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BC Rugby takes place year-round
No matter what time of year it is, there will always be an opportunity for you to get on the pitch and play Rugby. Competitions throughout BC feature across all formats and levels and are held recreationally (just for fun), in schools and universities, at Club level and Provincial level. Check out a more detailed structure of the BC Rugby Season below.
BC Rugby Seasons – Overview
Senior Rugby
The Senior Club Rugby season traditionally starts in September and ends with the Club Finals in May.
Club Rugby is the lifeblood of Rugby in BC. With 60+ registered clubs in the Province, there is usually lots of competitive 15s and 7s action taking place throughout the year.
Men’s Senior Leagues
Premier League & Premier Reserve League
The BC Men’s Premier League, sponsored by Onni, is the pinnacle of Men’s competitive Rugby in the Province. Clubs compete for the coveted Rounsefell Cup, first presented in the 1921-22 season. Clubs play each other twice throughout the regular season. The top six teams are then seeded and qualify for two rounds of Playoffs. The top two sides from the semi-finals then face each other at the BC Rugby Club Finals in May.
The Men’s Premier Reserve League runs in parallel with the Premier League season, with the same Clubs fielding a Reserve side. This is often used as a development pool for talented up-and-coming athletes.
Men’s Division 1, Division 2 & Division 3
The BC Senior Leagues also offer competitions in Division 1, Division 2 and Division 3 for Clubs across the Province. These leagues compete in a regular season format. The top 6 teams are then seeded for the Playoffs. The competitions culminate at the BC Rugby Club Finals in May.
Women’s Senior Leagues
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, a new format for Women’s Senior Leagues was agreed by BC Rugby and its Members. Clubs will play in Regional Tiers for the first half of the season before resuming more traditional structures in the Spring. This initiative is designed to lower travel costs for all teams while continuing to foster strong regional competition for the players involved.
Women’s Premier League
The BC Women’s Premier League is the pinnacle of female Club Rugby in the Province. Teams compete for the Gordon Harris Trophy, which has a rich history dating back to 1982.
Women’s Division 1 & 2
The BC Women’s Division 1 & 2 feature clubs from the Island, Lower Mainland and Interior. Division 1 clubs compete for the prestigious Karen Moore Trophy while Division 2 clubs compete for the Ged Griffiths Cup.
Interior Club Rugby
The Interior Club Rugby season starts in April and ends with the Saratoga Cup in September.
The roots and traditions of Interior Club Rugby run deep in these communities. These regions play their Rugby during the summer months on account of the challenging winter weather they experience between Fall and Spring. This adapted schedule does nothing to diminish the passion, enthusiasm and commitment to playing Rugby. To play in these leagues, players can travel over 10 hours across the Province to play other teams. For example, the drive from Prince Rupert to William’s Lake is 952 kilometres!
There are three Regional Leagues: Interior, Okanagan and Kootenay.
The top teams from each league qualify for The Saratoga Cup, an annual tournament to decide the best team each season. The Saratoga Cup is held in Penticton in the BC Interior and is a showcase for Rugby across the remote parts of the Province.
Age-Grade Rugby
The Age-Grade Club Rugby season starts in September with local jamborees and ends with the Club Finals in December.
Before playing a full Rugby 15s program, Age-Grade players start the season in 7s or 10s variation of the game to develop fundamental Rugby skills. Sevens is one of the fastest growing sports worldwide and the perfect place for all players to start their Rugby journey, regardless of previous experience.
From October to December, teams then expand to play XVs Rugby building towards the Junior Club Finals in December each year. XVs is the traditional format of the game but is still underpinned by the same fundamental skills learned from Rugby Sevens.
Boys’ Junior Leagues
Age-Grade Boys Club Rugby leagues take place regionally with schedules on Vancouver Island, Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley. There are competitions for teams in U19, U17, and U15 Age-Grades, creating a solid player pathway for progressive Rugby development.
Girls’ Junior Leagues
Girls Club Rugby leagues take place in Fall each year and play both Rugby 7s and 15s variations of the sport.
