# 2015–16 European Rugby Champions–Challenge Cup play-offs

The 2015–16 European Rugby Champions Cup-Challenge Cup play-off was the second play-off for entry into the top-level competition of European Club rugby union, the European Rugby Champions Cup.

## Format

Following the two-team play-off in 2014–15, an expanded, four-team format was due to be used. However, on 24 September 2014, it was announced this would instead be a three-team play-off, with the highest placed non-qualifying team taking part.
To accommodate the longer season in the French Top 14, the format was announced as follows:
* One team each would qualify from the Premiership and the Pro12, with each league being represented by the highest placed team not already qualified. These two teams would play in the first game, with home advantage in the match would be decided by a coin toss. In the event that the 2014–15 European Rugby Challenge Cup winner was a Premiership club, and it had not automatically qualified for the Champions Cup, it would take the place allocated to a Premiership team.
* The winner of the first game would host the 7th placed team in the French Top 14. The winner of that game would qualify for the Champions Cup.
Gloucester became the first team to qualify for the play-off, taking the place allocated to the Premiership, when they beat Edinburgh 19–13 in the Challenge Cup final on 1 May 2015. This result meant that the 7th place team in the 2014–15 Premiership will no longer take part in the play-off, and will compete in the Challenge Cup. Connacht qualified next, when the finished seventh in the 2014–15 Pro12 with 50 points, narrowly edging Edinburgh who had 48 points. Bordeaux Bègles qualified for the play-off on 23 May 2015.
Connacht played Gloucester away at Gloucester's Kingsholm Stadium on Sunday 24 May 2015, with the venue having been decided earlier by a coin toss. It was decided that, in the event of a Gloucester win, the second play-off match would be played at Sixways Stadium in Worcester, to avoid a clash of fixtures with a Madness concert.

## Teams

| League | Team | Coach | Stadium |
| Premiership | Gloucester | David Humphreys | Kingsholm Stadium |
| Pro12 | Connacht | Pat Lam | Galway Sportsgrounds |
| Top 14 | Bordeaux Bègles | Raphaël Ibañez | Stade André Moga |

## Matches
### Match 1

* 24 May 2015 15:30 GMT
| Gloucester | 40−32 (a.e.t.) | Connacht |
| Try: Moriarty 1' c Sharples 26' m Meakes 80' c Dawidiuk 95' m May 98' c Con: Laidlaw (3/5) 1', 80', 98' Pen: Laidlaw (2/3) 19', 43' Hook (1/1) 92' | Report | Try: J. Cooney 8' c Carty 29' c Healy (2) 60' m, 92' c Con: Carty (3/4) 9', 30', 92' Pen: Carty (2/3) 7', 79' |
* Kingsholm Stadium, Gloucester Attendance: 7,633 Referee: Romain Poite (FFR)
| FB | 15 | Charlie Sharples | | 64' |
| RW | 14 | Jonny May |
| OC | 13 | Bill Meakes |
| IC | 12 | Billy Twelvetrees (c) |
| LW | 11 | Henry Purdy | | 50' |
| FH | 10 | James Hook |
| SH | 9 | Greig Laidlaw |
| N8 | 8 | Ross Moriarty | | 71' | | | 88' |
| OF | 7 | Dan Thomas | | 33' | 44' | 65' |
| BF | 6 | Jacob Rowan |
| RL | 5 | Tom Palmer |
| LL | 4 | Tom Savage |
| TP | 3 | John Afoa | 33' to 43' | | | 88' |
| HK | 2 | Richard Hibbard | | 59' |
| LP | 1 | Nick Wood | | 65' |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Darren Dawidiuk | | 59' |
| PR | 17 | Yann Thomas | | 65' |
| PR | 18 | Shaun Knight | | 33' | 44' | 88' |
| LK | 19 | Elliott Stooke | | 71' |
| FL | 20 | Lewis Ludlow | | | | 65' | 88' |
| SH | 21 | Dan Robson | | 64' |
| FH | 22 | Billy Burns |
| FB | 23 | Rob Cook | | 50' |
| Coach: ||
| David Humphreys ||
| FB | 15 | Tiernan O'Halloran | | 65' |
| RW | 14 | Fionn Carr | | 75' |
| OC | 13 | Robbie Henshaw |
| IC | 12 | Bundee Aki |
| LW | 11 | Matt Healy |
| FH | 10 | Jack Carty |
| SH | 9 | John Cooney | | 64' |
| N8 | 8 | Eoin McKeon | | 71' |
| OF | 7 | Eoghan Masterson | 55' to 65' | 33' | 44' |
| BF | 6 | John Muldoon (c) |
| RL | 5 | Aly Muldowney |
| LL | 4 | George Naoupu | | 54' |
| TP | 3 | Rodney Ah You | | 54' |
| HK | 2 | Tom McCartney | | 70' | 79' | 90' |
| LP | 1 | Denis Buckley | 33' to 43' |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Dave Heffernan | 94' to 100' | 70' | 79' to 90' | 79' to 90' |
| PR | 17 | JP Cooney | | 33' | 44' |
| PR | 18 | Finlay Bealham | | 54' |
| LK | 19 | Andrew Browne | | 54' |
| FL | 20 | James Connolly | | 71' |
| SH | 21 | Ian Porter | | 64' |
| FH | 22 | Miah Nikora | | 75' |
| CE | 23 | Shane O'Leary | | 65' |
| Coach: ||
| Pat Lam ||
* Gloucester advanced to play Bordeaux Bègles. Connacht went on to compete in the 2015–16 European Rugby Challenge Cup.

