2. Rugby-Bundesliga

The 2. Rugby-Bundesliga is the second-highest level of Germany's Rugby union league system, organised by the German Rugby Federation. Its set below the Rugby-Bundesliga, the top-tier of German rugby, and above the Rugby-Regionalliga, the third tier.

The league was undergoing a major revamp for the 2012-13 season with the number of clubs expanded from 20 to 24 and the league divided into four regional divisions of six teams each. Above the 2nd Bundesliga the Bundesliga was organised in a similar fashion.

History

The Second Bundesligas were formed after the German reunion in the early 1990s, originally as four regional leagues, North, East, West and South. Later, the four leagues were merged to form the current two leagues, South/West and North/East.

Since 2002, the two champions of the leagues play a 2nd Bundesliga championship final which also determines the club promoted to the Bundesliga.

The bottom clubs in the league are relegated to the Rugby-Regionalliga, the third tier of rugby in Germany. The top-teams of the Regionalliga are promoted in turn.

1. Rugby Bundesliga

The 1. Rugby Bundesliga is the top level of domestic club rugby union competition in Austria.

History

The competition was first contested in 1992, with RC Wien as the first champions.

For the 1993/1994 season, the four strongest Austrian teams competed with two Slovenian teams in the Alpenliga (Alps League), which replaced the Bundesliga. This arrangement was repeated in the 1994/1995 season, with three Austrian teams playing against two Slovenian teams and RK Sisak from Croatia.

The 1995/1996 season was the first time 1. and 2. Bundesligen were played, but reverted to a single league for all clubs in 1996/1997 because of the progress made by the newer clubs. The difference in playing standards were however too large, and the following two seasons saw three of the Viennese clubs - RC Wien, Vienna Celtic, and RC Lycee - take on three Czech clubs in the Austro-Moravian League. This meant that the remaining clubs battled it out for the Bundesliga.

Current teams

2010-11 season

Results

2011–12 Rugby-Bundesliga

The 2011–12 Rugby-Bundesliga was the 41st edition of this competition and the 92nd edition of the German rugby union championship. In the Rugby-Bundesliga, the first division, ten teams played a home-and-away season with semi-finals and a final between the top four teams at the end. The season started on 27 August 2010 and finished with the championship final on 5 May 2012, interrupted by a winter break from mid-December to late February. The league's top try scorer was Caine Elisara for the second year running while Luke James Muggeridge took out the honours of best points scorer for the first time. Both are from New Zealand and played for Heidelberger RK.

The league was won by Heidelberger RK who defeated TV Pforzheim 20-16 to earn its third consecutive title. TV Pforzheim played in its first-ever German championship final, having defeated SC 1880 Frankfurt 46–25 in the semi-finals. Frankfurt had played in the previous five finals and won the championship in 2008 and 2009. The second semi-final was played between HRK and SC Neuenheim with the former winning 71–21.