2.5 Rugby Union National Competitions
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This article is from the Rugby Union FAQ, by roelofs@f2s.com (Mees Roelofs) with numerous contributions by others.
2.5 Rugby Union National Competitions
Argentina: The Argentine Championship is contested between provinces in the
Southern Spring. The top division has eight teams in it and ends up with a
final. Clubs play their matches in provincial competitions, as well as in a
national knock-out competition.
Australia: There is no national club competition in Australia. Instead,
it's local leagues all over. Arguably those in Brisbane and Sydney are the
strongest. The state teams from ACT, NSW and Queensland, where Rugby is
most popular, play for the National Ricoh Championship (or State of the
Union). Six other teams, four of them from non-traditional Rugby states,
are playing for the Australian Rugby Shield.
Canada: The Super League (http://www.rcsl.ca) is a 13-team competition,
held from May to July. Each province also has its own provincial elite
division, with British Columbia and Ontario offering the highest calibre of
play. Rugby is most popular in British Columbia, where it is possible to
play the game all year round.
England: Twelve teams are in England's top division. Clubs play a
home-and-away season from September to April (the Zurich Premiership,
http://www.zurichrugby.co.uk), followed by a play-off between the top three
to decide the Zurich Championship. There is a knock-out competition as
well, called the Powergen Cup. Counties do dispute a competition, which is
of no big importance in most areas. Cornwall among others is an exception
to that.
France: The first phase of the Top 14 (http://www.lnr.fr) is a round-robin
competition. This is followed by semi-finals and the championship final, in
which the Bouclier de Brennus is at stake. Development players are given a
chance in the Coupe de la Ligue, with its fixtures planned when the top
players are with the national team.
Ireland: Rugby is an all-Ireland sport, which means that the IRFU
represents the entire island, including Northern Ireland. The All Ireland
League is a club competition, running throughout the season. The four
provinces (Connacht, Leinster, Munster and Ulster) play in the Celtic
League in the Autumn and subsequently dispute the Interpro in Spring.
Italy: The Italian Premiership, the Super 10 (http://lire.datasport.it),
runs from September to May. After a home-and-away season, the top four
teams play a knock-out competition to decide the championship.
Japan: Japan's top professional league is called Top-League. It has 12
teams in it and promotion and relegation rules apply. Play-offs are played
after the regular season. There also is a knock-out competition, including
all the nation's clubs.
New Zealand: The National Provincial Championship (NPC) is disputed from
August to October between the 27 provincial Unions of New Zealand. The 10
best teams are in Division I. Along with it runs the Ranfurly Shield
(http://www.ranfurlyshield.com), which is a challenge competition with the
trophy changing hands every time the holder loses a challenge. Whether a
match is a challenge or not depends on a number of complex rules.
Scotland: Scotland has three professional teams: Borders, Edinburgh and
Glasgow. These teams play an interprovincial championship and represent
Scotland in the European Cup and in the Celtic League. The Scottish Cup is
a knock-out competition between the club teams in Scotland. The provinces,
and therefore the major players, are not in it.
South Africa: The Currie Cup is the national championship and is contested
from August until October between the 14 major provinces. During the Super
12, those players not contracted in one of the four franchises are in the
Vodacom Cup. This provincial competition is used to train young players and
to develop black players, as it has a 'black quota' attached to each team.
Wales: Five Welsh teams are in the Celtic League. The other Welsh teams
play in national leagues as well as in a national knock-out competition,
the WRU Challenge Cup.
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