# 2011–12 British and Irish Cup

The 2011–12 British and Irish Cup was the 3rd season of the annual rugby union competition for second tier, semi-professional clubs from Britain and Ireland. First round matches began on Wednesday 21 September 2011 and the final was held on Friday 27 April 2012.
Defending champions Bristol had a very poor campaign and were unable to make it out of the pool stages. Munster A lifted the cup, comfortably defeating Cross Keys 31–12 in the final. They became the first Irish side to claim the title, and the third different side to win in the competition's three-year history.

## Teams

The allocation of teams is as follows:
* – 12 clubs from RFU Championship
* – 3 Irish provinces represented by 'A' teams.
* – 3 top clubs from the Scottish Premiership.
* – 6 top clubs from the Welsh Premier Division.
| England | Ireland | Scotland | Wales |
| Bedford Blues Bristol Cornish Pirates Doncaster Esher Leeds Carnegie London Welsh London Scottish Moseley Nottingham Plymouth Albion Rotherham | Leinster A Munster A Ulster Ravens | Ayr Currie Melrose | Aberavon Cross Keys Llanelli Neath Pontypridd Swansea |

## Competition format

The pool stage saw a change in format and consisted of six pools of four teams playing cross-pool matches, giving each team two home and two away matches. Matches between English teams were played mid-week. Pool matches took place from 21 September to 18 December. The top team from each pool qualified for the quarter-finals, together with the two runners–up with the best records.
* Pool 1 teams Ayr, Cornish Pirates, Moseley and Neath, played the teams in Pool 2 Bristol Rugby, Cross Keys, Plymouth Albion and Munster
* Pool 3 teams Aberavon, Bedford Blues, Leinster and London Scottish, played the teams in Pool 4: Esher Rugby, Llanelli, London Welsh and Melrose
* Pool 5: Currie, Doncaster, Rotherham and Pontypridd, played the teams in Pool 6: Leeds Carnegie, Nottingham Rugby, Swansea and Ulster Ravens

## Pool stages
### Pool 1 v Pool 2

Pool 1 :
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | T | TB | LB | Pts |
| Cornish Pirates | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 128 | 31 | +97 | 17 | 2 | 0 | 18 |
| Ayr | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 44 | 72 | −28 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 9 |
| Moseley | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 46 | 106 | −60 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 9 |
| Neath | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 62 | 108 | −46 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
Pool 2 :
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | T | TB | LB | Pts |
| Cross Keys | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 122 | 58 | +64 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 15 |
| Munster A | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 67 | 22 | +45 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 14 |
| Plymouth Albion | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 66 | 91 | −25 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 6 |
| Bristol | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 62 | 109 | −47 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
* 21 September 2011 17:00
| Cornish Pirates | 50 – 22 | Bristol |
| | Stats | |
* Recreation Ground Attendance: 1,612
* 21 September 2011 19:30
| Moseley | 29 – 25 | Plymouth Albion |
| | Stats | |
* Billesley Common Attendance: 305
* 12 October 2011 19:45
| Bristol | 10 – 14 | Moseley |
| | Stats | |
* Memorial Stadium Attendance: 2,023
* 12 October 2011 19:45
| Plymouth Albion | 0 – 38 | Cornish Pirates |
| | Stats | |
* The Brickfields Attendance: 1,425
* 11 November 2011 19:00
| Munster A | 6 – 10 | Cornish Pirates |
| | Stats | |
* Clonmel RFC Attendance: 500
* 12 November 2011 15:00
| Cross Keys | 42 – 3 | Moseley |
| | Stats | |
* Pandy Park
* 12 November 2011 19:45
| Plymouth Albion | 17 – 18 | Ayr |
| | Stats | |
* The Brickfields Attendance: 1,077
* 13 November 2011 15:00
| Bristol | 16 – 29 | Neath |
| | Stats | |
* Memorial Stadium Attendance: 2,865
* 19 November 2011 14:30
| Neath | 9 – 23 | Munster A |
| | Stats | |
* The Gnoll
* 19 November 2011 15:00
| Ayr | 7 – 32 | Cross Keys |
| | Stats | |
* Millbrae
* 10 December 2011 14:00
| Munster A | 9 – 3 | Ayr |
| | Stats | |
* Tralee RFC Attendance: 400
* 10 December 2011 14:30
| Cross Keys | 45 – 18 | Neath |
| | Stats | |
* Pandy Park
* 17 December 2011 14:30
| Ayr | 16 – 14 | Bristol |
| | Stats | |
* Millbrae
* 17 December 2011 15:00
| Moseley | 0 – 29 | Munster A |
| | Stats | |
* Billesley Common Attendance: 854
* 17 December 2011 15:00
| Neath | 6 – 24 | Plymouth Albion |
| | Stats | |
* The Gnoll Attendance: 1,257
* 18 December 2011 14:00
| Cornish Pirates | 30 – 3 | Cross Keys |
| | Stats | |
* Mennaye Field Attendance: 2,259

