The 2015 County Championship Shield was the 11th version of the annual English rugby union County Championship, organized by the RFU for the tier 3 English counties. Each county drew its players from rugby union clubs from the fifth tier and below of the English rugby union league system. The counties were divided into three pools of four teams each, based roughly on regional lines, with the winner of each group plus the best runner-up going through to the semi-finals, with the winners of those games meeting in the final held at Twickenham Stadium. At the moment there is no promotion or relegation out of or into the County Championship Shield, although the 2014 champions Surrey moved up into tier 2, having won the competition three years in a row.
After winning their respective groups and semi final matches Leicestershire faced Cumbria in the late kick off game at Twickenham Stadium. Leicestershire made up for their defeat the previous season by defeating Cumbria 34 – 17 to win their first ever Shield trophy.
Competition format The competition format consisted of three groups of four counties each, based roughly on regional lines where possible, with each team playing each other once. The top side of each group automatically qualified for the semi-finals, as did the best group runner-up. The winners of the semi-finals played in the final held at Twickenham Stadium on 31 May 2015, As the lowest tier in the county championship there is no relegation while promotion is not given every season, although outstanding county performances (such as Surrey's) can lead to counties moving up to tier 2.
Participating counties and ground locations
CountyStadium(s) CapacityCity/Area BerkshireOld Bath Road1,250Sonning, Reading, BerkshireBuckinghamshireFloyd FieldManor Fields Sports GroundN/AN/ABuckingham, BuckinghamshireBletchley, Milton Keynes, BuckinghamshireCumbriaRugby GroundEllis Sports Ground1,500 (500 seats)12,000 (2,000 seats)Carlisle, CumbriaWorkington, CumbriaDorset & WiltsPaxcroftBestwall Park N/AN/ATrowbridge, WiltshireWareham, DorsetEssexGoresbrook1,000Barking, LondonHampshireRugby CampN/APortsmouth, HampshireLeicestershireThe Rugby GroundVipers Rugby GroundN/AN/AMarket Harborough, LeicestershireWhetstone, LeicestershireMiddlesexTrailfinders Sports Ground3,020West Ealing, LondonNotts, Lincs & DerbyshireEakring Road1,000Mansfield, NottinghamshireOxfordshireGreystonesN/AChipping Norton, OxfordshireStaffordshireHartwell LaneN/ABarlaston, StaffordshireWarwickshireIvor Preece Field1,500 (250 seats)Binley Woods, Coventry, Warwickshire
Group stage
Pool 1 2015 County Championship Shield Pool 1 TableCountyPlayedWonDrawnLostPoints ForPoints AgainstPoints DifferenceTry BonusLosing BonusPoints 1 Leicestershire (Q) 3 3 0 0 120 25 95 3 0 15 2 Oxfordshire 3 2 0 1 94 76 18 2 0 10 3 Buckinghamshire 3 1 0 2 38 87 −49 0 0 4 4 Berkshire 3 0 0 3 45 109 −64 1 0 2 If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order: Number of matches won Difference between points for and against Total number of points for Aggregate number of points scored in matches between tied teams Number of matches won excluding the first match, then the second and so on until the tie is settled Green background means the county qualified for the Shield semi finals. Updated: 16 May 2015Source: Round 1
Round 2
Round 3
Pool 2 2015 County Championship Shield Pool 2 TableCountyPlayedWonDrawnLostPoints ForPoints AgainstPoints DifferenceTry BonusLosing BonusPoints 1 Cumbria (Q) 3 3 0 0 73 25 48 1 0 13 2 Warwickshire 3 2 0 1 74 64 10 1 0 9 3 Staffordshire 3 1 0 2 53 80 −27 0 0 4 4 Notts, Lincs & Derbyshire 3 0 0 3 47 78 −31 0 1 1 If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order: Number of matches won Difference between points for and against Total number of points for Aggregate number of points scored in matches between tied teams Number of matches won excluding the first match, then the second and so on until the tie is settled Green background means the county qualified for the Shield semi finals. Updated: 16 May 2015Source: Round 1
Round 2
Round 3
Pool 3 2015 County Championship Shield Pool 3 TableCountyPlayedWonDrawnLostPoints ForPoints AgainstPoints DifferenceTry BonusLosing BonusPoints 1 Dorset & Wilts (Q) 3 3 0 0 103 36 67 1 0 13 2 Essex (Q) 3 2 0 1 106 44 62 2 1 11 3 Hampshire 3 1 0 2 51 83 −32 1 0 5 4 Middlesex 3 0 0 3 36 133 −97 0 0 0 If teams are level at any stage, tiebreakers are applied in the following order: Number of matches won Difference between points for and against Total number of points for Aggregate number of points scored in matches between tied teams Number of matches won excluding the first match, then the second and so on until the tie is settled Green background means the county qualified for the Shield semi finals. Updated: 16 May 2015Source: Round 1
Round 2
Round 3
Knock-out Stage
Semi-finals
Final
See also English rugby union system Rugby union in England
References
External links NCA Rugby