2015 European Cup
The 2015 European Cup was an international rugby league football tournament. The tournament took place between 16 October and 7 November in Wales, France, Scotland and Ireland.
| 2015 European Cup | |
|---|---|
| Number of teams | 4 |
| Host countries | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Wales France Scotland Ireland |
| Winner | Wales (7th title) |
| Matches played | 6 |
| Attendance | 15,301 (2,550 per match) |
| Points scored | 225 (37.5 per match) |
| Tries scored | 41 (6.83 per match) |
| Top scorer | Courtney Davies (22) |
| Top try scorer | Tony Gigot (4) |
Scotland were the defending champions. Four teams competed in the 2015 event; Wales, Scotland, France and Ireland.[1] Wales were crowned 2015 European Cup champions after winning all of their games putting them on top of the table with the maximum points tally of 6.[2]
After the tournament's last game there would be no European Cup tournament until the 2018 Championship due to the events occurring such as the 2016 Four Nations, 2017 World Cup qualifying competitions and the 2017 World Cup Finals.
Teams
| Team | Coach | Captain | RLIF Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| France |
Richard Agar | Jason Baitieri | 5 |
 Ireland |
Mark Aston | Liam Finn | 7 |
| Scotland |
Steve McCormack | Danny Brough | 8 |
| Wales |
John Kear | Craig Kopczak | 9 |
Squads
France
Head Coach: 
Richard Agar
- On 1 October, Richard Agar named the following 23 players as part of his squad in preparation for the tournament.[3]
| Player | Games | Points | Position | 2015 Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morgan Escaré | 3 | 4 | FB | Catalans Dragons |
| Jordan Sigismeau | 3 | 4 | WG | AS Saint Estève |
| Damien Cardace | 1 | 0 | WG | Lézignan Sangliers |
| Jean-Philippe Baile | 3 | 0 | CE | Bradford Bulls |
| Tony Gigot | 3 | 16 | CE | Catalans Dragons |
| Benjamin Jullien | 3 | 0 | CE | Warrington Wolves |
| Olivier Arnaud | 2 | 4 | CE | Sporting Olympique Avignon |
| Théo Fages | 2 | 4 | SO | Salford Red Devils |
| Stanislas Robin | 3 | 8 | SO | AS Saint Estève |
| William Barthau | 2 | 2 | SH | London Broncos |
| Rémy Marginet | 2 | 14 | SH | AS Saint Estève |
| Mourad Kriouache | 0 | 0 | SH | Toulouse Olympique |
| Julian Bousquet | 3 | 0 | PR | Catalans Dragons |
| Mickaël Simon | 3 | 4 | PR | Wakefield Trinity Wildcats |
| Gadwin Springer | 3 | 0 | PR | Castleford Tigers |
| Clément Boyer | 1 | 0 | PR | Toulouse Olympique |
| John Boudebza | 3 | 1 | HK | Hull Kingston Rovers |
| Kevin Larroyer | 3 | 8 | SR | Hull Kingston Rovers |
| Antoni Maria | 2 | 0 | SR | Catalans Dragons |
| Florent Rouanet | 1 | 0 | SR | Lézignan Sangliers |
| Mickaël Goudemand | 0 | 0 | SR | Sporting Olympique Avignon |
| Jason Baitieri (C) | 2 | 0 | LF | Catalans Dragons |
| Ugo Perez | 3 | 4 | LF | AS Saint Estève |
Ireland
Head Coach: Mark Aston
- On 2 October, Mark Aston named the following 22 players as part of his squad in preparation for the tournament.[4]
- On 6 November, Robbie Mulhern was a late call-up for Mark Aston's team in the lead up to their crucial final match against Wales.[5]
| Player | Games | Points | Position | 2015 Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scott Grix | 3 | 4 | FB | Huddersfield Giants |
| Callum Mulkeen | 3 | 4 | WG | Gloucestershire All Golds |
| Casey Dunne | 3 | 4 | WG | Athboy Longhorns |
| Bradley Hargreaves | 3 | 8 | CE | Rochdale Hornets |
| James Mendeika | 2 | 0 | CE | Bradford Bulls |
| Liam Finn (C) | 3 | 14 | SO | Castleford Tigers |
| Ben Johnston | 3 | 0 | SH | Halifax |
| Gregg McNally | 0 | 0 | SH | Leigh Centurions |
| Joseph Keyes | 3 | 0 | SH | London Broncos |
| Matty Hadden | 3 | 0 | PR | Rochdale Hornets |
| Sean Hesketh | 1 | 0 | PR | Batley Bulldogs |
| Luke Ambler | 3 | 8 | PR | Halifax |
| Colton Roche | 0 | 0 | PR | York City Knights |
| Gareth Gill | 1 | 0 | PR | Ballynahinch Rabbitohs |
| Danny Bridge | 3 | 0 | SR | Rochdale Hornets |
| Will Hope | 3 | 0 | SR | Oldham R.L.F.C. |
| Elliot Cosgrove | 3 | 0 | SR | Batley Bulldogs |
| Oliver Roberts | 3 | 0 | SR | Huddersfield Giants |
| Haydn Peacock | 2 | 0 | SR | AS Carcassonne |
| Graham O’Keeffe | 2 | 0 | SR | Oxford RLFC |
| Dave Allen | 0 | 0 | SR | Whitehaven |
| Bob Beswick | 3 | 0 | LF | Leigh Centurions |
