University Rugby Update: May 2026
- England Rugby Universities
- May 28
- 3 min read
This is the last URU of the season – keep an eye on our socials @englandrugbyunis and website for news and opportunities over the summer https://www.englandrugby-unis.com/news
Students RFU AGM – Sign Up
Join us at the 2026 SRFU AGM and have your say as we continue to represent and strengthen the voice of university rugby together.
When: (online) Wednesday 17 June at 13.00 -14.00pm
Sign up HERE
England Students Women Return This July
England Students Women are back this summer and building on all the momentum from last year’s brilliant return.
The squad will come together for a camp running from 6th to 12th July, before once again taking on UK Armed Forces Women in what promises to be another exciting fixture. READ
Join the England Students Women’s Programme
We’re now recruiting volunteer Physiotherapist and Performance Analyst roles for this summer’s England Students Women’s programme. Explore the opportunities and apply HERE
May Spotlight: More Than a Match
The England Students Men’s programme is about far more than what happens on the pitch. From community impact to shared experiences, this year’s camp showed the true value of the student game. READ
Development Day and University Rugby Awards
The 2026 University Rugby Development Day and Awards took place at Sixways Stadium, Worcester. The event brought together coaches, club leaders, volunteers and student rugby representatives from across the country for a day built around the theme ‘Your Game, Your Identity, Your Future’. Featuring keynote speaker Abby Dow, practical workshops and the presentation of this year’s University Rugby Awards, the event celebrated people and programmes driving university rugby forward.
Read more about the day and see the Award winners here Identity, Innovation and Impact at the 2026 University Rugby Development Day
University Ticket Offer – Watch this Space!
As part of a celebration of Community Rugby we will be issuing a unique 50% discount code to universities with players registered for adult category 4/3/2 tickets for the England V Japan game in November. This means ticket prices starting at just £25.50!
The code will be issued to the confirmed contact for International Tickets in the coming weeks so now is a great time to log in and make sure your GMS roles (including International Ticket Contact) are up to date and also confirmed with Ticketing Customer Services via https://help.englandrugby.com/support/tickets/new
*discount not applicable to Premium or category 1 tickets
England Students’ Men Match Report
The England Students’ men’s side secured their first victory in ‘Le Crunch Universitaire’ in three years in a thrilling 55-42 encounter with France Universities at the home of Newcastle Red Bulls.
Read the full match report HERE
Watch HERE
University Rugby Union Reporting
We are once again asking all Non-Partner funded* universities to complete their participation data for the season. Collecting this information is essential to inform our work within the sector, and demonstrate the scale and impact of university rugby, building on the data collected in the 2024/25 season that has helped us grow our work across the sector, increasing recognition of university rugby at all levels of the game.
Please complete (or delegate completion) a brief capture form here (one submission per institution) by the 2nd June.
*Partner funded institutions will complete a separate reporting form sent directly to Partner contacts.
BUCS Student Leagues Survey
The BUCS Student Survey for all BUCS league participants is LIVE.
Completing this survey will help us understand your journey with BUCS, what you have enjoyed and the areas we can improve on, to ensure an exceptional student experience for current and future students. You will also be entered into a prize draw, with multiple One4All vouchers to be won!
‘Leave It All On the Pitch’ Competition Winner
Congratulations to University of Salford Women’s Rugby Union who won a £1000 Gilbert voucher as part of our ‘Leave It All on the Pitch’ campaign.
Thank you to everyone who entered.
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