BUCS Super Rugby has slowly been growing in standard and notoriety until the league had to be suspended at the start of 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

This league resumed in September and the tournament is going from strength to strength. The sheer amount of University players playing in the Premiership Cup over the past two weeks shows the high standard of competition and that there is genuine depth.

Christ Tshiunza, who made his debut for Wales in the Autumn internationals against Fiji and is a rising star for the Exeter Chiefs, has consistently been playing on a Wednesday for Exeter University in the league. England Stars Alex Dombradt and Freddie Steward both developed while playing for their university sides, with Steward playing at the renowned Loughborough University while Dombradt was a star at Cardiff Met. Cardiff Met along with Dombradt, have helped develop Luke Northmore and Tom Pearson with both putting in excellent performances in the Gallagher Premiership this season at Harlequins and London Irish respectively.

Exeter, Bath, Hartpury and Loughborough are now being used by Exeter Chiefs, Bath, Bristol Bears, Gloucester and Leicester Tigers as places where their players can develop, while also achieving a degree, a great fall back if professional rugby does not work out. Thibaud Flament is another prime example of university rugby proving to be a good place for players to develop. Flament arrived at Loughborough University as a fly half, and left as a second row, he is now a French international and was part of the side that beat the All Blacks.

It is not just the standard of rugby that makes BUCS rugby a great competition, but also the geography of the university teams that play in the super league, along with the crowds that are drawn without widespread advertisement. There are only two professional northern clubs in the Gallagher Premiership, which is a rugby heartland with fans ready to support teams. In the North, top university sides are plentiful with Durham, Northumbria and Leeds Beckett all competing in Super Rugby and Newcastle University, top of the Northern Premier, and hopeful for promotion with a side containing an England U20 international in Phil Brantingham.

Then, with Cardiff, Cardiff Met and Swansea all playing, it also brings strong Welsh interest and a huge varsity derby game between the two Cardiff based universities. London and Birmingham are both unrepresented  in the top league,  but Birmingham University play in the Northern Premier and Brunel University, with their partnership with Ealing Trailfinders,  are a very ambitious side. University of Bristol are running a hugely impressive programme that, like Newcastle University, sits outside of the Super League currently but sees them top of the Southern Premiership and offering yet another competitive route on and off the field.

So how do BUCS take this competition to the next level? Well, they should start by trying to get more games live streamed, with Exeter vs Durham achieving 14,000 streams two weeks ago, the demand is there for the games to be viewed on a bigger platform. The games are mostly played on a Wednesday evening, so do not clash with Gallagher Premiership matches and would not really battle viewership from other sports either. 

These sides already have extremely loyal fan bases and can create incredibly partisan atmospheres for their home sides. Attendances at Durham, Bath and Hartpury regularly reach 1,000 people as many students come to watch and get behind their sides. Furthermore, it provides an alternative route to the professional game for players where they can actually socialise and enjoy themselves, instead of being potentially stifled in the environments that are created by their professional clubs. 

There is a template for success in the United States, with College Football and Basketball being some of the most viewed and hotly contested sporting events in the whole country.  While it is extremely unlikely that university rugby would reach the size of US collegiate sports, there is definitely a niche in the UK sports market, and would also help to grow the game and potentially reach a new audience. Unlike American college football, BUCS super rugby also has a women’s competition, which is equally as hotly contested and also features a number of international standard players. 

Overall, university rugby as a product is enjoyable to watch and has a great chance to grow exponentially.

By Will Heaver