Scotland
Head Coach: Steve McCormack
- On 30 September, Steve McCormack named the following 29 players as part of his squad in preparation for the tournament.[6]
- On 9 October, Steve McCormack brought in two new players to the squad after the withdrawals from seven players: Craig Borthwick, Mitch Stringer, Brett Carter, Jon Molloy, Callum Phillips and Brett Phillips. Billy McConnachie was also suspended for the first two games. The two new players McCormack brought in are: Louis Senter and Joe McLean.[7]
- On 7 November, Sam Brooks was called up to play for Steve McCormack's side in the final game of the tournament against France to fill in for injuries.[8] Gavin Grant was also called up to play in the team, for the game against France, which became the youngest ever international senior Scottish team to play an international match with an average age of 22.[9]
| Player | Games | Points | Position | 2015 Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alex Walker | 3 | 0 | FB | London Broncos |
| Harvey Burnett | 3 | 0 | WG | Unattached |
| Richard Harris | 3 | 0 | WG | Warrington Wolves |
| David Scott | 3 | 4 | WG | Doncaster |
| Craig Robertson | 0 | 0 | WG | Edinburgh Eagles |
| Ben Hellewell | 2 | 0 | CE | London Broncos |
| Shane Toal | 2 | 8 | CE | Barrow Raiders |
| Finlay Hutchison | 1 | 0 | CE | Edinburgh Eagles |
| Scott Plumridge | 2 | 0 | CE | Edinburgh Eagles |
| Danny Brough (C) | 2 | 10 | SO | Huddersfield Giants |
| Oscar Thomas | 3 | 10 | SO | London Broncos |
| Louis Senter | 0 | 0 | SH | Easterhouse Panthers |
| Finn Murphy | 0 | 0 | SH | Edinburgh Eagles |
| Sam Barlow | 0 | 0 | PR | Leigh Centurions |
| Ben Kavanagh | 3 | 0 | PR | Widnes Vikings |
| Adam Walker | 1 | 0 | PR | Hull Kingston Rovers |
| Jonathan Walker | 2 | 0 | PR | Leigh Centurions |
| Joe McLean | 3 | 0 | PR | Gloucestershire All Golds |
| Billy McConnachie | 0 | 0 | PR | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Ipswich Jets |
| Josh Barlow | 0 | 0 | HK | Swinton Lions |
| Liam Hood | 3 | 4 | HK | Salford Red Devils |
| Lewis Clarke | 2 | 0 | HK | Edinburgh Eagles |
| Sonny Esslemont | 3 | 0 | SR | Hull Kingston Rovers |
| Corbyn Kilday | 2 | 0 | SR | Central Queensland Capras |
| Danny Addy | 3 | 8 | LF | Bradford Bulls |
| Dale Ferguson | 3 | 8 | LF | Bradford Bulls |
Wales
Head Coach: John Kear
- On 16 September, John's first selection move of 2015 was naming his new captain as Lloyd White.[10]
- On 29 September, John Kear named the following 24 players as part of his squad in preparation for the tournament.[11]
- On 2 October, Matty Fozard pulled out of the squad due to a broken jaw. He was replaced by Connor Farrer.[12]
- On 8 October, James Geurtjens of the Coventry Bears was called up into John Kear's squad.[13]
- On 12 October, captain Lloyd White withdrew from the team due to a knee injury.[14] Craig Kopczak was therefore announced as the new captain.[15]
- On 21 October, Coventry Bears prop Morgan Evans replaced Ben Flower in the team.[16]
Venues
The games will be played at the following venues in Wales, France, Scotland and Ireland.
| Wrexham | Albi | Galashiels | Cardiff | Avignon | Bray |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Racecourse Ground | Stadium Municipal d'Albi | Netherdale | Cardiff Arms Park | Parc des Sports | Carlisle Grounds |
| Capacity: 15,550 | Capacity: 13,058 | Capacity: 4,000 | Capacity: 12,125 | Capacity: 17,518 | Capacity: 7,000 |
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Standings
| Team | Played | Won | Drew | Lost | For | Ag. | Diff | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wales | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 62 | 22 | +40 | 6 |
| France | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 69 | 46 | +23 | 4 |
| Ireland | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 42 | 83 | –41 | 2 |
| Scotland | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 52 | 74 | –22 | 0 |
Fixtures
Note*France vs Wales Round 2 fixture has been moved to the 30th due to France's fixture with England on 24 October before England's series against New Zealand.
Round 1
Round 2
Round 3
Matches details
All times are local: UTC+1/CET in French venues. UTC+0/WET in Irish venues. UTC+0/GMT in Welsh venues. UTC+0/GMT in Scottish venues.
