2016–17 European Rugby Challenge Cup
The 2016–17 European Rugby Challenge Cup was the third edition of the European Rugby Challenge Cup, an annual second-tier rugby union competition for professional clubs. Clubs from six European nations plus one Russian club competed. It was also the 21st season of the Challenge Cup competition in all forms, following on from the now defunct European Challenge Cup.
| 2016–17 European Rugby Challenge Cup | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Countries | England France Italy Romania Russia Scotland Wales |
| Tournament format(s) | Round-robin and Knockout |
| Date | 13 October 2016 – 12 May 2017 |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Teams | 20 |
| Matches played | 66 |
| Attendance | 483,750 (7,330 per match) |
| Highest attendance | 24,494 Gloucester v Stade Francais (12 May 2017) |
| Lowest attendance | 300 Enisey-ETM v Brive (10 December 2016) |
| Tries scored | 433 (6.56 per match) |
| Top point scorer(s) | Dan Biggar (Ospreys) (78 points) |
| Top try scorer(s) | Keelan Giles (Ospreys) (7 tries) |
| Final | |
| Venue | Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh |
| Champions | Stade Français |
| Runners-up | Gloucester |
Montpellier were the reigning champions, having beaten Harlequins in the final of the 2015–16 European Rugby Challenge Cup. They did not defend their title as they automatically qualified for the 2016–17 European Rugby Champions Cup as a result of the win.
The first round of the group stage began on the weekend of 13/14/15/16 October 2016, and the competition ended with the final on 12 May 2017 in Edinburgh.
Stade Français won the final 25–17 against Gloucester.