Sport | Rugby union |
---|---|
No. of teams | 28 Men's (six divisions), 8 Women's (one division) |
Country | Scotland |
University rugby union in Scotland is predominantly organised through BUCS, the British Universities Sports Association. Unlike in England and Wales, where a pyramid system of 4 regions and a Premier above exists, the Scottish system is separate. However, Scottish universities do receive places in the end of season knock-out tournaments which decide overall British champions (see individual division entries below). However, due to the small size of the divisions (with clubs playing either 6 or 8 fixtures per season), some Scottish universities organise teams to play in regional or national leagues as part of the general Scottish league system for clubs, the Scottish League Championship. In addition, some universities organise University Saturday Leagues for their 2nd XV (see below), or they organise informal friendly matches. The following universities have teams playing elsewhere in Scottish Rugby:
Scotland is allocated the current proportion of places in the BUSA end of season knock-out tournaments:
A Scottish Universities Cup is also held, usually towards the end of the season.
Promotion and relegation has usually been one up, one down, but with play-offs for teams at the top of the groups in Division 3 and Division 4. The teams play in the Scottish conference.
BUSA fixtures are predominantly played on Wednesdays, as this is (traditionally) a university half-day, without afternoon classes.
The top two teams advance to the BUSA Championship, a UK-wide knock-out tournament. The bottom two teams advance to the BUSA Trophy.
Dundee are the current Scottish champions from the 2011/12 season.
The top two teams advance to the BUSA Shield. The bottom two teams advance to the BUSA Plate.
Top two teams in both pools advance to the BUSA Vase.
Top two teams in both pools advance to the BUSA Vase.
There is one organised women's university league, containing the following teams:
Top two team advances to the BUSA Women's Championship.
Glasgow Hawks is an amateur rugby union team in Glasgow, Scotland. They were Premiership Division One champions for three consecutive seasons from 2003–04 to 2005–06.
The Scottish Premiership is the highest level club division in Scotland's national rugby union league divisions, and therefore part of the Scottish League Championship.
Edinburgh University Rugby Football Club is a leading rugby union side based in Edinburgh, Scotland which currently plays its fixtures in the Edinburgh Regional Shield competition and the British Universities Premiership. It is one of the eight founder members of the Scottish Rugby Union. In the years prior to the SRU's introduction of club leagues in 1973 and the advent of professionalism in the 1990s, EURFC was a major club power and it won the 'unofficial' Scottish Club championship several times. It remains a club with an all-student committee, and is only open to students of the University of Edinburgh. The club runs a men's team and a women's team; both playing in the university leagues.
Rugby union in Scotland is a popular team sport. Scotland's national side today competes in the annual Six Nations Championship and the Rugby World Cup. The first ever international rugby match was played on 27 March 1871, at Raeburn Place in Edinburgh, when Scotland defeated England in front of 4,000 people. Professional clubs compete in the United Rugby Championship, European Rugby Champions Cup and European Rugby Challenge Cup, while the Scottish League Championship exists for over 200 amateur and semi-professional clubs, as does a knock-out competition, the Scottish Cup. The governing body, the Scottish Rugby Union (SRU), is one of the ten first-tier member nations of World Rugby.
The Scottish League Championship is the domestic rugby union league system within Scotland. Operated by the Scottish Rugby Union, the championship was founded in 1973 as the first formalised national league system within any home nations country.
The University of St Andrews Football Club was formed in the late 19th century at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. The club currently has seven men's and three women's teams participating in the Kingdom of Fife AFA and the BUCS Leagues while also boasting two developmental teams.
In the sport of shinty, there are several clubs which play under the banner of one of the Scottish universities. However, these clubs are not always student teams in the strictest sense of the word, and have a long history of participation at national senior level. Since the introduction of a summer season, only the Aberdeen University Shinty Club continues to play in the senior leagues, although Edinburgh, Glasgow and St Andrews have all done so in the past.
The Scottish Women's Rugby Union (SWRU) was the national governing body for women's rugby union in Scotland. It was responsible for the governance of women's rugby union within Scotland. Its role was all encompassing. It went from youth recruitment, through administrating all senior based competition, through to the performance and management of the Scotland women's national rugby union team.
Glasgow University Rugby Football Club is a rugby union club at the University of Glasgow in Scotland. The men's side play in the university league; the women's side play in the Scottish Womens West One.
Domestic club rugby union within Scotland remains a predominantly amateur sport; however, semi-professional and professional outfits have been created in recent decades to participate in cross-border competitions.
The University of St Andrews Rugby Football Club is an affiliated member of the University of St Andrews Athletic Union in Fife, Scotland. The club runs four men's and two women's teams, which play in the university leagues.
The BUCS Football League is the association football league system of British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS). It is the largest sport in UK higher education, with over 450 men's and women's teams competing in 100 leagues.
Charles River Rugby Football Club, nicknamed The Rats, is an American rugby union club based in Boston which currently competes in New England Rugby Football Union. Charles River has also a women's section.
Aberdeen University Rugby Football Club (AURFC) is the rugby union team at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. The men's team play in Caledonia North Three; the women's team play in the university leagues.
Gordonians RFC is a rugby union team based in Aberdeen, Scotland, founded in 1904. It takes its name from originally being the former pupils' club for Robert Gordon's College in the city. The team currently fields two squads: The 1st XV currently competes in the Scottish National League Division 2, the third tier of Scottish rugby, while the 2nd XV, nicknamed the "Jolly Boys", competes in the Caledonia North 2nd. league. The club also runs a youth division known as the Gordonian Pelicans.
Edinburgh University Men's Hockey Club is the official men's field hockey club for The University of Edinburgh. It currently comprises seven men's teams, which makes it the largest men's university field hockey and sports club in the United Kingdom, with over 160 active members. It also represents the largest adult male membership for a hockey club in Scotland. Founded in 1901, it is one of the oldest university hockey clubs in the United Kingdom.
Katie Dougan is a Scottish rugby player from Fort William who has played in multiple Women's Six Nations Championships, including the 2021 Women's Six Nations Championship.
Dundee University RFC is a rugby union club based in Dundee, Scotland. The club operates a men's team and a women's team. Both currently play in the university leagues.
Edinburgh Napier University RFC is a rugby union club based in Edinburgh, Scotland. The club operates a men's team and a women's team. Both currently play in the university leagues.
The 2022–23 Scottish Women's Premier League was the 22nd season of the SWPL, the highest division of women's football in Scotland since 2002. The league was split into two divisions – SWPL 1 with 12 clubs and SWPL 2 with eight clubs. Both divisions were enlarged after the 2021–22 season.