### Pool 3 v Pool 4

Pool 3 :
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | T | TB | LB | Pts |
| Leinster A | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 117 | 75 | +42 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 16 |
| Bedford Blues | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 137 | 104 | +33 | 19 | 1 | 1 | 12 |
| Aberavon | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 89 | 97 | −8 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| London Scottish | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 47 | 162 | −115 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
Pool 4 :
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | T | TB | LB | Pts |
| Llanelli | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 148 | 66 | +82 | 16 | 2 | 1 | 13 |
| London Welsh | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 125 | 85 | +40 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 12 |
| Melrose | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 60 | 95 | −35 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| Esher | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 105 | 144 | −39 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 6 |
* 21 September 2011 19:30
| London Scottish | 9 – 44 | London Welsh |
| | Stats | |
* Richmond Athletic Ground Attendance: 853
* 21 September 2011 19:45
| Bedford Blues | 62 – 30 | Esher |
| | Stats | |
* Goldington Road Attendance: 1,544
* 12 October 2011 19:30
| London Welsh | 30 – 33 | Bedford Blues |
| | Stats | |
* The Avenue, Sunbury Attendance: 749
* 12 October 2011 19:45
| Esher | 43 – 10 | London Scottish |
| | Stats | |
* Molesey Road Attendance: 539
* 12 November 2011 14:30
| London Welsh | 27 – 19 | Aberavon |
| | Stats | |
* Old Deer Park Attendance: 840
* 12 November 2011 15:00
| Esher | 18 – 32 | Leinster A |
| | Stats | |
* Molesey Road Attendance: 914
* 13 November 2011 14:00
| Llanelli | 63 – 0 | London Scottish |
| | Stats | |
* Parc y Scarlets
* 13 November 2011 14:00
| Melrose | 19 – 17 | Bedford Blues |
| | Stats | |
* The Greenyards Attendance: 715
* 19 November 2011 14:30
| Aberavon | 22 – 47 | Llanelli |
| | Stats | |
* Talbot Athletic Ground Attendance: 450
* 19 November 2011 18:00
| Leinster A | 42 – 20 | Melrose |
| | Stats | |
* Donnybrook Attendance: 685
* 10 December 2011 14:00
| Melrose | 9 – 8 | Aberavon |
| | Stats | |
* The Greenyards Attendance: 497
* 11 December 2011 13:00
| Llanelli | 13 – 19 | Leinster A |
| | Stats | |
* Parc y Scarlets
* 17 December 2011 14:30
| Aberavon | 40 – 14 | Esher |
| | Stats | |
* Talbot Athletic Ground Attendance: 312
* 17 December 2011 15:00
| Bedford Blues | 25 – 25 | Llanelli |
| | Stats | |
* Goldington Road Attendance: 1,900
* 17 December 2011 15:00
| London Scottish | 28 – 12 | Melrose |
| | Stats | |
* Richmond Athletic Ground Attendance: 1,060
* 18 December 2011 14:00
| Leinster A | 24 – 24 | London Welsh |
| | Stats | |
* Donnybrook

### Pool 5 v Pool 6

Pool 5 :
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | T | TB | LB | Pts |
| Pontypridd | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 90 | 61 | +29 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 11 |
| Rotherham | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 57 | 76 | −19 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 7 |
| Doncaster | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 76 | 114 | −38 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 7 |
| Currie | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 83 | 103 | −20 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
Pool 6 :
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | T | TB | LB | Pts |
| Ulster Ravens | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 115 | 60 | +55 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 18 |
| Nottingham | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 98 | 79 | +19 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 17 |
| Leeds Carnegie | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 77 | 61 | +16 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| Swansea | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 64 | 106 | −42 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
* 21 September 2011 19:30
| Leeds Carnegie | 17 – 3 | Rotherham |
| | Stats | |
* Headingley Rugby Stadium Attendance: 785
* 21 September 2011 19:45
| Nottingham | 33 – 29 | Doncaster |
| | Stats | |
* Meadow Lane Attendance: 682
* 12 October 2011 15:00
| Rotherham | 17 – 22 | Nottingham |
| | Stats | |
* Clifton Lane Attendance: 337
* 12 October 2011 19:30
| Doncaster | 24 – 22 | Leeds Carnegie |
| | Stats | |
* Castle Park Attendance: 710
* 11 November 2011 19:30
| Ulster Ravens | 39 – 7 | Doncaster |
| | Stats | |
* Deramore Park
* 12 November 2011 15:00
| Swansea | 6 – 13 | Rotherham |
| | Stats | |
* St Helens Attendance: 250
* 13 November 2011 15:00
| Leeds Carnegie | 31 – 16 | Currie |
| | Stats | |
* Headingley Rugby Stadium Attendance: 925
* 13 November 2011 15:00
| Nottingham | 20 – 17 | Pontypridd |
| | Stats | |
* Meadow Lane Attendance: 1,349
* 18 November 2011 19:30
| Currie | 13 – 28 | Ulster Ravens |
| | Stats | |
* Malleny Park Attendance: 652
* 19 November 2011 14:30
| Pontypridd | 39 – 17 | Swansea |
| | Stats | |
* Sardis Road Attendance: 1,400
* 10 December 2011 14:30
| Ulster Ravens | 17 – 16 | Pontypridd |
| | Stats | |
* Deramore Park
* 10 December 2011 15:00
| Swansea | 21 – 38 | Currie |
| | Stats | |
* St Helens Attendance: 150
* 17 December 2011 13:30
| Rotherham | 24 – 31 | Ulster Ravens |
| | Stats | |
* Clifton Lane Attendance: 581
* 17 December 2011 14:00
| Doncaster | 16 – 20 | Swansea |
| | Stats | |
* Castle Park Attendance: 1,217
* 17 December 2011 14:30
| Pontypridd | 18 – 7 | Leeds Carnegie |
| | Stats | |
* Sardis Road Attendance: 950
* 17 December 2011 15:00
| Currie | 16 – 23 | Nottingham |
| | Stats | |
* Malleny Park Attendance: 310

