Club Rugby Around the World

FIJI

Digicel Cup

The competition runs from May to September and is contested by the country's top 12 provincial sides. At the end of the competition the top 4 teams qualify for the semi-finals, with the winners moving onto the final. Prior to 2008, the trophy was called the Sanyo Cup, but has since been sponsored by the phone company Digicel.

1. Macuata
2. Nadi
3. Lautoka
4. Rewa
5. Tailevu
6. Nadroga
7. Naitasiri
8. Navosa
9. Suva
10. Northland 
11. Tavua 
12. Namosi 
13. Ovalau

SAMOA

Super 9 

The National Provincial Championship has been replaced, as of 2017. The new fanchise based competition was formed after a review by the Samoa Rugby Union found the old NPC lacked quality, depth and resources, with most of the best players migrating from outer unions to play in Apia. There was little interest from fans and sponsors and disciplinary issues due to village/provincial rivalries. As a result, the 18 sub-unions have been merged to form 9 new franchise teams, aimed at lifting the standard of the competition closer to what's seen in top tier rugby. 

1. Eels 
2. Southern Tornadoes 
3. Chiefs 
4. Legends 
5. Eagles 
6. Vikings 
7. Warriors 
8. Navigators 
9. Knights

TONGA

Datec Cup Provincial Championship

1. Army (Ngaahi Koula)
2. Ma'ufanga Marist

GERMANY

Rugby-Bundesliga 1

The Rugby-Bundesliga 1 is the top tier club competition in Germany. It was founded in 1971. The league is predominantly amateur, with only one fully professional team being Heidelberg RK. From 2012 the league expanded from 10 to 24 clubs, organised into 4 regional divisions of 6 teams. From 2015 onwards the league reduced to 16 teams. 

1. Berlin Grizzlies
2. Berliner RC
3. Hamburger RC
4. DSV 78 Hannover 
5. RC Leipzig
6. RK 03 Berlin
7. SC Germania List
8. SV Odin Hannover
9. RG Heidelberg
10. Heidelberger RK
11. Neckarsulmer SU
12. RK Heusenstamm
13. SC Frankfurt 1880
14. SC Neuenheim 
15. TSV Handschuhsheim
16. TV 1834 Pforzheim

Rugby-Bundesliga 2

The Rugby-Bundesliga 2 is the second tier league of German rugby. From 2012-2013 the league experienced a revamp as it was expanded from 20 to 24 teams, divided into four regional divisions of 6 teams. 

North:

1. Bremen 1860 
2. DRC Hannover
3. FT Adler Kiel von 1893
4. FC St.Pauli 
5. TSV Victoria Linden

1. Berliner RC II
2. Berliner SV 1982
3. USV Potsdam 
4. Veltener RC 

1. Grashof RC Essen 
2. RC Aachen 
3. RC Luxembourg
4. RSV Köln
5. Rugby Tourists Münster
6. SC Frankfurt 1880 II
7. TGS Hausen 
8. TuS 95 Düsseldorf

1. Heidelberger TV
2. Karlsruher SV
3. München RFC
4. RC Rottweil
5. RC Unterföhring
6. StuSta München
7. Stuttgart RC

Rugby-Regionalliga

The Rugby Regionalliga is the third highest level of German rugby's league system. It is organised in eight regional divisions, which comprise 47 teams. 

Rugby-Verbandsliga

The Rugby Verbandsliga is the fourth tier of domestic rugby competition in German rugby. 

GEORGIA

Didi 10 (Big 10)

The Didi 10 is a professional domestic club competition in Georgia. It is the top tier of rugby competition in the country. The competition was first held in 1990. 

1. Lokomotiv Tb
2. Batumi Batumi
3. Kharebi Rustavi
4. Aia Kutaisi
5. Lelo Saracens Tb
6. Armazi Marneuli
7. Jiki Gori 
8. Vepkhvebi Patardzeuli
9. Armia Tbilisi 
10. Akademia Tbilisi

ROMANIA

CEC Bank SuperLiga

The SuperLiga is Romania's top tier club competition, and is contested by eight teams. The competition has a long history, dating back to 1914, when there were only two competing teams. Through the 1920s and 1930s the competition began to grow. 

