British Columbia Rugby Union

The British Columbia Rugby Union (BCRU) is the provincial administrative body for rugby union in British Columbia, Canada. The BCRU consists of nine sub-unions and 65 clubs. It was originally organized in New Westminster in 1889 where Alfred St. George Hamersley, the former England rugby union captain and recent immigrant to Vancouver, and member of Vancouver Football (Rugby) Club, became the first President.^[2] The same man is credited with founding the Amateur Athletic Club of British Columbia.^[3] and previously had introduced the game of rugby to the youth of South Canterbury, New Zealand.^[4] The current headquarters is on the west side of Vancouver.

British Columbia is considered a hotspot for rugby in Canada, as its mild weather allows the sport to be played year-round.

The BCRU is responsible for organizing the British Columbia Premier League, the provincial men's club championship, and the Ruth Hellerud-Brown Senior Women's Premier Competition. It also oversees provincial representative teams which compete for national championships organized by Rugby Canada.

The BCRU also has a British Columbia Rugby Hall of Fame.

The BC Premier League is the highest level of amateur rugby in British Columbia. Many current and former Canadian internationals have participated in the league as well as a number of high-level foreign born players. The champions of the league's playoff system are awarded the Rounsefell Cup.

The BC Premier League is open to a maximum of 12 teams and features the following clubs from Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland.^[5] Prior to the 2024-25 season, 12 teams competed, but Seattle left the Premier League for an American domestic competition and the Vancouver Rowing Club was demoted to the First Division. The Pacific Pride is a developmental team for the Canadian National Team and does not play as many games as the rest of the league.

The Province Wide First Division includes 18 teams from Vancouver Island, the Lower Mainland and the Fraser Valley, 10 of which are reserve sides for the Premier League.

The Province Wide Second Division includes 10 teams, with 1 reserve side (Meralomas) as well as the following clubs from the Lower Mainland, the Thompson-Okanagan region and the Fraser Valley.

The Province Wide Third Division is split into 5 conferences, the Mainland League, the Island League, the Okanagan League, the Kootenay League and the Interior League. The Mainland and Island leagues compete during the fall, winter and spring while the Okanagan, Kootenay and Interior leagues compete during the spring and summer. The champions of the league's 5 conferences play for the Saratoga Cup each Fall.

This league includes 11 teams, 9 of which are reserve sides, as well as the following clubs from the Lower Mainland.

The BC Rugby Union also runs a tiered league system for women's teams. There are three tiers, the Women's Premier League, Women's Division One and Women's Division Two Tier 1. The makeup of the teams in each tier is similar to the men, save for a few changes. The lists only include non-reserve teams.^[6]

• Burnaby Lake
• Westshore
• Meralomas
• Castaway Wanderers
• Vancouver Thunderbirds
• Seattle
• Abbotsford
• UBCOB

• Comox Valley Kickers
• Kamloops
• Bayside Sharks
• Capilano
• James Bay
• Nanaimo Hornets
• United
• Cowichan Piggies

• Chilliwack Crusaders
• Simon Fraser RC
• Kelowna Crows
• Vancouver Rowing Club
• Ridge Meadows Bruins
• Langley
• Richmond
• Scribes

Since 1922, the Rounsefell Cup has been awarded to the Men's Premier League champions. Since 2015, the cup has only been won by two clubs, the UBC Thunderbirds and UBC Old Boys Ravens. James Bay has won the most titles by far, with Meralomas coming in 2nd with 13. Of the current Premier League teams, Westshore, Burnaby Lake and the Pacific Pride have not won the Rounsefell Cup.^[7]

• Rugby Canada
• Fraser Valley Rugby Union
• Vancouver Rugby Union
• British Columbia Men's Premier League
• Vancouver Rogues
• Coastal Cup

• Official website