BUCS Super Rugby
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).
History
Background
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 in British Universities Sports Association competitions. In 2015, British Universities and Colleges Sport, the successor to BUSA, organised fixtures between Loughborough and Durham to occur on the same day, which was referred to as the "BUCS Varsity".
Men's
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 2016–17 season were those who finished in the top four of the North A and South A leagues in the preceding 2015–16 season.
The league expanded to nine teams in the 2017–18 season and ten teams in the 2018–19 season.
Women's
Women's BUCS Super Rugby was launched ahead of the 2024–25 season.The seven-team competition is a positive evolution of the Women's National League and joins the top level of Men's rugby union as BUCS’ second ‘Super’ 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, for the first time in their history, defeating Newcastle 64–8 in the BSR North vs South Prem Playoff.
Men's BUCS Super Rugby
| University | Debut | * |
| 2016–17 | 7 | |
| 2018–19 | 5 | |
| 2016–17 | 7 | |
| 2016–17 | 7 | |
| 2016–17 | 7 | |
| † | 2016–17 | 7 |
| 2016–17 | 7 | |
| 2016–17 | 7 | |
| 2022–23 | 2 | |
| 2019–20 | 4 |
Excluding the 2020–21 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.
Season structure
The season has three phases:League - a double round-robin tournament, where teams play each other home and away.Championship - a knockout tournament featuring the top eight teams from the League.Playoff - a knockout tournament featuring the team at the bottom of the League and the teams at the top of North A and South A leagues. The Playoff determines whether relegation and promotion occur.League
The League season currently has 18 rounds and typically runs from September to March. League points are awarded in the following way:- 4 points for winning a match
- 2 points for drawing a match
- 0 points for losing a match
- 1 losing bonus point for losing by 7 points
- 1 try bonus point for scoring 4 tries, regardless of the outcome.
Championship
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.Men's BUCS Super Rugby Milk Championships
Quarter Finals:- 1st v 8th
- 2nd v 7th
- 4th v 5th
- 3rd v 6th
- 1st or 8th v 4th or 5th
- 2nd or 7th v 3rd or 6th
Playoff
The team that finishes last in the league is not automatically relegated. Relegation from 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.
2025-26 Playoff Changes
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.Results
League and championship
| Final position | Season | Season | Season | Season | Season | Season | Season | Season | Season | Season | Season |
| Final position | 2016-17 | 2017-18 | 2018-19 | 2019-20* | 2021-22 | 2022-23 | 2023-24 | 2024-25 | 2025-26 | 2026-27 | 2027-28 |
| 1 | Hartpury ' | Exeter | Exeter ' | Durham | Durham ' | Loughborough ' | Exeter ' | Loughborough ' | Bath | ||
| 2 | Exeter ' | Northumbria | Hartpury ' | Exeter | Exeter ' | Exeter ' | Loughborough ' | Hartpury ' | Cardiff | ||
| 3 | Loughborough ' | Cardiff Met ' | Bath ' | Leeds Beckett | Cardiff Met ' | Durham | Hartpury ' | Bath | Cardiff Met | ||
| 4 | Durham | Leeds Beckett ' | Cardiff Met | Cardiff Met | Loughborough ' | Bath ' | Durham | Durham | Durham | ||
| 5 | Bath ' | Hartpury ' | Leeds Beckett ' | Hartpury | Swansea | Hartpury | Bath | Exeter ' | Exeter | ||
| 6 | Northumbria | Loughborough | Northumbria | Loughborough | Cardiff | Cardiff ' | Cardiff Met | Cardiff Met ' | Hartpury | ||
| 7 | Cardiff Met | Bath ''' | Durham | Swansea | Hartpury | Cardiff Met | Leeds Beckett | Nottingham | Leeds Beckett | ||
| 8 | Leeds Beckett | Durham | Cardiff | Bath | Leeds Beckett | Nottingham | Nottingham | Leeds Backett | Loughborough | ||
| 9 | - | Nottingham Trent | Loughborough | Cardiff | Bath | Swansea | Cardiff | Cardiff | Nottingham | ||
| 10 | - | - | Nottingham Trent | Northumbria | Northumbria | Leeds Beckett | Swansea | Swansea | Swansea |
Alumni with international caps
The inclusion criteria are that the player played in a senior international test after playing in BUCS Super Rugby.| Player | Year of first international cap | University | Year of last BUCS Super Rugby appearance | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Place in the BUCS Rugby Union pyramidBUCS 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.Women's BUCS Super Rugby
* Excludes the 2020–21 season, which was cancelled due to Covid-19. Season structureThe season has three phases:League - a double round-robin tournament, where teams play each other home and away.Championship - a knockout tournament featuring the top eight teams from the League.Playoff - a knockout tournament featuring the team at the bottom of the League and the teams at the top of North A and South A leagues. The Playoff determines whether relegation and promotion occur.LeagueThe league season currently has 14 rounds and typically runs from September to March. League points are awarded in the following way:
ChampionshipThe 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.Women's BUCS Super Rugby Milk ChampionshipsQuarter Finals:
ResultsLeague and championship
Place in the BUCS Rugby Union pyramidBUCS 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.University Celestial 7sThe UC7s brings together the finest university rugby playing talent across the land, all vying to be crowned the uni Kings and Queens of the most heavenly form of the game, Rugby 7s.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. CompetitionsMen’s and Women’s ChampionshipThe Championships are open to Super Rugby and North/South Premier sides.
Men’s and Women's TrophyThe Trophy is open to all other BUCS sides competing across the leagues.
The Capital CupThe Capital Cup is especially for the great institutions of London.
Media coverageSome BUCS Super Rugby matches are streamed live on the Super Rugby YouTube channel. In the 2018–19 season, some men's matches were broadcast on FreeSports. |