2015–16 British and Irish Cup
The 2015–16 British and Irish Cup was the seventh season of the annual rugby union competition for second tier, semi-professional clubs from Britain and Ireland. Worcester Warriors were the defending champions having won the 2014–15 final against Doncaster Knights 35–5 at Castle Park, Doncaster on 3 April 2015. There have been five different winners and six different losing finalists of the competition in the six seasons of its existence. The format of the competition was similar to last season with Scottish clubs not competing. This season the four Welsh teams are the reserve sides of the teams competing in the Pro 12 competition instead of clubs from the Welsh Premier Division.
| 2015–16 British and Irish Cup | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Countries | England Ireland Wales |
| Tournament format(s) | Round-robin and knockout |
| Date | 13 November 2015 — 10 April 2016 |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Teams | 20 |
| Attendance | 72,839 (average 1,078 per match) |
| Highest attendance | 5,273 Bristol v Ulster Ravens 23 January 2016 |
| Lowest attendance | 100 (x2) Scarlets Premiership Select v Ulster Ravens 21 November 2015 Connacht Eagles v Doncaster Knights 16 January 2016 |
| Top point scorer(s) | Laurence May Cornish Pirates 70 points |
| Top try scorer(s) | Dan Leavy Leinster A 7 tries |
| Final | |
| Champions | London Welsh (1st title) |
| Runners-up | Yorkshire Carnegie |
Matches were played on the same weekends as the European Rugby Champions and Challenge cups. First round matches began on 13 November 2015 and the final was held on 10 April 2016.