### Match 2

* 31 May 2015 17:00 GMT
| Gloucester | 22−23 | Bordeaux Bègles |
| Try: Purdy 15' c Con: Laidlaw (1/1) 16' Pen: Laidlaw (5/6) 2', 10', 24', 32', 70' | Report | Try: Talebula (2) 37' c, 56' c Con: Bernard (2/2) 39', 58' Pen: Bernard (2/2) 28', 35' Drop: Bernard (1/1) 80' |
* Sixways Stadium, Worcester Attendance: 5,447 Referee: Leighton Hodges (WRU)
| FB | 15 | Rob Cook |
| RW | 14 | Charlie Sharples |
| OC | 13 | Bill Meakes | | 66' |
| IC | 12 | Billy Twelvetrees (c) |
| LW | 11 | Henry Purdy |
| FH | 10 | James Hook |
| SH | 9 | Greig Laidlaw |
| N8 | 8 | Ross Moriarty |
| OF | 7 | Jacob Rowan | | 58' |
| BF | 6 | Sione Kalamafoni | | 45' | 56' | 71' |
| RL | 5 | Tom Palmer |
| LL | 4 | Tom Savage |
| TP | 3 | John Afoa | 45' to 55' |
| HK | 2 | Richard Hibbard | | 59' |
| LP | 1 | Nick Wood | | 58' |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Darren Dawidiuk | | 59' |
| PR | 17 | Yann Thomas | | 58' |
| PR | 18 | Shaun Knight | | 45' | 56' |
| LK | 19 | Elliott Stooke | | | | 71' |
| N8 | 20 | Dan Thomas | | 58' |
| SH | 21 | Callum Braley |
| FH | 22 | Billy Burns |
| FB | 23 | Steve McColl | | 66' |
| Coach: ||
| David Humphreys ||
| FB | 15 | Lionel Beauxis | | 46' |
| RW | 14 | Metuisela Talebula |
| OC | 13 | Félix Le Bourhis |
| IC | 12 | Julien Rey |
| LW | 11 | Blair Connor |
| FH | 10 | Pierre Bernard |
| SH | 9 | Heini Adams | | 56' |
| N8 | 8 | Peter Saili |
| OF | 7 | Hugh Chalmers | | 45' | 56' |
| BF | 6 | Louis-Benoît Madaule (c) | | 56' |
| RL | 5 | Berend Botha | | 36' |
| LL | 4 | Jandré Marais |
| TP | 3 | Patrick Toetu | | 40' |
| HK | 2 | Ole Avei | | 69' |
| LP | 1 | Jefferson Poirot | 45' to 55' | | 56' | 71' |
| Replacements: ||
| HK | 16 | Clément Maynadier | | 69' |
| PR | 17 | Jean-Baptiste Poux | | 45' | | 71' |
| PR | 18 | Francisco Gómez Kodela | | 40' |
| LK | 19 | Adam Jaulhac | | 36' |
| N8 | 20 | Matthew Clarkin | | 56' |
| SH | 21 | Yann Lesgourgues | | 56' |
| CE | 22 | Jayden Spence |
| FB | 23 | Baptiste Serin | | 46' |
| Coach: ||
| Raphaël Ibañez ||
* Bordeaux Bègles qualified for the 2015–16 European Rugby Champions Cup. Gloucester played in the 2015–16 European Rugby Challenge Cup.