stadium, Krasnoyarsk
Enisey-STM won 74–48 on aggregate.
* 21 April 2018
| Heidelberger RK | 27 – 15 | Timișoara Saracens |
* Sportzentrum Süd, Heidelberg
Heidelberger RK won 47–41 on aggregate.

### Continental Shield Final

* 12 May 2018
| Enisey-STM | 24 – 20 | Heidelberger RK |
* Campos Deportivos de Fadura, Getxo, Biscay