Interesting Challenge Cup Facts
2,500,000 - There were a record 281,243 fans at the 67 European Challenge Cup matches last season at an average of 4,197 per game. If the average is maintained over the 67 games this season then the overall attendance for the 11 seasons will break the 2.5 million mark.
5,000 - Last season there were 485 tries scored in 67 European Challenge Cup matches. That took the overall tally of Challenge Cup tries for 10 seasons to 4,862 - an average of 6.3 per game. That means it should take only 22 games to reach 5,000 tries. Look out for the 5,000 barrier being breached in Round 3 on Friday, 8 December at either Montauban or Bayonne.
800 - There have been 771 European Challenge Cup games. The 800th game will come in Round 3.
70 - Connacht will become the first team to play 70 matches in the European Challenge Cup when they meet Bath in Galway in Round 5. They are one of only two teams to have played in the tournament in every season. Narbonne are the other team and they have 60 appearances to date. Agen follow with 55, London Irish with 50, Pau with 44, ASM Clermont Auvergne 43, Brive with 42 and Sale Sharks 41.
50 - Bath prop Duncan Bell and Montauban back row man Marc Raynaud need to go all the way to the final, and play in every match, to reach 50 games in the European Challenge Cup. Bell has 33 starts and 8 replacement appearances in the competition to date with Ebbw Vale, Sale Sharks, Pontypridd and Bath, while Reynaud has 34 starts and seven replacement appearances for Narbonne and ASM Clermont Auvergne. Clermont Auvergne need to reach the quarter-finals to become the fifth team to play 50 matches in the European Challenge Cup.
9 - The number of points that Bayonne skipper Richard Dourthe requires to enter the top 10 points scorers of all time in the European Challenge Cup. He is currently in 12th place with 245 points from 27 appearances. He needs to overtake Shaun Connor (251) and Sebastian Fauque (253) to go into 10th place. Dourthe also needs 18 points to reach 400 in both European competitions.
