The 2011–12 LV Cup (styled as the LV= Cup) was the 41st season of England's national
rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...
cup competition, and the seventh to follow the
Anglo-Welsh
Welsh writing in English (Welsh language, Welsh: ''Llenyddiaeth Gymreig yn Saesneg''), (previously Anglo-Welsh literature) is a term used to describe works written in the English language by Welsh people, Welsh writers.
The term ‘Anglo-Welsh ...
format.
The competition consisted of the four Welsh
Pro12
The United Rugby Championship (URC) is an annual rugby union competition involving professional teams from Ireland, Italy, Scotland, South Africa, and Wales. The current name was adopted in 2021 when the league expanded to include four South Afr ...
teams and the 12
English Premiership
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
clubs arranged into pools consisting of three English and one Welsh team. Teams were guaranteed two home and two away pool matches, with teams in Pools 1 and 4 playing each other and teams in Pools 2 and 3 playing each other, with the top team from each pool qualifying for the semi finals. The competition took place during the autumn soon after the
World Cup
A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...
and on international fixture dates during the
Six Nations, thus allowing teams to develop their squad players.
The defending champions were
Gloucester
Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...
, who this season failed to progress from the pool stage.
Pool stages
Points system
The points scoring system for the pool stages will be as follows:
*4 points for a win
*2 points for a draw
*1 bonus point for scoring four or more tries in a match (TB)
*1 bonus point for a loss by seven points or less (LB)
Pool 1 v Pool 4 Tables
Round 1
----
----
----
Round 2
----
----
----
Round 3
----
----
----
Round 4
This match was postponed due to a frozen pitch at
Rodney Parade
Rodney Parade is a stadium in the city of Newport, South Wales, owned and operated by the Welsh Rugby Union. It is located on the east bank of the River Usk in Newport city centre. The ground is on Rodney Road, a short walk from the city's cen ...
. The LV= Organising Committee subsequently awarded the match to Saracens by 20 points to nil (a bonus point win). Dragons were also fined £10,000 (suspended) for their failure under LV= Cup Regulation 6.7 (that the pitch was unplayable and no suitable alternative arrangements were in place). Dragons appealed this decision and their appeal was upheld. The decision was quashed, with the match instead being recorded as a 0–0 draw and the suspended fine reduced from £10,000 to £5,000.
----
----
----
Pool 2 v Pool 3 Tables
Round 1
----
----
----
Round 2
----
----
----
Round 3
----
----
----
Round 4
----
----
----
Knockout stage
Qualification criteria
The top teams from each pool qualify for the knockout stages. The pool winners will be decided by the following criteria:
:1. The pool winner will be the club with the highest number of match points in each pool. The pool winners will be ranked 1 to 4 by reference to the number of match points earned in the pools.
:2. If two or more clubs in the same pool end the pool stage equal on match points, then the order in which they have finished will be determined by:
::i. the greater number of matches won by the club and
::ii. if the number of matches won is equal, the club with the greater total number of tries scored and
::iii. if the total number of tries scored is equal, the club with the greater points difference (points scored for, less points scored against) and
::iv. if the points difference is equal, the club with the fewer number of red cards and
::v. if the number of red cards is the same, by the toss a coin.
Each of the four qualifying clubs shall be ranked as above and shall play each other as follows:
:Semi-final 1 – 1st ranked club v 4th ranked club
:Semi-final 2 – 2nd ranked club v 3rd ranked club
The first club listed in each of the semi-final matches shall be the home club.
Semi-finals
----
Final
See also
*
2011–12 English Premiership (rugby union)
*
2011–12 Pro 12
External links
*
Anglo Welsh Cup on Premiership Rugby website*
Tables*
Fixtures and resultsAnglo Welsh Cup website
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lv Cup
2011–12 in Welsh rugby union
2011–12 English Premiership (rugby union)
2011-12
2011–12 rugby union tournaments for clubs