High School Rugby Season
The high school Rugby season starts in March and ends with the Provincial Championships in May.
High School Girls’ Rugby
The BC Girls’ High School Rugby Association (BCGHSRA) is responsible for the management and execution of both 15s and 7s Rugby for female High School teams in the Province. BC Rugby supports the BCGHSRA in the running of leagues and championship events.
High School Girls’ XVs
In 2018, there were 70 teams that participated in BC Rugby High School Girls’ Provincial XVs Leagues across the Province. Each region or zone is responsible for organising their respective leagues. Each league has differences based on geography, weather, number of teams etc.
High School Boys’ Rugby
The British Columbia Secondary Schools Rugby Union (BCSSRU) is responsible for the management and execution of High School Boys’ Rugby.
Mini Club Rugby
The Mini Club Rugby season starts in September and ends in May.
Mini Rugby is offered at many Clubs across the Province. In both Fall and Spring each year, several clubs offer TRY Rugby days. These are free events where clubs open their doors to the wider community and encourage children to give Rugby a go.
Is Mini Rugby Safe?
Yes – when we are starting out with young children, we want to make it every bit as safe as it is fun. Mini Rugby is a safe, non-contact format of Rugby.
Rookie Rugby
New recruits to Mini Rugby play Rookie Rugby (also known as Flag or Touch Rugby). It is non-contact, fast, fun, inclusive and simple for any child to learn. All participants wear belts with flags attached by Velcro and try to evade the clutches of their opponents.
If a player holding the ball loses a flag, they must stop and pass the ball to a teammate. Games are overseen by coaches who help guide the players around the field, encouraging inclusivity and mass participation.
The emphasis is on enjoyment, getting children in contact with a Rugby ball, meeting new friends and working off all that excess energy. Rookie Rugby is played by all players at K to Grade 3, as well as newcomers in the Grade 4-6 groupings.
Introduction to Contact
As children become more familiar with the core concepts of the sport, coaches take the opportunity to safely introduce them to simplified rules of contact. This only happens at the Grade 4-6 groupings and is managed by coaches, emphasising proper technique on how to tackle and be tackled. This controlled environment is the safest way for children to learn the next evolution in the sport of Rugby, while still maintaining the core themes of inclusion, fun and exercise.
Touch Rugby Season
The Touch Rugby season takes place throughout the summer in different locations throughout the Province.
Representative Competitions
The following Provincial competitions provide a critical player pathway to representative opportunities with the BC Bears Senior Men’s and Women’s 15s teams:
McKechnie Cup
This is an annual competition open to entry from Senior Men’s Academy teams from a region of clubs.
Ruth Hellerud-Brown Cup
This is an annual competition open to entry for Senior Women’s Teams from a union or region of clubs.
Dunbar Keg
This is an annual competition open to entry from Senior Men’s Teams, consisting of players 22 years old or younger, from a union or region of clubs.
U23 Women’s Cup
This is an annual competition open to entry from Senior Women’s Teams, consisting of players 22 years old or younger, from a union or region of clubs.
Rules and Regulations
Rugby is a sport that can be played and enjoyed by anyone at any age. Explore the different Law Variations that aim to create the most enjoyable and age-appropriate versions of our sport, as well as the BC Rugby Rules of Competition.
Fixtures and Results
View the latest fixtures and results across all BC Rugby competitions in British Columbia.
Tournaments
BC Rugby runs several tournaments throughout the Province across the year. Explore the tournaments happening near you.
Touch Leagues
Touch Rugby is a fast, fun and safe non-contact variation of Rugby 7s for everyone of any experience. Find Touch Leagues in your area.
Provincial Championships
Explore our Provincial competitions, such as Senior and Age-Grade Club Finals, Regional Cups, Provincial Rugby Championships and Western Canada Championships.
BC Rugby
A: 2015 Main Street, Vancouver, BC | V5T 0J8
T: 604.737.3065
E: info@bcrugby.com
BC Rugby gratefully acknowledges that its offices reside on the traditional and unceded territory of the Coast Salish Peoples, including the territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.