Wales vs Scotland
16 October 2015 20:00 |
| Wales |
18 – 12 | Scotland |
|---|---|---|
| Try: Parry 9' c Grant 37' Walker 64' c Goal: Davies (3/5) 10', 15', 65' |
Report | Try: Ferguson 27' c Thomas 78' c Goal: Brough (2/2) 28', 80' |
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- The victory for Wales ended their spree of 12 consecutive defeats with their last victory occurring four years ago.
France vs Ireland
17 October 2015 15:30 |
| France |
31 – 14 | Ireland |
|---|---|---|
| Try: Robin 24' Sigismeau 30' Gigot (2) 44' c, 74' Fages 50' c Larroyer 78' c Goal: Marginet (3/6) 45', 51', 79' Drop Goal: Boudebza (1/1) 73' |
Report | Try: Dunne 19' c Hargreaves 55' c Goal: Finn (3/3) 20', 40', 56' |
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Scotland vs Ireland
23 October 2015 19:30 |
| Scotland |
22 – 24 | Ireland |
|---|---|---|
| Try: Addy (2) 22', 43' c Toal 47' c Ferguson 60' c Goal: Brough (3/4) 44', 48', 61' |
Report | Try: Ambler (2) 7' c, 34' c Hargreaves 13' Grix 72' c Goal: Finn (4/5) 8', 35', 38', 73' |
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Wales vs France
30 October 2015 13:30 |
| Wales |
14 – 6 | France |
|---|---|---|
| Try: Grant 27' Burke 46' c Davies 51' Goal: Davies (1/3) 47' |
Report | Try: Simon 73' c Goal: Barthau (1/1) 73' |
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- With the defeat, France still haven’t won a test in South Wales since 1948.
France vs Scotland
7 November 2015 15:30 |
| France |
32 – 18 | Scotland |
|---|---|---|
| Try: Arnaud 3' Gigot (2) 15', 38' Larroyer 22' Escaré 26' Robin 30' Perez 60' Goal: Marginet (4/7) |
Report | Try: Toal 9' c Scott 66' c Hood 70' c Goal: Thomas (3/3) |
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Ireland vs Wales
7 November 2015 17:00 |
| Ireland |
4 – 30 | Wales |
|---|---|---|
| Try: Mulkeen 72' Goal: Finn (0/1) |
Report | Try: Grant 7' c Reece 20' c Parry 33' c Lloyd 38' Kear 57' c Goal: Davies (5/6) 7', 20', 33', 57', 60' |
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Attendances
| Date | Game | Stadium | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16 October | Wales 18 – 12 Scotland | Racecourse Ground, Wrexham | 1,253 |
| 17 October | France 31 – 14 Ireland | Stadium Municipal d'Albi, Albi | 4,681 |
| 23 October | Scotland 22 – 24 Ireland | Netherdale, Galashiels | 1,197 |
| 30 October | Wales 14 – 6 France | Cardiff Arms Park, Cardiff | 1,028 |
| 7 November | France 32 – 18 Scotland | Parc des Sports, Avignon | 5,737 |
| 7 November | Ireland 4 – 30 Wales | Carlisle Grounds, Bray | 1,405 |
Broadcasting
beIN Sports broadcast both of France's home matches against Ireland and Scotland as well as their away match against Wales.[17]
References
- "2015 European Championship details confirmed". rlef.eu.com. 12 July 2015. Archived from the original on 13 July 2015. Retrieved 13 July 2015.
- "Wales rugby league stars crowned European champions". WalesOnline. 8 November 2015. Retrieved 13 July 2015.
- "Agar names France's 23-Man Squad". rlef.eu.com. 1 October 2015. Archived from the original on 3 October 2015. Retrieved 3 October 2015.
- "Ireland name strong squad for European Championship". rlef.eu. 2 October 2015. Archived from the original on 3 October 2015. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
- "Three nations vie for 2015 Rugby League European Championship on Showdown Saturday". RUGBY LEAGUE PLANET. 7 November 2015. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
- "Brough to lead Bravehearts once more". rlef.eu.com. 30 September 2015. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
- "European Championship: Ban for Scotland's Billy McConnachie". BBC Sport. 9 October 2015. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
- "Scotland call-up icing on cake for Whitehaven's Brooks". News & Star. 13 November 2015. Retrieved 7 November 2015.
- "Scotland to field youngest ever side against France". LOVE RUGBY LEAGUE. 13 November 2015. Retrieved 6 November 2015.
- "Wales name captain for Rugby League European Championship". rlef.eu.com. 16 September 2015. Archived from the original on 28 September 2015. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
- "Wales name squad for Rugby League European Championship". rlef.eu.com. 29 September 2015. Archived from the original on 30 September 2015. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
- "Matty Fozard forced to pull out of Wales squad". Sky Sports. 2 October 2015. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
- "Coventry Bears prop James Geurtjens called up to Wales squad". Coventry Telegraph. 8 October 2015. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
- "Wigan's Ben Flower could captain Wales in European Championship". Sky Sports. 12 October 2015. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
- "Craig Kopczak to captain Wales in European Championship". Sky Sports. 13 October 2015. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
- "Morgan Knowles replaces Wigan's injured prop Ben Flower". Wales Rugby League. 21 October 2015. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
- "beIN Sports to broadcast France's European Championship games". Love Rugby League. 13 October 2015. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
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