2016–17 Anglo-Welsh Cup


The 2016–17 Anglo-Welsh Cup was the 45th season of England's national rugby union cup competition, and the 11th to follow the Anglo-Welsh Cup format. The competition returned after a one-year hiatus due to being dropped due to the 2015 Rugby World Cup in England.
The competition consisted of the four Welsh Pro12 teams and the twelve English Premiership clubs arranged in pools of three English and one Welsh team. English clubs were allocated to the pools depending on their final positions in the 2015–16 Aviva Premiership. Teams played 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. The top team from each pool qualified for the semi-finals. The competition took place during the Autumn International window and during the Six Nations.
Saracens were defending champions after claiming the cup with a 23–20 victory over Exeter Chiefs in the 2014–15 final at Franklin's Gardens in Northampton. This was Saracens second title in the competition. The 2016–17 Anglo-Welsh Cup was won by Leicester Tigers who won their eighth cup title by defeating Exeter Chiefs 16–12 in the final held at Twickenham Stoop. Freddie Burns had an excellent tournament for the Tigers, scoring 64 points overall including 11 in the final, to finish as the competitions top point scorer, while Josh Adams was top try scorer with 6 tries from only 2 games for Worcester Warriors.

Teams & locations

ClubCoachCaptainStadiumCapacityCity/Area
Bath Todd Blackadder Guy MercerThe Recreation Ground14,500Bath, Somerset, England
Bristol Andy Robinson Jack LamAshton Gate27,000Bristol, England
Cardiff Blues Danny Wilson Gethin JenkinsBT Sport Cardiff Arms Park12,125Cardiff, Glamorgan, Wales
Exeter Chiefs Rob Baxter Jack YeandleSandy Park12,600Exeter, Devon, England
Gloucester David Humphreys Greig LaidlawKingsholm Stadium16,500Gloucester, Gloucestershire, England
Harlequins John Kingston Danny CareTwickenham Stoop14,816Twickenham, Greater London, England
Leicester Tigers Richard Cockerill Tom YoungsWelford Road25,800Leicester, Leicestershire, England
Newcastle Falcons Dean Richards Will WelchKingston Park10,200Newcastle, Tyne and Wear, England
Newport Gwent Dragons Kingsley Jones T. Rhys ThomasRodney Parade8,500Newport, Wales
Northampton Saints Jim Mallinder Tom WoodFranklin's Gardens15,500Northampton, Northamptonshire, England
Ospreys Steve Tandy Alun Wyn JonesLiberty Stadium
St. Helen's
Brewery Field		20,827
4,500
8,000		Swansea, West Glamorgan, Wales
Swansea, West Glamorgan, Wales
Bridgend, Mid Glamorgan, Wales
Sale Sharks Steve Diamond Josh BeaumontAJ Bell Stadium12,000Salford, Greater Manchester, England
Saracens Mark McCall Brad BarrittAllianz Park10,000Barnet, Greater London, England
Scarlets Wayne Pivac Ken OwensParc y Scarlets14,870Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, Wales
Wasps Dai Young Joe LaunchburyRicoh Arena32,609Coventry, West Midlands, England
Worcester Warriors Carl Hogg Gerrit-Jan van VelzeSixways Stadium12,024Worcester, Worcestershire, England

Pool stages

;Points system
The points scoring system for the pool stages will be as follows:

Round 1 (England)

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Round 2

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Round 1 (Wales)

Round 3

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Round 4

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Pool 2 v Pool 3

Round 1 (England)

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Round 2

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Round 1 (Wales)

Round 3

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Round 4

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Semi-finals

Final

Attendances

ClubHome
games		TotalAverageHighestLowest% Capacity
Bath226,40313,20213,72312,68091%
Bristol216,2258,1138,8757,35030%
Cardiff Blues25,4642,7324,0941,37023%
Exeter Chiefs329,5659,85510,5519,41978%
Gloucester219,9709,98511,6608,31062%
Harlequins214,9327,4668,0006,93250%
Leicester Tigers244,59922,30025,84918,75086%
Newcastle Falcons28,2414,1214,2573,98440%
Newport-Gwent Dragons27,2853,6433,7463,53943%
Northampton Saints227,18813,59414,01113,17788%
Ospreys26,4793,2403,3523,12756%
Sale Sharks210,1665,0836,6683,49842%
Saracens321,2887,0968,7344,74771%
Scarlets27,3343,6673,7963,53825%
Wasps223,41611,70812,00711,40936%
Worcester Warriors213,4456,7237,1146,33156%

Individual statistics

Top try scorers

Season records

Team

;Largest home win — 52 points
62-10 Wasps at home to Worcester Warriors on 13 November 2016
;Largest away win — 24 points
31-6 Ospreys away to Cardiff Blues on 18 November 2016
;Most points scored — 62 points
62-25 Exeter Chiefs at home to Cardiff Blues on 13 November 2016
62-10 Wasps at home to Worcester Warriors on 13 November 2016
;Most tries in a match — 10
Exeter Chiefs at home to Cardiff Blues on 13 November 2016
Wasps at home to Worcester Warriors on 13 November 2016
;Most conversions in a match — 6
Exeter Chiefs at home to Cardiff Blues on 13 November 2016
Wasps at home to Worcester Warriors on 13 November 2016
Exeter Chiefs at home to Wasps on 28 January 2017
;Most penalties in a match — 4
Harlequins at home to Exeter Chiefs on 5 November 2016
Northampton Saints away to Newcastle Falcons on 6 November 2016
Bath at home to Gloucester on 27 January 2017
;Most drop goals in a match — 1
Northampton Saints away to Newcastle Falcons on 6 November 2016

Player

;Most points in a match — 17
Joe Simmonds for Exeter Chiefs at home to Cardiff Blues on 13 November 2016
;Most tries in a match — 3
Michele Campagnaro for Exeter Chiefs at home to Wasps on 28 January 2017
;Most conversions in a match — 6
Joe Simmonds for Exeter Chiefs at home to Cardiff Blues on 13 November 2016
Joe Simmonds for Exeter Chiefs at home to Wasps on 28 January 2017
;Most penalties in a match — 4
Nick Evans for Harlequins at home to Exeter Chiefs on 5 November 2016
Sam Olver for Northampton Saints away to Newcastle Falcons on 6 November 2016
Rhys Priestland for Bath at home to Gloucester on 27 January 2017
;Most drop goals in a match — 1
Sam Olver for Northampton Saints away to Newcastle Falcons on 6 November 2016

Attendances

;Highest — 25,849
Leicester Tigers at home to Northampton Saints on 28 January 2017
;Lowest — 1,370
Cardiff Blues at home to Worcester Warriors on 4 February 2017
;Highest Average Attendance — 22,300
Leicester Tigers
;Lowest Average Attendance — 2,732
Cardiff Blues