2009–10 LV Cup
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The 2009–10 LV Cup (styled as the LV= Cup) was the 39th season of England's national rugby union cup competition, and the fifth to follow the Anglo-Welsh format.
2009–10 LV Cup | |
---|---|
Tournament details | |
Countries | England Wales |
Tournament format(s) | Round-robin and knockout |
Date | November 2009 - March 2010 |
Tournament statistics | |
Teams | 16 |
Matches played | 35 |
Attendance | 278,978 (7,971 per match) |
Tries scored | 150 (4.29 per match) |
Final | |
Venue | Sixways Stadium |
Attendance | 12,024 |
Champions | Northampton Saints (1st title) |
Runners-up | Gloucester |
Northampton Saints were crowned champions after beating Gloucester in the final at Worcester's Sixways Stadium.
The structure of the competition was altered from previous years. The competition continued to consist of the four Welsh Celtic League teams and the twelve Guinness Premiership clubs, arranged into pools consisting of three English teams and one Welsh. However, the new format saw teams 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.[1] The competition took place on international fixture dates during the Autumn Internationals and Six Nations, with the aim of allowing teams to develop their squad players.[2]
On 29 October 2009, little more than a week before the start of this season's competition, British insurer LV was unveiled as the new sponsor.[3]