The Students’ RFU announced the return of the Men’s England Students Programme for one more year in 2022.
The confirmation follows positive negotiations with the French Universities and the RFU, to rearrange the fixture from 2019, postponed due to the pandemic.
The event is planned to take place in the North-East of England on either 22nd, 23rd, 24th April 2022 – exact date and time to be confirmed.
England Students’ Head Coach, Darren Fearn commented: “We are delighted that the planning and preparation for the England Students program is up and running, I am sure I speak for many in thanking the Students RFU for making this possible. The opportunity for students to play at the pinnacle of Higher Education rugby is a huge honour not only for those individuals but the institutions they represent week in week out.”
Team Manager, Paul Baty added: "We can’t wait to get going. After a tough time for everyone it’s great to be planning our first international fixture for more than two years, we are looking forward to working with the players selected. The student’s game goes from strength to strength providing Rugby for thousands of players every week with quite a few becoming Professionals.”
The programme has fallen victim to the financial challenges the RFU faced in the last 24 months, forcing a decision to suspend funding for aspirational programmes and Constituent Body Rep teams. This year’s fixture will be funded by the Students’ RFU from its reserves as agreed in 2019, however, it is unknown if funding for the programme will be re-instated in the future.
The decision will take into account the need for equal representation of the women’s game, sustainability of funding and the most appropriate was to support the university game as part of the player pathway, as well as input from the rugby community.
For the eligibility criteria and nominations process visit the Students’ RFU website: