EDF Energy Cup

Infobox sports league
current_season=2008-09 EDF Energy Cup

pixels=165px
caption= EDF Energy committed to Rugby from grass roots to elite.
sport=Rugby union
founded=1971
teams=16
country=England
Wales
champion= OspreysThe EDF Energy Cup (also known as the Anglo-Welsh Cup) is an English and Welsh rugby union knock-out cup competition featuring the twelve Guinness Premiership clubs and four Welsh Regions. Prior to the 2005-06 season, the competition was open to all English clubs. Bath have won the cup ten times, with Leicester Tigers the second most successful club with six, including their win over the Ospreys in the 2006-07 final.

ponsorship

* John Player Cup
** (1972-1988)
* Pilkington Cup
** (1989-1997)
* Tetley's Bitter Cup
** (1998-2000)
* Powergen Cup
** (2001-2005)
* EDF Energy Cup
** (2006-)

1971-2005

Known as the John Player Cup, the first competition took place in 1972, and Gloucester were crowned inaugural champions, defeating Moseley in the final, 17 to 6. Coventry won two titles in succession in 1973 and 1974, and after Bedford's championship win in 1975, Gosforth also won two in succession, in 1976 and 1977. Gloucester won their second title in 1978. The competition was then dominated by Leicester, who won three championships in a row, until Gloucester won their third title in 1982. This was shared with Moseley after a 12-12 draw in extra time, and was the first and only time the cup was shared between two teams. Leicester were again in the final in 1983, but lost to Bristol. Leicester's record run was then broken by Bath from 1984-87, who won the John Player Cup four times in a row, until Harlequins won their first in 1988.

The name of the cup was changed to the Pilkington Cup for the 1989 tournament. Bath picked up from where they left off in the late 1980s, going onto win another six times from 1989-1996. Harlequins won their second title in 1991, and Leicester added to their three championships in 1993 and again in 1997. The cup changed its name again after Leicesters' 1997 victory, becoming the Tetley's Bitter Cup for the 1998 season. Saracens won their first title, defeating Wasps FC in 1998. Wasps were again in the final in 1999, and defeated Newcastle to claim their first championship. The Wasps also won the 2000 competition.

In 2001 the name of the tournament was changed to the Powergen Cup. Newcastle won the first Powergen Cup, defeating the Harlequins 30-27. The London Irish won it for their first time the following season, and Gloucester won it for the first time since 1982. Newcastle won in 2004, and in 2005 the Leeds Tykes defeated Bath to win it for the first time.

Anglo-Welsh Cup

Starting in 2005-06, the cup featured a new format including only the twelve teams from the Guinness Premiership and the four regional Welsh clubs. Teams from National Division One and below now play for the Powergen National Trophy.

In place of the knock-out format, the 16 sixteen clubs are placed in four pools with 3 English clubs and 1 Welsh club. The pool stages of the Anglo-Welsh Cup tournament feature one game against each team. The winners of each of the four groups progress to the semi-finals. The pools will stay as they are for the following season as well, with home and away fixtures reversed and the club relegated from the Guinness Premiership's place taken by the club promoted from National Division One.

In addition to increased TV revenue (the revised Powergen Cup has already inked a handsome new broadcasting agreement with the BBC) and a possible boost to matchday income, the Powergen Cup will also offer its winner qualification to the even more lucrative Heineken Cup club competition. As base compensation all 16 Powergen clubs are guaranteed £250,000 each, with a prize fund of up to £200,000 available to the semi-finalists.cite web | title=Cup resurrects Anglo-Welsh contests of old days | work=The Times | url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,377-1799287,00.html | accessdaymonth=30 September | accessyear=2006]

The Welsh clubs' inclusion initially caused them to be expelled from the Celtic League. Scottish and Irish officials were angered that the Welsh Clubs had apparently consented to Powergen Cup fixtures on the same weekend as Celtic League matches. The political fallout resulted in the purported expulsion of the Welsh clubs from the league. Eventually, a compromise was reached, and the Welsh clubs were readmitted.

Many rugby union commentators see the Powergen Cup as a boon to Wales as it reinforces their regional club structure begun in 2003 when Wales began the regional structure common to southern hemisphere powers such as Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. (See "the Observer", "Fine for the Welsh, but at what cost to England?", 25 September 2005). The benefits are less apparent to the English clubs, especially as the breakdown between Twickenham and the Guinness Premiership clubs intensifies: while the Cup now attracts greater revenue and crowds than before the Welsh sides were admitted, it still lags behind the Premiership.

