BUCS Super Rugby is the highest level of men's and women's university rugby union in the United Kingdom and a potential pathway for university players into professional rugby. It comprises ten teams from universities in England and Wales. The league is named after its governing body, British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS).
The Scottish Varsity match between the University of St Andrews and the University of Edinburgh is the oldest varsity match in the world in a code of football, having been first played under rugby union rules in the 1860s. The first Varsity Match in rugby union between the University of Oxford and University of Cambridge was contested in 1872.
Unusually for British university sporting events, the Oxford-Cambridge Varsity Match was broadcast on television, along with The Boat Race. The Independent proposed in 2008 that Bath v Loughborough was "the real varsity match" on the basis that these were the top two rugby union teams (at that time) in British Universities Sports Association (BUSA) competitions. In 2015, British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS), the successor to BUSA, organised fixtures between Loughborough and Durham (two of the top universities since 2011-12) to occur on the same day, which was referred to as the "BUCS Varsity".
Men's BUCS Super Rugby was launched in 2016 as a new, top level of university rugby above the existing North A and South A leagues.
The eight teams in the inaugural 2016âÂÂ17 season were those who finished in the top four of the North A and South A leagues in the preceding 2015âÂÂ16 season.
The league expanded to nine teams in the 2017âÂÂ18 season and ten teams in the 2018âÂÂ19 season.
Women's BUCS Super Rugby was launched ahead of the 2024âÂÂ25 season.
The seven-team competition is a positive evolution of the Women's National League (WNL) and joins the top level of Men's rugby union as BUCSâ second âÂÂSuperâ level of competition. Women's BUCS Super Rugby will provide an enhanced platform to aid female players at institutions in England, Wales, and Scotland in developing their game while pursuing higher education.
On 12 February 2025 Brunel University's Women secured their place in Women's BUCS Super Rugby (WBSR), for the first time in their history, defeating Newcastle 64âÂÂ8 in the BSR North vs South Prem Playoff.
Excluding the 2020âÂÂ21 season, which was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom.
Not to be confused with Hartpury University R.F.C., who play in the RFU Championship.
The season has three phases:
The League season currently has 18 rounds and typically runs from September to March. League points are awarded in the following way:
In this points system winning teams get 4 or 5 points, drawing teams 2 or 3 points, and losing teams between 0 and 2 points.
The Championship competition has three rounds and typically takes place in April. It features the teams who finished in the top eight of the league.
Quarter Finals:
Semi Finals:
The team that finishes last in the league is not automatically relegated. Relegation from (and promotion to) BUCS Super Rugby is decided through a playoff in the format of a three-team, single-elimination tournament.
The playoff begins with a semi-final between the winners of the North A and South A leagues. The bottom placed BUCS Super Rugby team has a bye directly into the playoff game. The winner of the playoff game is the team that plays in the next season of BUCS Super Rugby. The home team in each game is decided by coin toss.
In August 2025, BUCS announced that from the 2025-26 Season the 10th placed team at the end of the season would be automatically relegated without a playoff. Their place would be taken by the winner of the Premier North vs Premier South playoff.
The inclusion criteria are that the player played in a senior international test after playing in BUCS Super Rugby.
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BUCS Super Rugby is the top division of men's university rugby in Britain. It sits in the Premier tier of the BUCS Rugby Union pyramid, along with North A, North B, South A and South B.
* Excludes the 2020âÂÂ21 season, which was cancelled due to Covid-19.
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The season has three phases:
The league season currently has 14 rounds and typically runs from September to March. League points are awarded in the following way:
In this points system winning teams get 4 or 5 points, drawing teams 2 or 3 points, and losing teams between 0 and 2 points.
The Championship competition has three rounds and typically takes place in April. It features the teams that finished in the top six of the league. The top two places are awarded a bye into the semi-finals.
Quarter Finals:
Semi Finals:
BUCS Super Rugby is the top division of women's university rugby in Britain. It sits in the Premier tier of the BUCS Rugby Union pyramid, along with Premier North and South.
The competition consists of more than 50 male and female university teams, including up to 1,000 players. With five active competitions on the day played across seven pitches at The Richmond Athletics Ground, the home of Richmond RFC, Universities go to battle.
The inaugural competition takes place on Friday 13 June 2025.
The Championships are open to Super Rugby and North/South Premier sides.
The Trophy is open to all other BUCS sides competing across the leagues.
The Capital Cup is especially for the great institutions of London.
Some BUCS Super Rugby matches are streamed live on the BUCS Super Rugby YouTube channel, which provides full match livestreams, highlights, and end-of-season montages for both men's and women's competitions. In the 2018âÂÂ19 season, some men's matches were broadcast on FreeSports. Coverage has grown significantly since the league's inception in 2016, evolving from limited broadcasts to comprehensive digital streaming that attracts thousands of viewers and supports the pathway for over 100 players to professional contracts in leagues such as the Premiership Rugby and United Rugby Championship. Central to this development are commentators Joe Byrnes and Dave Rogers, who have provided presentation and commentary for BUCS Super Rugby fixtures since its formation, including lead broadcasts of finals at Twickenham Stadium. Byrnes, a sports presenter and MC, is often joined on Wednesdays by university students for punditry duties, fostering engagement and development opportunities for aspiring broadcasters within the student community. Additionally, Cardiff Metropolitan University's student-led media outlet, Cardiff Met TV, hosts livestreams and highlights of Cardiff Met's home matches in both the men's and women's BUCS Super Rugby competitions, contributing to grassroots coverage and accessibility.