Cups. The top team from each pool qualified for the quarter-finals. The final round of pool matches, due to be played on the weekend of 18/19/20 January, was considerably disrupted. Of 16 matches, 7 were postponed: Connacht Eagles v Newport was not played until 27 April, the weekend of the semi-finals. 2013–14 Competition The number of teams playing in the fifth competition was reduced from 32 to 24, with a reduction of Welsh teams from twelve to four: 12 teams from the RFU Championship, the second tier of English rugby 4 Irish provinces represented by 'A' teams 4 top clubs from the Scottish Premiership, the second tier of Scottish rugby 4 clubs from the Principality Premiership, the second tier of Welsh rugby. The twelve Principality Premiership Teams participated in regional play-offs which saw Aberavon, Cross Keys, Llanelli, and Pontypridd qualify for the competition proper. The pool stage consisted of six pools of four teams, giving each team three home and three away matches. The top team from each group qualified for the quarter-finals, along with two runners-up with the best playing records. The ranking criteria of the quarter finalists has been altered slightly from earlier seasons. Previously, the six pool winners were seeded 1-6 and the two runners up as 7 and 8. This meant that the best runners-up were automatically ranked 7 and 8 even if they had a better playing record than some of the teams ranked 1-6. This is no longer the case. The draw for the knockout stage was carried out on 27 January 2014. The top four seeds (Leinster A, Leeds Carnegie, Cornish Pirates and Bristol) had home advantage in the quarter-finals. On 14 April, it was announced that the final would be played at the home of the winner of the Pontypridd / Leinster A semi-final. This game ended as a 22 all draw after extra time; Leinster won on tries scored (3 – 1). 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. 2014–15 Competition The number of teams playing in the sixth competition is reduced from twenty-four to twenty with the withdrawal of the Scottish teams: 12 teams from the RFU Championship, the second tier of English rugby 4 Irish provinces represented by 'A' teams 4 clubs from