Interest in the Powergen Cup was high during the first two rounds. Over 100,000 spectators attend matches, while the television audience peaked at 1.2 million on BBC2 for the Newcastle Falcons v. Llanelli Scarlets match. [http://www.rfu.com/microsites/powergen/twickenham/index.cfm?StoryID=11857] Overall, the 2005-2006 cup drew a 12% attendance boost in the group stages over the previous year's competition.cite web | title=EDF Energy to sponsor UK’s premier cup competition | work=Rugby Football Union | url=http://www.rfu.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/RFUHome.News_Detail/StoryID/14369 | accessdaymonth=30 September | accessyear=2006]

However, Powergen decided to withdraw all of its rugby sponsorship after the conclusion of the 2005-2006 cup competitions.cite web | title=Powergen to end cup sponsorships | work=BBC | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/front_page/4721658.stm | accessdaymonth=30 September | accessyear=2006] The new sponsor of the Anglo-Welsh Cup will be EDF Energy.cite web | title=Anglo-Welsh Cup gets new sponsor | work=BBC | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/5234516.stm | accessdaymonth=30 September | accessyear=2006]

The pools (or groups) for the Powergen Cup were decided on a regional basis, comprising of three English sides geographically close to one another, and one Welsh club again divided as far as possible by their location.

List of winners

By year

John Player Cup

* 1972 Gloucester 17 - 6 against Moseley
* 1973 Coventry 27 - 15 against Bristol
* 1974 Coventry 26 - 6 against London Scottish
* 1975 Bedford 28 - 12 against Rosslyn Park
* 1976 Gosforth 23 - 14 against Rosslyn Park
* 1977 Gosforth 27 - 11 against Waterloo
* 1978 Gloucester RFC 6 - 3 against Leicester
* 1979 Leicester 15 - 12 against Moseley
* 1980 Leicester 21 - 9 against London Irish
* 1981 Leicester 22 - 15 against Gosforth
* 1982 Gloucester RFC and Moseley (shared) 12 - 12
* 1983 Bristol 28 - 22 against Leicester
* 1984 Bath 10 - 9 against Bristol
* 1985 Bath 24 - 15 against London Welsh
* 1986 Bath 25 - 17 against Wasps FC
* 1987 Bath 19 - 12 against Wasps FC
* 1988 Harlequins 28 - 22 against Bristol

Pilkington Cup

* 1989 Bath 10 - 6 against Leicester
* 1990 Bath 48 - 6 against Gloucester
* 1991 Harlequins 25 - 13 against Northampton
* 1992 Bath 15 - 12 against Harlequins
* 1993 Leicester 23 - 16 against Harlequins
* 1994 Bath 21 - 9 against Leicester
* 1995 Bath 36 - 16 against Wasps FC
* 1996 Bath 16 - 15 against Leicester
* 1997 Leicester 9 - 3 against Sale

Tetley's Bitter Cup

* 1998 Saracens 48 - 18 against Wasps FC
* 1999 Wasps FC 29 - 19 against Newcastle
* 2000 London Wasps 31 - 23 against Northampton

Powergen Cup

* 2001 Newcastle 30 - 27 against Harlequins
* 2002 London Irish 38 - 7 against Northampton
* 2003 Gloucester RFC 40 - 22 against Northampton
* 2004 Newcastle 37 - 33 against Sale
* 2005 Leeds 20 - 12 against Bath

Powergen Anglo-Welsh Cup

* 2006 London Wasps 26 - 10 against Llanelli Scarlets

EDF Energy Anglo-Welsh Cup

* 2007 Leicester Tigers 41 - 35 against Ospreys
* 2008 Ospreys 23 - 6 against Leicester Tigers

By number won

Media coverage

In Australia the EDF Energy Cup is currently available on Setanta Sports Australia.

See also

* 2005-06 Powergen Cup
* Powergen National Trophy
* English Rugby Union teams
* Guinness Premiership
* Heineken Cup
* European Challenge Cup
* European Shield

References

External links

* [http://www.edfenergycup.com Official Tournament Website]
* [http://www.edfenergycup.com/8736_8746.php Official Fixtures, Results and Live Broadcasts]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/english/default.stm English rugby news from the BBC]
* [http://www.planet-rugby.com/Tournaments/Powergen_Cup/index.shtml Powergen Cup news from Planet Rugby] (warning: Popups)