The 2009 European Cup, known as the rugbyleague.com European Cup due to sponsorship, was a

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...

football tournament. The revamped

European Cup The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competi ...

2009 involved six teams competing in two groups of three. Participating teams were:

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to th ...

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hung ...

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...

and

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eigh ...

were scheduled to take part in the competition, but were forced to pull out due to board restructuring within the

Russian Rugby League Federation Russian Rugby League Federation (russian: Федерация Регбилиг России) was the governing body for rugby league in Russia until 2010. It was founded in 1978 mainly as a governing body for Moscow-based teams, and became the head ...

. They were replaced by the RLEF European Shield winners,

Squads

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...

Coach: John Elias * Hazem El Masri was no longer available after retiring from the sport. *

Robbie Farah Robert Peter Farah ( ar, روبي فرح) (born 23 January 1984) is a former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s. An Australian international, Lebanese international and captain of New South Wales Blues t ...

was unavailable due to being named in Australia's Four Nations squad. *

Charlie Farah Charlie Farah is a former Lebanese people, Lebanese international rugby league footballer who has played for the Sydney Bulls in the Ron Massey Cup. He played as a Rugby league positions#Prop-forward, prop. Farah is a Lebanon national rugby lea ...

, Anthony Farah, Nathan Dib and Jarrod Saffy were all injury withdrawals.

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

Coach:

Iestyn Harris Iestyn Rhys Harris (born 25 June 1976), also known by the nickname of "Welsh Wizard", is a former dual-code international professional rugby league and rugby union footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s, and coach in rugby league in the ...

(

Crusaders Rugby League Crusaders Rugby League ( cy, Croesgadwyr Rygbi'r Gynghrair) was a professional rugby league club based in Bridgend and later in Wrexham, Wales. They played for six seasons in the Rugby Football League competitions, including three years in ...

) *

Anthony Blackwood Anthony Blackwood (born 13 September 1982) is an English professional rugby league footballer who played for the Crusaders RL in the Super League, and the South Wales Scorpions in Championship 1. He has previously represented Wales and played a ...

( Celtic Crusaders), Ben Evans (

Warrington Wolves The Warrington Wolves are a professional rugby league club based in Warrington, England, that competes in the Super League. They play rugby at the Halliwell Jones Stadium, having moved there from Wilderspool in 2004. Founded as Warringto ...

), Rhys Evans (

) and Craig Kopczak (

Bradford Bulls The Bradford Bulls are a professional rugby league club in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, playing in the Championship. They have won five Challenge Cups, six league championships and three World Club Challenges. The team jersey is pre ...

) were put on a four-man stand-by list that was used in case of injuries. * Notable omissions included

Glenn Morrison Glenn Adam Morrison (born 28 May 1976), is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer and coach. He played for the Parramatta Eels, the Balmain Tigers, the North Sydney Bears and the North Queensland Cowboys in the National Rug ...

, David Mills and James Evans.

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hung ...

Coach: Gerard Stokes (

Whitehaven Whitehaven is a town and port on the English north west coast and near to the Lake District National parks of England and Wales, National Park in Cumbria, England. Historically in Cumberland, it lies by road south-west of Carlisle, Cumbria, C ...

)

Konstantin Putkin The first name Konstantin () is a derivation from the Latin name ''Constantinus'' (Constantine) in some European languages, such as Russian and German. As a Christian given name, it refers to the memory of the Roman emperor Constantine the Great. ...

Unattached - Rugby Union In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or Franchising, franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to th ...

Coach: Steve McCormack

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

Coach: Andy Kelly * Sean Gleeson,

Gareth Haggerty Gareth Haggerty (born 8 September 1981) is a former Ireland national rugby league team, Ireland international rugby league footballer. He played for the Widnes Vikings in the Co-operative Championship. He previously played for London Broncos#20 ...

and

Eamon O'Carroll Eamon O'Carroll (born 13 June 1987) is a former Ireland international rugby league footballer who last played for the Widnes Vikings. Eamon progressed through the Wigan Warriors Academy after signing in 2002 from Waterhead A.R.L.F.C. (in W ...

were not selected through injury.

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

Coach: Carlo Napolitano * Bradford's Chris Nero was forced to withdraw from the Italian squad.

Group 1

Results

Final standings

Group 2

Results

Final standings

Finals

Championship Final

3rd Place Match

5th place Match

Sources

2009 European Cup at ''rugbyleagueplanet.com''

Ireland VS Serbia 09 Appointment

References

{{2009 in rugby league European Nations Cup