1. CSM Bucuresti
2. CSA Steaua Bucuresti
3. CSM Stiinta Baia Mare
4. Timisoara Saracens
5. SCM Gloria Buzau
6. CS Univeritatea Cluj
7. CS Dinamo Bucuresti 
8. ACS Tomitanii Constanta

SPAIN

División de Honor

The División de Honor is the top club competition in Spain. The tournament was first held in 1953, now consisting of twelve teams. Clubs are relegated or promoted from División de Honor B. The winner each year qualifies for the Euopean Challenge Cup, the second tier European rugby competition. 

1. VRAC Quesos Entrepinares 
2. Santboiana
3. CR Complutense Cisneros
4. Independiente RC
5. SilverStorm El Salvador
6. Bizkaia Gernika
7. AMPO Ordizia
8. Getxo Artea
9. Hernani
10. FC BarcelonaS
11. Sanitas Alcobendas
12. CR La Vila

División de Honor B

The División de Honor B is the second level of club competition in Spain. The league began in 1998 and consists of three groups (North, East and South) of eight or nine teams each. The top two teams of each group play promotion playoffs.

Group A: 

1. Blusens Networks Univeridade 
2. Babyauto Zarautz 
3. Durango nissan-Gaursa
4. AVK Bera Bera
5. Aparejadores Burgos
6. Uribealdea
7. CRAT A Coruna
8. Real Oviedo Rugby
9. El Salvador B
10. VRAC Quesos Entrepinares B
11. AVIA Eibar
12. La Única

Group B:  

1. Sant Cugat
2. CAU Valencia
3. La Vila
4. Les Abelles
5. Tecnidex Valencia 
6. Barcelona Enginyers
7. Fénix 
8. BUC Barcelona
9. Sitges
10. L'Hospitalet
11. Santboiana B
12. Químic Barcelona

Group C: 

1. Ciencias Sevilla
2. Liceo Francés
3. Olímpico Pozuelo
4. Arquitectura
5. Helvetia
6. Ingenieros Industriales
7. CAU Madrid
8. Universidad de Granada
9. CAR Cáceres
10. Complutense Cisneros B
11. Atlético Portuense
12. URA Almería

USA

Pacific Rugby Premiership

The Pacific Rugby Premiership began in 2014, after the demise of the Rugby Super League in 2012 due to the recession. 

1. OMBAC 
2. Belmont Shore 
3. SFGG Rugby
4. Life West
5. Santa Monica 
6. Olympic Club

CANADA

Canadian Direct Insurance Premier League

The Canadian Direct Insurance Premier League (CDI Premier League) is a provincial tournament contested by eight teams in British Columbia, and one in the US state of Washington. The CDI Premier League is organized by the British Columbia Rugby Union. It runs from September to April each year. 

1. Burnaby Lake Rugby Club
2. Capilano RFC
3. Castaway Wanderers RFC 
4. James Bay Athletic Association
5. Seattle Saracens
6. UBC Thunderbirds
7. UBC Old Boys Ravens
8. Meraloma Athletic Club
9. University of Victoria Vikes
10. Westshore RFC
11. Nanaimo Hornets RFC

RUSSIA

Professional Rugby League

This is the main club competition in Russia and is a fully professional competition. 

1. VVA Saracens 
2. Yenisey-STM 
3. Krasny Yar
4. Slava Moscow
5. Spartak GM Moscow
6. Fili Moscow
7. RC Novokuznetsk
8. Strela-Agro Kazan
9. RC Bulava 
10. RC Kuban

Top League

This is the second level of club rugby in Russia, and is made up of professional and semi-professional teams. 

1. Imperia Penza
2. Narva Zastava
3. Dynamo-Energy
4. RC Zelenograd
5. VVA Academy
6. Enisey-STM Krasnoyarsk
7. Strela-Agro Kazan
8. Maryino
9. Zelenograd Moscow
10. Mai Yuzhny Tushino Moscow
11. Varyag Novgorod

First League

This is the third level of club rugby in Russia, largely made up of amateur teams. 

NETHERLANDS 

Ereklasse

The Ereklasse is the top tier club rugby competition in the Netherlands. 

1. Dukes
2. Castricumse 
3. Hilversum
4. Ascrum 
5. The Bassets
6. LRC DIOK
7. Amstelveense
8. Gooi
9. Oemoemenoe
10. Waterland
11. DSR-C
12. Haagse

ARGENTINA  

Argentina is divided into 24 provincial unions which all organise their own provincial club competitions. Since the 1990s, some provincial unions have started organising regional club competitions with neighbouring unions in order to raise the standards of rugby and make their clubs more competitive. 

