List of rugby union competitions

The following is a list of notable rugby union competitions that are still in existence. This includes both international tournaments played by national Test teams and also domestic club and provincial competitions.

International tournaments

Four Nations Tournament — Belgium, Spain, Welsh club XV, France amateur
Pan-American Championship — Uruguay, Canada, United States and Argentina
South American Rugby Championship
Super Cup — Canada, Japan, Russia and United States
World Rugby Under 20 Championship — First-tier worldwide competition for under-20 men; replaced Under 19 and Under 21 World Championships starting in 2008
World Rugby Under 20 Trophy — Second-tier worldwide competition for under-20 men
Autumn internationals — A name which refers to a series of Tests which take place usually in November each year in the Northern Hemisphere
Summer internationals — A name which refers to a series of Tests which take place usually in July each year in the Southern Hemisphere
Africa Cup — The main tournament for African nations.
CAR Super 16 — A regional tournament for African nations below the Africa Cup.
Viking Tri-nations Rugby A rugby tournament Played by Norway, Denmark, and since 2011 Sweden.

Club and provincial tournaments

Intercontinental

United Rugby Championship — provincial/regional teams from Ireland, Italy, Scotland, South Africa and Wales. The competition began as the Celtic League, restricted to the three Celtic nations; became Pro12 when two Italian teams joined in 2010–11 and Pro14 when two South African teams joined in 2017–18. In 2021 the name was changed to United Rugby Championship.
Global Rapid Rugby — currently on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with an uncertain future. It was established in 2019 involving six professional teams from Australia, Asia and the Pacific.
Super Rugby Pacific — Super Rugby Pacific is the top professional rugby union competition in the Southern Hemisphere, featuring clubs from Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands.

Africa

South Africa

Currie Cup — South African provincial tournament
SA Cup (South Africa) — Launched in 2024 for provincial teams not part of the URC. Qualifier competition for Currie Cup from 2025
Varsity Rugby — a two-tier annual South African inter-university competition
Gold Cup — an annual South African inter-club competition, also featuring invitational teams from Namibia and Zimbabwe

Ghana

Ghana Rugby Club Championship — The top tier rugby union competition in Ghana since 2014.

Kenya

Kenya Cup — The top tier rugby union competition in Kenya since 1970.

Americas

SRA

Super Rugby Americas - is a professional rugby union competition and the top-level championship for many countries in South America.

Argentina

Nacional de Clubes - Club competition in Argentina
Torneo de la URBA - Club competition for teams from Buenos Aires and Rosario
Torneo del Interior - Club competition for teams outside Buenos Aires

Brazil

Campeonato Brasileiro de Rugby - Club competition in Brazil

Canada

Major League Rugby
Canadian Rugby Championship - NB: Now defunct, it was the successor to Rugby Canada Super League

United States

Major League Rugby - a professional men’s league representing the highest level of rugby competition in North America.
Women's Elite Rugby - a women's rugby union club competition at the top level of the United States rugby union system.
USA Club Rugby XVs - The national amateur and semi professional club championship.
USA Rugby Women's Premier League (USARWPL) - Former Women's club competition in the United States

Uruguay

Club Championship - Club competition in Uruguay

Asia

Hong Kong

Hong Kong Premiership - Hong Kong club teams

Europe

European Rugby Champions Cup — Replaced the Heineken Cup effective with the 2014–15 season, although it claims the history of the former competition as its own. European club, provincial and regional teams, currently from the countries that participate in the Six Nations.
European Rugby Challenge Cup — Replaced the original European Challenge Cup in 2014–15; also claims the history of its predecessor as its own. Second-tier European club, provincial and regional teams knock-out tournament, also involving all of the Six Nations countries, with possible involvement from lower-tier countries.
European Rugby Continental Shield – Third-tier competition involving teams from Italy's Top12, plus clubs from lower-tier countries; determines two places in each year's Challenge Cup. Originally known as the European Rugby Challenge Cup Qualifying Competition; current name adopted in 2016–17.
Rugby Europe Super Cup - Third tier of European club rugby 2021.
Copa Ibérica de Rugby — Annual competition between Spanish and Portuguese clubs.
Anglo-Welsh Cup — English and Welsh clubs knock-out tournament. From 1971–2005, open to all English clubs with no involvement from any other nation; from the 2005–06 season, has featured the 12 Premiership clubs and the four Welsh regional sides competing in Pro12.
British and Irish Cup — Tournament launched in 2009 featuring sides from second-level leagues in England and Wales, plus second-tier sides from Ireland and Scotland.
Regional Rugby Championship — Tournament launched in 2007 involving teams from Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, Hungary, Montenegro and Serbia.

England

Men

Gallagher Premiership - English clubs, top tier
RFU Championship - English clubs, second tier
National League 1
National League 2 North
National League 2 South
Northern Division - North 2 East
Midlands 6 East (NW)
Women
Premiership Women's Rugby – top flight

France

Men’s

Top 14 — French clubs, top tier
Rugby Pro D2 - French clubs, second tier
Fédérale 1
Fédérale 2
Fédérale 3
Challenge Yves du Manoir
Coupe de l'Espérance
Coupe de France
Women’s
Élite 1 - top tier

Ireland

All Ireland League (AIL/AIB League) — Irish clubs from all 32 counties.

Italy

Top12 — Italian clubs, top tier
A Series — Italian clubs, second-level championship where winners can jump up to Top12.
B Series — Italian clubs, third-level league, winners can play on A Series.
C Series — Italian clubs, the lowest-tier for local teams. Winners are promoted to B Series.

