Fixtures against Leinster, Leeds Carnegie and Pontypridd will
mark Jersey Rugby Club's debut in the British & Irish (B&I)
Cup this season.
Jersey have been drawn in Pool 5 and will play six matches
during the group stages between October and January. The B&I
competition features 32 teams: the 12 clubs from the RFU
Championship in England; 12 Principality Premiership sides from
Wales; the 'A' teams from the four Irish provinces; and four
Scottish clubs.
The clash with Leinster, whose 1st team were Heineken Cup
winners in 2011/12, will be a highlight for Jersey, who will play
back-to-back fixtures against the Irish side in December.
Championship rivals Leeds Carnegie will now entertain Jersey
twice in the opening two months of the season. The September 7th
league match between the sides will be followed by a B&I clash
on Sunday October 21st. Leeds Carnegie will be playing their
B&I fixtures at other Yorkshire grounds away from their
Headingley base this season, and the Jersey game will be played at
York RUFC.
Welsh side Pontypridd, the champions of the Principality
Premiership in 2011/12, will be Jersey's first B&I opponents
when they visit St Peter on Saturday October 13th. The return
fixture will be the final group match on the weekend of January
19th.
Winners of the eight groups in the B&I competition will
proceed to the knock-out stages, which will take place towards the
end of the season.
Jersey RFC's British & Irish Cup fixtures
2012/13
Saturday October 13th | 3pm | Jersey v Pontypridd |
Sunday October 21st | 3pm | Leeds Carnegie v Jersey at York RUFC |
w/e December 7th/8th/9th | tbc | Leinster 'A' v Jersey # |
w/e December 15th/16th/17th | tbc | Jersey v Leinster 'A' # |
Saturday January 12th | 3pm | Jersey v Leeds Carnegie |
w/e January 18th/19th/20th | tbc | Pontypridd v Jersey |
w/e April 5th/6th/7th | Quarter-Finals | |
w/e April 26th/27th/28th | Semi-Finals | |
Friday May 17th | Final |
# Note: the home and away fixtures against
Leinster are subject to possible reversal pending agreement between
the clubs and authorisation from the organising body of the B&I
Cup. Confirmation will be issued as soon as possible.