Brunel and Newcastle look set to fight it out for promotion to BUCS Super Rugby, despite still having several games in their respective leagues remaining.
Brunel boast a perfect record in the BUCS Men’s Premier South 1, having won all of their ten league games up to this point of the season. Their 50 points means there is a gap of 14 points down to Hartpury in second.
Newcastle are also unbeaten, this time in the BUCS Men’s Premier North 1. However, they do not have a 100% record, having drawn a game. Still, they are 15 points clear of second-placed Nottingham Trent.
How do teams earn promotion to BUCS Super Rugby?
A place in BUCS Super Rugby is the golden ticket when it comes to men’s university rugby. There are ten places at the top table, with only one team given the opportunity to earn a place.
However, it is not as simple as the team who finishes bottom being replaced by the team who finished top in the second division. Firstly, the second division in men’s university is split into north and south divisions.
Therefore, there is a playoff to determine who makes up the final place. There is first a semi-final, where the top teams from the north and south divisions face off. Currently, this would see Brunel and Newcastle play each other.
The winner of the semi-final then goes into the final, where they play against the team who finished bottom in BUCS Super Rugby.
Who would Brunel or Newcastle face in the playoff?
Based on the current BUCS Super Rugby standings, the opponents in the playoff final would be Leeds Beckett. The side from Yorkshire certainly have had a season to forget up to this point.
Having played eleven games, Leeds Beckett have won just once, and drawn another. Their defeats for the season therefore sit at nine.
Further inspection of the table just makes things even worse for Beckett. The side have conceded the most points (386), scored the least (182), and have mustered only just two bonus points. For comparison, the team who sit top, Loughborough, have earned eleven bonus points.
However, Brunel and Newcastle should not be assuming a match against Leeds Beckett would be a walkover. In the last season of BUCS Super Rugby, they finished eighth, with five victories. This included a win over Bath, who currently sit just one point off the top in this year’s edition.
How did Newcastle and Brunel get to this point in the race for promotion to BUCS Super Rugby?
It is fair to say that both teams have been utterly dominant in their respective divisions.
The only time Newcastle have stumbled somewhat in their 2022/23 campaign was in mid-October, where they were held to a 19-19 draw away to Leeds.
They have been in full flow in the remainder of their games, with seven of their nine wins coming by a margin of 19 or more points.
Brunel are yet to put a step wrong in their division, boasting an extremely impressive perfect record. After ten games, they have won all ten, having scored 552 points, This is more than double the points scored by four of their opponents.
There have been several thrashings handed out by Brunel as they look to earn their place in the BUCS Super Rugby playoffs. Exeter 3’s have been on the receiving end of this twice; the aggregate score from the two games sits at Brunel 150-0 Exeter 3’s.
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