European Professional Club Rugby

European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR)

Sport	Rugby union
Founded	2014 (2014)
Headquarters	Neuchâtel, Switzerland
Chairman	Simon Halliday (From 4 May 2015)
Chief Exec	Vincent Gaillard (From 1 July 2015)
Replaced	European Rugby Cup (ERC)
Official website
www.epcrugby.com

European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) is the governing body and organiser of two European rugby union club tournaments: the European Rugby Champions Cup and the European Rugby Challenge Cup.^[1] The organisation was established in 2014 and is headquartered in Neuchâtel, Switzerland. Switzerland was chosen so as not to have the headquarters based in any of the six participating countries.^[2]

The Champions Cup and Challenge Cup run by EPCR replace the Heineken Cup tournament that was run by Dublin-based European Rugby Cup until 2014.

EPCR’s has nine major shareholders – the six tier 1 unions whose national teams play in the Six Nations Championship, and the three club bodies that represent English, French and Welsh teams in their respective leagues.

The inaugural competitions were held in the 2014–15 season.

History

Prior to 2014, the pan-European club competitions - the Heineken Cup, and European Challenge Cup - were organised and run by European Rugby Cup Ltd. (ERC). ERC was created in 1995, following the advent of professionalism, by the then Five Nations Committee.

In 2012, Premiership Rugby and LNR, on behalf of the English and French clubs respectively, notified ERC that they would be withdrawing from the accord governing the competition, being dissatisfied with the organisation of the competition and the distribution of funding. Premiership Rugby subsequently refused to join any new agreement in which ERC remained organisers of European rugby tournaments.

On April 10, 2014 it was announced that the nine shareholders with an interest in continuing major European club competition had come to an agreement for new competitions. Under the new agreement, ERC was wound up, and a new body, European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR), would be created to organise three new competitions, European Rugby Champions Cup, the European Rugby Challenge Cup, and the third tier Qualifying Competition, beginning with the 2014-15 season.^[3]

Shortly after the establishment of EPCR, it was announced that the running of the inaugural 2014–15 tournament was to be handled in conjunction with ERC, the organisation it had been meant to replace, to facilitate a smooth transition. This was despite the latter having been described by chairman of Premiership Rugby, Quentin Smith, as "no longer fit for purpose". This was described as "something of an about-turn" by The Daily Telegraph.^[4]

Since the 2015–16 season, EPCR staff have been running the competitions from their base in Neuchatel.

EPCR Governance

Board of Directors

EPCR is managed through a 12-person Board of Directors, which represents all shareholders, and includes an independent chairman. The nine shareholders, by country, are listed below:^[5]

• England - Rugby Football Union, Premiership Rugby Limited
• France - Fédération Française de Rugby, Ligue Nationale de Rugby
• Ireland - Irish Rugby Football Union
• Italy - Federazione Italiana Rugby
• Scotland - Scottish Rugby Union
• Wales - Welsh Rugby Union, Regional Rugby Wales

The EPCR independent chairman is ex-England rugby player Simon Halliday, whose appointment was announced 29 April 2015.^[6]

Executive Committee

There is also an Executive Committee, in charge of commercial matters relating to the tournaments, and preparations for Board meetings. This committee includes the Independent Chairman, Director-General, and three voting representatives, one representing each of the major European domestic leagues, the Top 14, the English Premiership and Pro 12. Representation by English and French clubs on the three-person executive committee represents an increase in voting power for these two leagues as compared to the previous European Rugby Cup.^[2]

The three voting members of the executive are:^[7]

• English Premiership: Bruce Craig
• Pro12: Paul McNaughton
• Top 14: René Fontès

Jacques Pineau became the interim Director General of EPCR when the tournament began, and was responsible for the day-to-day operations of EPCR.^[5][8][9] On 29 April 2015, it was announced that Swiss national Vincent Gaillard had been appointed the Director General, and would work with Pineau until 1 July 2015, when he would officially take on the role.^[6]

Revenue

Revenues generated by EPCR tournaments will be divided in three equal parts — one third to English clubs, one third to French clubs, and one third to Pro12 clubs, but with a minimum distribution guarantee for Pro12 clubs during the first five years.^[2][10] Under the previous European Rugby Cup, the Irish, Welsh, Scottish and Italian clubs had received 52% of revenues, while the English and French clubs received 48%.^[10]

European Player of the Year

The European Player Award was introduced by ERC in 2010, as part of their ERC15 awards, created to recognise the outstanding contributors of the first 15 years of European rugby. The first recipient of the award, considered the best player of the previous 15 years, was Munster Rugby's Ronan O'Gara. Following the award, and beginning with the 2010-11 Heineken Cup season, ERC began presenting a Player of the Year Award annually.

Following EPCR taking over the running of European Competitions, they continued the award, and the first EPCR European Player of the Year Award will be presented following the 2014-15 European Rugby Champions Cup season.

