2016–17 Anglo-Welsh Cup
The 2016–17 Anglo-Welsh Cup was the 45th season of England's national rugby union cup competition, and the 11th to follow the Anglo-Welsh Cup format. The competition returned after a one-year hiatus due to being dropped due to the 2015 Rugby World Cup in England.
| 2016–17 Anglo-Welsh Cup | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Countries | England Wales |
| Tournament format(s) | Round-robin and knockout |
| Date | 4 November 2016 – 18 March 2017 |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Teams | 16 |
| Matches played | 35 |
| Attendance | 288,834 (8,252 per match) |
| Highest attendance | 25,849 (Leicester Tigers v Northampton Saints) |
| Lowest attendance | 1,370 (Cardiff v Worcester Warriors) |
| Top point scorer(s) | Freddie Burns (Leicester Tigers) 64 |
| Top try scorer(s) | Josh Adams (Worcester Warriors) 6 |
| Final | |
| Venue | Twickenham Stoop |
| Champions | Leicester Tigers (8th title) |
| Runners-up | Exeter Chiefs |
The competition consisted of the four Welsh Pro12 teams and the twelve English Premiership clubs arranged in pools of three English and one Welsh team. English clubs were allocated to the pools depending on their final positions in the 2015–16 Aviva Premiership. Teams played 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. The top team from each pool qualified for the semi-finals. The competition took place during the Autumn International window and during the Six Nations.
Saracens were defending champions after claiming the cup with a 23–20 victory over Exeter Chiefs in the 2014–15 final at Franklin's Gardens in Northampton. This was Saracens second title in the competition. The 2016–17 Anglo-Welsh Cup was won by Leicester Tigers who won their eighth cup title by defeating Exeter Chiefs 16–12 in the final held at Twickenham Stoop. Freddie Burns had an excellent tournament for the Tigers, scoring 64 points overall including 11 in the final, to finish as the competition's top point scorer, while Josh Adams was top try scorer with 6 tries from only 2 games for Worcester Warriors.