Scotland

Wales

Austria

1. Rugby Bundesliga

Belgium

Belgian Elite League

Czech Republic

Extraliga

Denmark

DRU Superliga

Finland

Finnish Championship League

Georgia

Didi 10

Germany

Rugby-Bundesliga

Malta

Malta Rugby Union National Championship

Netherlands

Ereklasse

Norway

Norway Rugby Championship

Poland

Ekstraliga

Portugal

Romania

SuperLiga

Russia

Professional Rugby League - Russian club competition

Spain

División de Honor

Sweden

Allsvenskan

Ukraine

Superliga

Oceania

Super Rugby — teams from Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific.
Pacific Rugby Cup - Franchise teams from Fiji, Tonga & Samoa

Australia

Shute Shield - Sydney and regional NSW club teams
Tooheys New Cup - Sydney club teams
New South Wales Suburban Rugby Union - lower level suburban rugby in Sydney, the largest centrally administered rugby competition in the world.
Queensland Premier Rugby - Queensland club competition

Fiji

Colonial Cup — Fiji club competition
Sukuna Bowl — Fiji Police vs Fiji Military
Digicel Cup — Fiji's Local competition between 12 Districts

New Zealand

Men

Mitre 10 Cup — New Zealand professional provincial tournament
Heartland Championship — New Zealand amateur provincial tournament
Ranfurly Shield — New Zealand provincial challenge trophy
Women
Super Rugby Aupiki — New Zealand professional provincial tournament
Farah Palmer Cup — New Zealand amateur provincial tournament

Sevens tournaments

Rugby World Cup Sevens — Sponsored by World Rugby, and held every four years, this was the highest prize in the Sevens version of the game before the introduction of sevens to the Olympics in 2016. It was initially planned for the 2013 edition to be the last, but it was later decided to retain the World Cup Sevens and establish a new four-year cycle starting in 2018.
World Rugby Sevens Series — Annual WR-sponsored series of tournaments for men's national Sevens teams. As of the upcoming 2017–18 series, the events in the series are :
*Dubai Sevens
*South Africa Sevens
*Australian Sevens
*New Zealand Sevens
*USA Sevens
*Canada Sevens
*Hong Kong Sevens, traditionally the biggest annual event in Sevens
*Singapore Sevens
*France Sevens
*London Sevens
World Rugby Women's Sevens Series — Annual WR-sponsored series of tournaments for women's national Sevens teams. As of the most recent 2016–17 series, the events are :
*Dubai Women's Sevens
*Australian Women's Sevens
*USA Women's Sevens
*Japan Women's Sevens
*Canada Women's Sevens
*France Women's Sevens
The National Schools Sevens - held at Rosslyn Park, in England, the biggest sevens competition in the world. News, photos and up to the minute results can be found on the official website . Results can also be seen on
Commonwealth Games — Quadrennial; most recent tournament in 2014. Men only through 2014; first women's event to be held in 2018.
Other:
* Amsterdam Sevens
* Bangkok Sevens
* Benidorm Sevens
* Bogota Sevens
* Caldy Sevens
* Cape Fear Sevens
* Caribbean Sevens
* Cayman Sevens
* Cwmtawe Sevens
* Heidelberg Sevens
* Henley Sevens
* Kinsale Sevens
* Kiama Sevens
* Lisbon Sevens
* Melrose Sevens
* Middlesex Sevens
* Neuchatel Sevens
* New York Sevens
* Northern Sevens
* Punta del Este Sevens
* Rome Sevens
* Safari Sevens
* Scandinavian Sevens
* Singapore Sevens
* Sofia Sevens
* Santa Teresa Sevens
* Sri Lanka Sevens

Other tournaments

Sanix World Rugby Youth Tournament held annually in Japan
English Colts Club Knockout Cup — Held annually
Ulster Schools Cup — Annual schools competition
Munster Schools Senior Cup — Annual schools competition
Craven Week — Annual South Africa schools competition
Bingham Cup — Held every two years, this is the largest international gay rugby tournament and honours 9/11 hero, Mark Bingham
Rugby union at the Maccabiah Games: representative XVs from various countries have been taking part in the Maccabiah Games since 1981.

Mad River/Stowe 15's Tournament. Started in 1972 held now in Stowe, VT typically the last weekend in June at the Polo Grounds.

International trophies

The trophies in this list are regularly contested between two nations. Some of the competitions for these trophies form part of other international tournaments, such as the Six Nations and The Rugby Championship.

Six Nations Trophies

Six Nations Championship Trophy, since 2015
Triple Crown Trophy, since 2006
Calcutta Cup — England and Scotland, since 1879
Centenary Quaich - Ireland and Scotland, since 1989
Millennium Trophy — England and Ireland, since 1988
Giuseppe Garibaldi Trophy — France and Italy, since 2007
Auld Alliance Trophy - Scotland and France, since 2018

Trophies in The Rugby Championship

Bledisloe Cup — Australia and New Zealand, since 1931
Mandela Challenge Plate — Australia and South Africa, since 2000
Freedom Cup — New Zealand and South Africa, since 2004
Puma Trophy — Argentina and Australia

Other Trophies

Anexartisias Cup — Cyprus and Greece
Antim Cup — Georgia and Romania
Dave Gallaher Trophy — France and New Zealand
Ella–Mobbs Trophy — Australia and England
Elgon Cup — Kenya and Uganda
Killik Cup — Barbarians and any other national team
Hillary Shield — England and New Zealand
Hopetoun Cup — Australia and Scotland
James Bevan Trophy — Australia and Wales
Lansdowne Cup — Australia and Ireland
Prince William Cup — South Africa and Wales
Trophée des Bicentenaires — Australia and France
Tom Richards Trophy— Australia and the British and Irish Lions
Raeburn Shield— Hypothetical World Title Shield
Utrecht Shield— Hypothetical Women's World Title Shield