## Knock–out stages
### Qualifiers

The six pool winners and the two best runners up proceeded to the knock out stages. The best four qualifiers (pool winners) had home advantage in the quarter finals.
| Qualification | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | T | TB | LB | Pts |
| Pool 1 Winner | Cornish Pirates | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 128 | 31 | +97 | 17 | 2 | 0 | 18 |
| Pool 6 Winner | Ulster Ravens | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 115 | 60 | +55 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 18 |
| Pool 3 Winner | Leinster A | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 117 | 75 | +42 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 16 |
| Pool 2 Winner | Cross Keys | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 122 | 58 | +64 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 15 |
| Pool 4 Winner | Llanelli | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 148 | 66 | +82 | 16 | 2 | 1 | 13 |
| Pool 5 Winner | Pontypridd | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 90 | 61 | +29 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 11 |
| Pool 6 Runner-up | Nottingham | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 98 | 79 | +19 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 17 |
| Pool 2 Runner-up | Munster A | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 67 | 22 | +45 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 14 |
| Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | | Final | Final |
| 22 January 2012 – Donnybrook | 22 January 2012 – Donnybrook | | | |
| Leinster A | 32 | | | |
| Leinster A | 32 | 6 April 2012 – RDS | 6 April 2012 – RDS | | |
| Pontypridd | 0 | 6 April 2012 – RDS | 6 April 2012 – RDS | |
| Pontypridd | 0 | Leinster A | 29 | |
| 20 January 2012 – Ravenhill | 20 January 2012 – Ravenhill | | Leinster A | 29 | |
| 20 January 2012 – Ravenhill | 20 January 2012 – Ravenhill | Munster A | 36 | |
| Ulster Ravens | 9 | Munster A | 36 | |
| Ulster Ravens | 9 | | | | 27 April 2012 – Musgrave Park | 27 April 2012 – Musgrave Park |
| Munster A | 20 | | | | 27 April 2012 – Musgrave Park | 27 April 2012 – Musgrave Park |
| Munster A | 20 | | | | Munster A | 31 |
| 21 January 2012 – Pandy Park | 21 January 2012 – Pandy Park | | | | | Munster A | 31 |
| 21 January 2012 – Pandy Park | 21 January 2012 – Pandy Park | | | | Cross Keys | 12 |
| Cross Keys | 32 | | | | Cross Keys | 12 |
| Cross Keys | 32 | 7 April 2012 – Pandy Park | 7 April 2012 – Pandy Park | | | |
| Llanelli | 8 | 7 April 2012 – Pandy Park | 7 April 2012 – Pandy Park | | | |
| Llanelli | 8 | Cross Keys | 20 | | | |
| 22 January 2012 – Mennaye Field | 22 January 2012 – Mennaye Field | | Cross Keys | 20 | | | |
| 22 January 2012 – Mennaye Field | 22 January 2012 – Mennaye Field | Cornish Pirates | 16 | |
| Cornish Pirates | 33 | Cornish Pirates | 16 | |
| Nottingham | 3 | | | |

