BUCS SUPER RUGBY: HOW TO FOLLOW OUR BRUNEL TEAMS THIS SEASON
Our Brunel Men’s side begin their home campaign in their first season in BUCS Super Rugby tomorrow evening (7pm), right here at Trailfinders Sports Club, as they face Bath in what is the next exciting step for the Trailfinders Rugby Academy pathway.
After securing promotion with a playoff final victory last season, the men join our Brunel Women’s side in BUCS Super Rugby (BSR). The women have already shown what is possible, reaching the BSR Final in their very first season in the competition. It was a remarkable achievement that underlined the progress being made through our partnership with Brunel University.
For supporters less familiar with the competition, BUCS stands for British Universities and Colleges Sport, the organisation behind university-level sport across the UK. BUCS Super Rugby is the highest level of its rugby union programme, bringing together leading university teams and giving players the opportunity to combine their studies with high-level rugby.
For our players, it is an important step towards the professional game. Josh Taylor and Lefty Zigiriadis are just two recent examples of those who progressed through the Brunel pathway into our senior side, before making their next step to PREM Rugby.
Paddy Gill, Head of Rugby at Trailfinders Rugby Academy, explained the importance of last year’s promotion:
“Getting to BSR means everything to the programme. Having a team at the top level is the icing on the cake, but for everybody within it, it gives them somewhere to go”
“It gives players the opportunity to play at the highest level, bridge that gap to the seniors, put themselves on television and in front of more people at stadiums, play at good grounds and really challenge themselves.”
Our Brunel women’s side also benefits from the coaching expertise of some of our own Trailfinders Women professional players – including Abi Burton, Meg Jones, and Ella Amory – who share their experience from the highest level of women’s rugby with the next generation.
Abi Burton recently highlighted how working with elite athletes helps the Brunel squad see what they can aspire to achieve themselves, with a clear goal: “we want to develop young players to go on and play in the PWR”. Two players excelling, and proving examples of this are Hayley Jones and Annabel Meta, who each recently received transition contracts with the Red Roses.
Supporters can follow the development of our young players throughout the season, with selected men’s and women’s fixtures taking place at Trailfinders Sports Club, starting with tomorrow evening’s Brunel Men vs Bath tie at 7pm.
There will also be further opportunities to follow both teams, as BUCS last week announced a three-year partnership with Clubber TV, meaning every men’s and women’s BUCS Super Rugby fixture will be streamed live this season.
Supporters will also have the opportunity to watch BUCS Super Rugby in person, with selected games involving our teams taking place at Trailfinders Sports Club throughout the season.
Keep your eye on our channels for fixture information, and read more about the new BUCS x Clubber partnership here.