The most recent player to be awarded the accolade was Maro Itoje, in 2016.

ERC European Player of the Year (2010 - 2014)

• 2010: Ronan O'Gara (Munster Rugby) (Awarded for the previous 15 seasons)
• 2011: Seán O'Brien (Leinster Rugby)
• 2012: Rob Kearney (Leinster Rugby)
• 2013: Jonny Wilkinson (Toulon)
• 2014: Steffon Armitage (Toulon)

EPCR European Player of the Year (2015 - )

• 2015: Nick Abendanon (Clermont)
• 2016: Maro Itoje (Saracens)

EPCR Elite Awards

The Elite Awards were created by ERC, to celebrate the 10th anniversary season of the Heineken Cup. Introduced to recognise the most prominent teams and players of the competitions, EPCR has since maintained and continued the awards, updating them to include both Heineken Cup and European Rugby Champions Cup appearances.

Teams with 50 or more European Cup appearances

Team	Appearances (Heineken Cup)	Appearances (Champions Cup)	Total Appearances
Munster	138	12	150
Toulouse	138	12	150
Leinster	128	14	142
Leicester Tigers	124	14	138
Ulster	117	12	129
Scarlets [n 1]	117	12	129
Cardiff Blues [n 2]	114	0	114
Benetton Rugby Treviso	96	12	108
Edinburgh Rugby	103	0	103
Glasgow Rugby	91	12	103
Northampton Saints	83	14	97
Wasps	78	15	93
Biarritz Olympique	92	0	92
Montferrand/Clermont Auvergne	76	15	91
Stade Français	79	7	86
Bath	72	13	85
Ospreys	69	12	81
USA Perpignan	81	0	81
Harlequins	68	6	74
Saracens	56	17	73
Castres Olympique	64	6	70
Gloucester	64	0	64
↑ Includes 48 appearances as Llanelli RFC before the introduction of regional teams in Wales ↑ Includes 44 appearances as Cardiff RFC before the introduction of regional teams in Wales Updated 16 May 2016

Players with 100 or more European Cup caps

Player	Club(s)	Appearances (Heineken Cup)	Appearances (Champions Cup)	Total Appearances
Ronan O'Gara	Munster	110	0	110
Gordon D'Arcy	Leinster	98	6	104
John Hayes	Munster	101	0	101
Peter Stringer	Munster, Saracens, Bath	94	6	100
Updated 16 May 2016

