2013–14 British and Irish Cup
The 2013–14 British and Irish Cup was the fifth season of the annual rugby union competition for second tier, semi-professional clubs from Britain and Ireland. Leinster A were the defending champions having won the 2012–13 Final with a 78th minute penalty by Noel Reid to beat Newcastle Falcons 18–17 at their home ground Kingston Park. There has been four different winners and four different losing finalists of the competition in the first four seasons of its existence.
| 2013–14 British and Irish Cup | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Countries | England Ireland Scotland Wales |
| Tournament format(s) | Round-robin and knockout |
| Date | 11 October 2013 – 23 May 2014 |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Teams | 24 |
| Matches played | 79 |
| Attendance | 93,761 (1,187 per match) |
| Tries scored | 477 (6.04 per match) |
| Top point scorer(s) | Cathal Marsh (Leinster A) (100 points) |
| Top try scorer(s) | Aaron Warren (Llanelli) (9 tries) |
| Final | |
| Venue | Donnybrook |
| Attendance | 1,400 |
| Champions | Leinster A (2nd title) |
| Runners-up | Leeds Carnegie |
The format of the competition has been changed once again, with Welsh participation being reduced to just four teams (down from 12 in the previous season). The Welsh teams were selected based on regional play-offs involving the 2013–14 Premier Division clubs at the start of the season. This process yielded Pontypridd to represent the Cardiff Blues Region, Cross Keys to represent the Dragons Region, Aberavon to represent the Ospreys Region, and Llanelli to represent the Scarlets Region.
Matches in the competition proper were played on the same weekends as the Heineken Cup and European Challenge Cup. First round matches began on 11 October 2013 and the final was held on 23 May 2014. Leinster A beat Leeds Carnegie 44 – 17 in the final and retained the cup they won in the previous season – the first team to win the cup for a second time.