 A new addition compare to the previous season was that the fourth placed team from each division would play the fifth placed in the opposite group to determine the last two places in the second round.The six teams not qualified for the "Qualifikationsphase" entered the "DRV-Pokal", the German rugby union cup, together with the top eight teams of the 2nd Bundesliga.The 2nd Bundesliga teams not qualified for the "DRV-Pokal" in turn played for the "Liga Pokal".