Players with 60 or more European Cup caps

Player	Club(s)	Appearances (Heineken Cup)	Appearances (Champions Cup)	Total Appearances
Ronan O'Gara	Munster	110	0	110
Gordon D'Arcy	Leinster	98	6	104
John Hayes	Munster	101	0	101
Peter Stringer	Munster, Saracens, Bath	94	6	100
Donncha O'Callaghan	Munster	96	0	96
Clément Poitrenaud	Toulouse	87	9	96
Leo Cullen	Leinster, Leicester Tigers, Leinster (2nd stint)	92	0	92
Shane Horgan	Leinster	87	0	87
Nathan Hines	Edinburgh, Perpignan, Leinster, Clermont Auvergne, Sale Sharks	85	2	87
Brian O'Driscoll	Leinster	87	0	87
Anthony Foley	Munster	86	0	86
David Wallace	Munster	86	0	86
Jean Bouilhou	Toulouse	84	0	84
Marcus Horan	Munster	84	0	84
Stephen Jones	Llanelli, Scarlets, Clermont Auvergne, Scarlets (2nd stint)	84	0	84
Vincent Clerc	Toulouse	73	9	82
Paul O'Connell	Munster	76	6	82
Fabien Pelous	Dax, Toulouse	81	0	81
Martyn Williams	Pontypridd, Cardiff, Cardiff Blues	81	0	81
Jamie Heaslip	Leinster	66	13	79
Yannick Jauzion	Colomiers, Toulouse	79	0	79
Eoin Reddan	Munster, London Wasps, Leinster	66	13	79
Alan Quinlan	Munster	78	0	78
Florian Fritz	Bourgoin, Toulouse	70	7	77
Jean-Baptiste Poux	Toulouse	74	3	77
Martin Castrogiovanni	Calvisano, Leicester Tigers, Toulon	71	5	76
Sylvain Marconnet	Stade Français, Biarritz	76	0	76
Grégory Lamboley	Toulouse	67	8	75
Julien Peyrelongue	Biarritz	75	0	75
Ian Gough	Pontypridd, Newport, Newport Gwent Dragons, Ospreys	74	0	74
Benjamin Kayser	Stade Français, Leicester Tigers, Stade Français (2nd stint), Castres Olympique, Clermont Auvergne	60	14	74
Geordan Murphy	Leicester Tigers	74	0	74
Malcolm O'Kelly	Leinster	74	0	74
William Servat	Toulouse	74	74	74
Julien Bonnaire	Bourgoin, Clermont Auvergne	64	8	72
Thierry Dusautoir	Biarritz, Toulouse	61	11	72
Allan Jacobsen	Edinburgh	72	0	72
Cédric Heymans	Brive, Toulouse	71	0	71
Shane Jennings	Leinster, Leicester Tigers, Leinster (2nd stint)	71	0	71
Jérôme Thion	Montferrand, Perpignan, Biarritz	71	0	71
Vernon Cooper	Llanelli, Scarlets	70	0	70
Simon Shaw	London Wasps	70	0	70
Martin Corry	Leicester Tigers	69	0	69
Nicolas Mas	Perpignan	67	2	69
Romain Millo-Chluski	Toulouse	64	5	69
Roger Wilson	Ulster, Northampton Saints, Ulster (2nd stint)	57	12	69
Louis Deacon	Leicester Tigers	68	0	68
Girvan Dempsey	Leinster	68	0	68
Duncan Jones	Neath, Ospreys	66	2	68
George Chuter	Saracens, Leicester Tigers	67	0	67
John Kelly	Munster	67	0	67
Chris Paterson	Edinburgh, Gloucester, Edinburgh (2nd stint)	67	0	67
Adam Jones	Neath, Ospreys	66	0	66
Yannick Nyanga	Béziers, Toulouse	55	11	66
David Skrela	Colomiers, Stade Français, Toulouse, Clermont Auvergne	66	0	66
Chris Wyatt	Llanelli, Scarlets, Bourgoin	66	0	66
Ben Kay	Leicester Tigers	65	0	65
Andrew Trimble	Ulster	60	5	65
Yannick Bru	Toulouse	64	0	64
Nicolas Brusque	Pau, Biarritz	64	0	64
Aurélien Rougerie	Clermont Auvergne	52	12	64
Richard Wigglesworth	Sale Sharks, Saracens	48	16	64
Isaac Boss	Ulster, Leinster	53	10	63
Frederic Michalak	Toulouse, Toulon	59	4	63
Dimitri Yachvili	Biarritz	63	0	63
Benoît August	Stade Français, Biarritz	62	0	62
Marcos Ayerza	Leicester Tigers	48	14	62
Kelly Brown	Borders, Glasgow Warriors, Saracens	52	10	62
Vincent Debaty	Perpignan, Clermont Auvergne	52	10	62
Mick O'Driscoll	Munster, Perpignan, Munster (2nd stint)	62	0	62
Iestyn Thomas	Ebbw Vale, Llanelli, Scarlets	62	0	62
Shane Byrne	Leinster, Saracens	61	0	61
Reggie Corrigan	Leinster	61	0	61
Dougie Hall	Edinburgh, Glasgow Warriors	60	1	61
Rob Kearney	Leinster	52	9	61
Tommy Bowe	Ulster, Ospreys, Ulster (2nd stint)	55	5	60
Dafydd James	Pontypridd, Llanelli, Bridgend, Celtic Warriors, Harlequins, Scarlets, Cardiff Blues	60	0	60
Gethin Jenkins	Celtic Warriors, Cardiff Blues	60	0	60
Christian Labit	Toulouse, Northampton Saints	60	0	60
Gareth Thomas	Cardiff, Bridgend, Celtic Warriors, Toulouse, Cardiff Blues	60	0	60
Updated 16 May 2016

Players with 500 or more European Cup points

Player	Club(s)	Points (Heineken Cup)	Points (Champions Cup)	Points
Ronan O'Gara	Munster	1,365	0	1,365
Stephen Jones	Llanelli, Scarlets, Clermont Auvergne, Scarlets (2nd stint)	869	0	869
Dimitri Yachvili	Biarritz	661	0	661
Diego Domínguez	Milan, Stade Français	645	0	645
David Humphreys	Ulster	564	0	564
Neil Jenkins	Pontypridd, Cardiff, Celtic Warriors	502	0	502
David Skrela	Colomiers, Stade Français, Toulouse, Clermont Auvergne	500	0	500
Updated 16 May 2016

Players with 25 or more European Cup tries

Player	Club(s)	Tries (Heineken Cup)	Tries (Champions Cup)	Tries
Vincent Clerc	Toulouse	35	1	36
Brian O'Driscoll	Leinster	33	0	33
Chris Ashton	Northampton Saints, Saracens	23	8	31
Dafydd James	Pontypridd, Llanelli, Bridgend, Celtic Warriors, Harlequins, Scarlets, Cardiff Blues	29	0	29
Shane Horgan	Leinster	27	0	27
Tommy Bowe	Ulster, Ospreys, Ulster (2nd stint)	24	2	26
Gordon D'Arcy	Leinster	26	0	26
Geordan Murphy	Leicester Tigers	25	0	25
Naipolioni Nalaga	Clermont Auvergne	23	2	25
Updated 16 May 2016

References