2002–03 European Shield
| 2002-03 European Shield | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Tournament details | |||
| Countries |
 France Italy Romania Spain Wales
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| Tournament format(s) | Knockout | ||
| Date | 6 December 2002 - 25 May 2003 | ||
| Tournament statistics | |||
| Teams | 16 | ||
| Matches played | 29 | ||
| Attendance | 44,380 (1,530 per match) | ||
| Tries scored | 182 (6.28 per match) | ||
| Final | |||
| Venue | Madejski Stadium, Reading | ||
| Attendance | 4,000 | ||
| Champions |
Castres Olympique (1st title) |
||
| Runner-up |
Caerphilly
|
||
| Official website | http://www.ercrugby.com/eng/ | ||
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The 2002–03 European Shield (known as the Parker Pen Shield for sponsorship reasons) was the 1st season of the European Shield, Europe's third tier club rugby union competition below the Heineken Cup and European Challenge Cup. A total of 16 teams participated, representing five different countries.
This competition was contested between the first round losers from the 2002–03 European Challenge Cup. The structure of the competition was a purely knockout format; teams played each other on a home and away basis, with the aggregate points winner proceeding to the next round. The final was a single leg.
The competition began on 6 December 2002 and culminated in the final at the Madejski Stadium in Reading on 25 May 2003. Castres Olympique secured a victory over Caerphilly in the final and picked up their first piece of European Club silverware.
This competition was contested between the 16 first round losers from the 2002–03 European Challenge Cup.
Castres Olympique
Grenoble
Mont de Marsan
Pau
Gran Parma
L'Aquila
Overmach Parma
Petrarca Padova
Rugby Roma
Rovigo
Rugby Silea
...
Wikipedia