### Quarter-finals

* 20 January 2012 19:30
| Ulster Ravens | 9 – 20 | Munster A |
| Pen: Jackson (3) 8', 45', 60' | Report Stats | Try: Scanlon 31' c Deasy 39' c Con: Deasy (2/2) Pen: Deasy (2) 2', 58' |
* Ravenhill Referee: James Matthew (SRU)
* 21 January 2012 18:30
| Cross Keys | 32 – 8 | Llanelli |
| Try: S Jones (2) 12' c, 21' c Hodge 45' m Trowbridge 53' c Con: S Jones (3) Pen: S Jones (2) 8', 53' | Report Stats | Try: Evans 77' m Pen: Evans 36' |
* Pandy Park Attendance: 228 Referee: Paul Haycock (IRFU)
* 22 January 2012 14:00
| Cornish Pirates | 33 – 3 | Nottingham |
| Try: Maidment 17' c Short 21' c Ward 65' m Cooper 70' c Cook 79' c Con: Cook (4/5) | Report Stats | Pen: Hallett 34' |
* Mennaye Field Attendance: 1,492 Referee: Ian Davies (WRU)
* 22 January 2012 14:00
| Leinster A | 32 – 0 | Pontypridd |
| Try: Gilsenan 14' c Macken (2) 39' c, 53' c Hudson 72' m Con: Reid (3/3) Marsh (0/1) Pen: Reid (2) 2', 5' | Report Stats | |
* Donnybrook Attendance: 780 Referee: Greg MacDonald (RFU)

### Semi-finals

* 6 April 2012 18:00
| Leinster A | 29 – 36 (a.e.t.) | Munster A |
| Try: McGrath 45' c Ryan 49' c Con: Reid (2/2) Pen: Reid (5/9) 13', 33', 57', 61', 80+10' | Report Stats | Try: O'Mahony 51' c O'Dea 54' c Kilcoyne 80+9' c Con: Deasy (3/3) Pen: Deasy (5/7) 8', 23', 38', 64', 80+7' |
* Royal Dublin Society Attendance: 4,895 Referee: Ian Davies (WRU)
* 7 April 2012 15:00
| Cross Keys | 20 – 16 | Cornish Pirates |
| Try: Baller (2) 5' c, 50' c Con: S. Jones (2/2) Pen: S. Jones (2) 3', 13' | Report Stats | Try: Penalty try 35' c Con: Cook (1/1) Pen: Cook (3) 29', 44', 54' |
* Pandy Park Attendance: 2,500 Referee: Cammy Rudkin (SRU)

### Final

* 27 April 2012 17:30
| Munster A | 31 – 12 | Cross Keys |
| Try: Williams 26' c O'Dea 43' c Dineen 67' m Con: Deasy (2/3) Pen: Deasy (4/6) 3', 13', 25', 56' | Report Stats | Pen: Tovey (4/6) 3', 6', 16', 36' |
* Musgrave Park Attendance: 2,500 Referee: James Matthews (SRU)

## Geography

| Team | Stadium | Capacity | City/Area/Country |
| Aberavon | Talbot Athletic Ground | 3,000 | Port Talbot, Neath Port Talbot, Wales |
| Ayr | Millbrae | Unknown | Alloway, South Ayrshire, Scotland |
| Bedford Blues | Goldington Road | 4,684 | Bedford, Bedfordshire, England |
| Bristol | Memorial Stadium | 12,100 | Bristol, England |
| Cornish Pirates | Mennaye Field | 3,500 | Penzance, Cornwall, England |
| Cross Keys | Pandy Park | Unknown | Crosskeys, Caerphilly County Borough, Wales |
| Currie | Malleny Park | Unknown | Balerno, Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Doncaster | Castle Park | 3,075 | Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England |
| Esher | Molesey Road | Unknown | Esher, England |
| Leeds Carnegie | Headingley Stadium | 21,062 | Headingley, Leeds, England |
| Leinster A | Donnybrook | 7,000 | Dublin, Leinster, Ireland |
| Llanelli | Parc y Scarlets | 14,870 | Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, Wales |
| London Scottish | Richmond Athletic Ground | 1,000 seat stand | Richmond, London, England |
| London Welsh | Old Deer Park | 5,850 | London, England |
| Melrose | The Greenyards | Unknown | Melrose, Scottish Borders, Scotland |
| Moseley | Billesley Common | 3,000+ (650 seated) | Birmingham, West Midlands, England |
| Munster A | Musgrave Park | 8,300 | Cork, County Cork, Ireland |
| Neath | The Gnoll | 7,500 | Neath, Neath Port Talbot, Wales |
| Nottingham | Meadow Lane | 19,588 | Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England |
| Plymouth Albion | The Brickfields | 6,500 | Plymouth, Devon, England |
| Pontypridd | Sardis Road | 7,861 | Pontypridd, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales |
| Rotherham | Clifton Lane | 2,500 | Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England |
| Swansea | St Helens | 4,500 | Swansea, Wales |
| Ulster A | Ravenhill | 12,125 | Belfast, Ulster, Northern Ireland |