1996–97 European Challenge Cup pool stage
| 1996–97 European Challenge Cup pool stage | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Season | 1996–97 European Challenge Cup | ||
| Date | 12 October 1996 - 2 November 1996 | ||
| Qualifiers | |||
| Seed 1 |
 Castres Olympique
|
||
| Seed 2 |
 Northampton Saints
|
||
| Seed 3 |
Bourgoin
|
||
| Seed 4 |
Agen
|
||
| Seed 5 |
Montferrand
|
||
| Seed 6 |
Toulon
|
||
| Seed 7 |
Narbonne
|
||
| Seed 8 |
Bordeaux-Bègles
|
||
|
|||
The 1996–97 European Challenge Cup pool stage was the opening stage of the first season of the European Challenge Cup, the second-tier competition for European rugby union clubs. Matches took place between 12 October and 2 November 1996.
Twenty four teams participated in this phase of the competition; they were divided into four pools of six teams each, with each team playing the other teams in their pool once only. Teams were awarded two points for a win and one point for a draw. The winner and runner-up of each pool progressed to the knockout stage of the tournament. These teams then competed in a single-elimination tournament that ended with the final at the Stade de la Méditerranée in Béziers, France on 26 January 1997.
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