The fixtures for the 2016/17 British & Irish Cup have been announced, with Jersey Reds taking on English, Irish and Welsh opponents in Pool 1.
In the club's fifth season as part of the B&I, which kicks off on the middle weekend of October, the Reds will face Ulster A, the Premiership Select XV from the Cardiff Blues region in Wales, and Championship rivals London Scottish.
Jersey previously faced Ulster 'A', then known as the Ravens, in 2013/14, losing 24-19 at Ravenhill in Belfast but winning 37-19 in the return match at St Peter. A trip to Belfast will be the Reds' opening match in this season's Cup, before the club host Welsh B&I opponents at St Peter for the fourth time, having previously locked horns with Pontypridd, Carmarthen Quins and - after the Welsh B&I participants officially switched to regional 'A' sides last season - Dragons Premiership Select.
2015/16 was the most successful of Jersey Reds' four B&I campaigns thus far. A thrilling last-round win at Castle Park against Doncaster Knights in January, cemented by Tua Otto's late try, sealed qualification to the knock-out stages. This was followed by a powerful display in beating Bedford Blues 15-19 in the quarter-final at Goldington Road, and an agonising 33-32 semi-final defeat at Headingley against Yorkshire Carnegie.
Last season's trophy was lifted by London Welsh, who defeated Carnegie 10-33 in the final and will kick-off their cup defence against 2012 winners Munster ‘A’.
Meanwhile Championship newcomers London Irish play Ospreys Premiership Select who, alongside Cardiff Blues, Scarlets and Dragons, make up the Welsh regional teams participating in the cross-border competition.
Richmond, promoted to the Championship from National League 1 last season, will begin their inaugural B&I campaign against Leinster ‘A’. The Dublin-based team have won the British & Irish Cup twice since its inception in 2009, beating Newcastle Falcons in 2013 and Yorkshire Carnegie in 2014.
In one of only two all-English ties in the opening round, Doncaster Knights will host local rivals Rotherham Titans. Fixtures between the two South Yorkshire teams always prove to be a tight affair, with results between them being decided by an average of five points over the past two league seasons. Last season's runners-up Carnegie will travel to London to take on Ealing Trailfinders.
As with the initial announcement for Greene King IPA Championship fixtures, all the games have been scheduled for a weekend slot which spans from Friday evening to Sunday. It is the home side's prerogative to elect which day the match will be played, and the kick-off time, and these details will be announced in due course. Supporters seeking to make travel arrangements for any games should not do so until clubs have confirmed kick-off dates and times. Pool winners and the three runners-up with the best records will play in the quarter-finals in March.
The latest 1st XV fixture list can be seen HERE
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British & Irish Cup 2016/17 pools and fixtures
Pool 1
Jersey Reds
London Scottish
Ulster ‘A’
Cardiff Blues Premiership Select
Pool 2
London Welsh
Doncaster Knights
Munster ‘A’
Rotherham Titans
Pool 3
Cornish Pirates
London Irish
Ospreys Premiership Select
Connacht Eagles
Pool 4
Leinster ‘A’
Scarlets Premiership Select
Nottingham Rugby
Richmond
Pool 5
Yorkshire Carnegie
Bedford Blues
Dragons Premiership Select
Ealing Trailfinders
Fixtures
Round 1 – October 14/15/16
Pool 1: Ulster ‘A’ v Jersey Reds
Pool 1: Cardiff Blues Premiership Select v London Scottish
Pool 2: Rotherham Titans v Doncaster Knights
Pool 2: Munster ‘A’ v London Welsh
Pool 3: Connacht Eagles v Cornish Pirates
Pool 3: Ospreys Premiership Select v London Irish
Pool 4: Nottingham Rugby v Scarlets Premiership Select
Pool 4: Richmond v Leinster ‘A’
Pool 5: Bedford Blues v Dragons Premiership Select
Pool 5: Ealing Trailfinders v Yorkshire Carnegie
Round 2 – October 21/22/23
Pool 1: Jersey Reds v Cardiff Blues Premiership Select
Pool 1: London Scottish v Ulster ‘A’
Pool 2: Doncaster Knights v Munster ‘A’
Pool 2: London Welsh v Rotherham Titans
Pool 3: Cornish Pirates v Ospreys Premiership Select
Pool 3: London Irish v Connacht Eagles
Pool 4: Scarlets Premiership Select v Richmond
Pool 4: Leinster ‘A’ v Nottingham Rugby
Pool 5: Dragons Premiership Select v Ealing Trailfinders
Pool 5: Yorkshire Carnegie v Bedford Blues
Round 3 – December 9/10/11
Pool 1: London Scottish v Jersey Reds
Pool 1: Ulster ‘A’ v Cardiff Blues Premiership Select
Pool 2: London Welsh v Doncaster Knights
Pool 2: Rotherham Titans v Munster ‘A’
Pool 3: London Irish v Cornish Pirates
Pool 3: Connacht Eagles v Ospreys Premiership Select
Pool 4: Nottingham Rugby v Richmond
Pool 4: Leinster ‘A’ v Scarlets Premiership Select
Pool 5: Yorkshire Carnegie v Dragons Premiership Select
Pool 5: Bedford Blues v Ealing Trailfinders
Round 4 – December 16/17/18
Pool 1: Jersey Reds v London Scottish
Pool 1: Cardiff Blues Premiership Select vUlster 'A'
Pool 2: Doncaster Knights v London Welsh
Pool 2: Munster A v Rotherham Titans
Pool 3: Cornish Pirates v London Irish
Pool 3: Ospreys Premiership Select v Connacht Eagles
Pool 4: Scarlets Premiership Select v Leinster 'A'
Pool 4: Richmond v Nottingham Rugby
Pool 5: Dragons Premiership Select v Yorkshire Carnegie
Pool 5: Ealing Trailfinders v Bedford Blues
Round 5 – January 13/14/15
Pool 1: Ulster 'A' v London Scottish
Pool 1: Cardiff Blues Premiership Select v Jersey Reds
Pool 2: Rotherham Titans v London Welsh
Pool 2: Munster A v Doncaster Knights
Pool 3: Connacht Eagles v London Irish
Pool 3: Ospreys Premiership Select v Cornish Pirates
Pool 4: Nottingham Rugby v Leinster 'A'
Pool 4: Richmond v Scarlets Premiership Select
Pool 5: Bedford Blues v Yorkshire Carnegie
Pool 5: Ealing Trailfinders v Dragons Premiership Select
Round 6 – January 20/21/22
Pool 1: Jersey Reds v Ulster 'A'
Pool 1: London Scottish v Cardiff Blues Premiership Select
Pool 2: Doncaster Knights v Rotherham Titans
Pool 2: London Welsh v Munster A
Pool 3: Cornish Pirates v Connacht Eagles
Pool 3: London Irish v Ospreys Premiership Select
Pool 4: Scarlets Premiership Select v Nottingham Rugby
Pool 4: Leinster 'A' v Richmond
Pool 5: Dragons Premiership Select v Bedford Blues
Pool 5: Yorkshire Carnegie v Ealing Trailfinders
Quarter-finals: March 10-12
Semi-finals: March 31/April 1-2
Final: April 22