Nacional de Clubes

The Torneo Nacional deClubes is a club competition in Argentina. It involves 16 teams in four "zones", which go on to play in a playoff system. 

Zona 1:

1. Hindú
2. Duendes 
3. Tucumán 
4. CUBA

Zona 2: 

1. San Luis 
2. Belgrano 
3. Natación y Gimnasia
4. Tala

Zona 3:  

1. SIC 
2. Alumni 
3. Tucumán RC 
4. Jockey Ros.

Zona 4: 

1. Pucará
2. Newman
3. La Tablada
4. Los Tarcos

URUGUAY

Campeonato Uruguayo de Rugby

The Campeonato Uruguayo de Rugby (Copa Amarok, due to sponsorshp reasons) is the main league system of Uruguayan rugby dating back to 1950, with many teams dating further back then that. 

1. Carrasco Polo 
2. Champagnat
3. Los Cuervos
4. Montevideo Cricket
5. Old Boys
6. Old Christians
7. Pucaru Stade Gaulois (PSG) 
8. El Trébol

It's such a shame how poorly organised and supported the Islanders are. They have such an abundance of talent regardless of their small numbers. I understand that the inclination towards Sevens is an obstacle with regards to Fiji and to a lesser extent Tonga, but still, there's a lot of potential to stabilise these regions.

Population (Polynesian Triangle):

1. Fiji  - 898,760
   
2. Samoa - 195,125
3. Tonga - 107,122
4. Cook Islands - 17,459
5. Tuvalu - 11,097
6. Tokelau - 1,499
7. Niue - 1,624
8. Wallis - 11,899
9. Futuna - 11,899
10. French Polynesia - 280,208
11. Hawaii - 1,250,000
12. Easter Island - 5,761

I have played against the Fijian Army team for the Australian Army .

Still hurts.

It would be even be more interesting if the club player membership is given as an indication how widespread the support of rugby as a game really is in the countries listed.    Thanks anyway

Don't be like that Mikey-kun.

I'll update this as time goes on. Chin up kiddo. 

There's a good wee fella. 

I'm not surprised Wardad! Must be an awesome experience though. I saw the British army sevens many, many years ago. They were brutal too. I don't watch that code of the game enough. 

Certainly appears a numbers game...crumbs look at SA numbers playing against, say NZ.

Imagine if USA, China, Japan and Russia had prorata against population numbers playing where would some tier 1 national teams be? 

In this context true credit has to go to NZ an amazing rugby country and so is Tonga who produce quality, ie Jonah Lomu.

A friend of mine got a son that plays/played for Germany at wing/fullback, not sure of the club but he went to my old school and partnered Jesse Kriel in 1st XV...they still remain good buddies so his dad tells me. His name is also the same as Springbok Marcel Coetzee No 8 and Flanker) who now plays for Bulls.  

Wondered why Germany has really never taken to rugby, at least in a bigger way?

Union Rugby is an officil sport of the Chinese ar my and the following is an article on the issue:-

Wait for it and read the following article:-

"China seems to have dropped plans to teach 2.5 million soldiers how to play rugby, according to New Zealand army chief Major General Maurice Dodson.

A New Zealand army officer in China last year was approached by the Peoples Liberation Army for help in providing rugby coaches.

When asked how many coaches they wanted, the PLA replied 4000, the Dominion newspaper said Wednesday.

"He gasped and said we couldnt do that," Dodson said.

Dodson, who has just returned from China, said he tried to find out what had happened to the rugby plan.   

"We asked at one point what they were doing about rugby and I got the impression that whoever was trying to make it a big thing had gone off the boil on it," he said.

"I wasnt actually pushing it because I didnt want to get a request for about 4000 rugby coaches."

There may be some stoppages on the big plan - but they would rule the rugby game if it happens.    I doubt whether anyone would be able to provide 4000 coaches to them and to send failed coaches to them will cause major problems.    So Meyer, Coetzee and De Villiers will not be able to help them.   

Duplicate

Interesting update Augie. 

Well if they can play rugby with the precision of military parades...they certainly will be something.

https://youtu.be/XbKJf18DddE

Before World War II, Germany was a big player in world rugby, but after that, it just fell to the wayside. Global problems or national cataclysms can drastically affect the pecking order. We're seeing the rugby landscape change, even before covid. 

@MPower: I didn't list Hamburg as they are not part of the higher divisions. They are in the third division, Rugby-Regionalliga.