Rugby: Super6 set to return with new spring competition

Scottish Rugby has announced the FOSROC Super6 will return in the spring, with two competitions taking place during the calendar year.

Now entering its fourth year the part-time professional league, which awarded franchises to six teams in 2018 (Ayrshire Bulls, Boroughmuir Bears, Heriot’s, Southern Knights, Stirling County and Watsonians), is hoping this is the first competitive playing season not impacted by covid.

The first competition in 2022 will be the Super6 Sprint Series to start in April which will then be followed by the Super6 Championship, which will start late summer.

The Super6 Sprint Series will start on the weekend of Saturday 16 April, with all six participating teams playing each other once. The league will then be split with the teams who finished in the top half playing the teams who finished in the bottom half over three weekends of play-offs to determine the final placings.

Cameron Fenton of Heriot's makes a break against Boroughmuir Bears in October. The two teams will go head-to-head in a new competition this spring

Following the Super6 Sprint Series, teams will combine to participate in a one-off match representing the East and West of Scotland. Players from Southern Knights, Heriot’s and Watsonians will be selected to represent the East with players from Ayrshire Bulls, Stirling County and Boroughmuir Bears selected to represent the west.

The Super6 Championship itself will kick-off in the first weekend of August following a playing window that proved successful last year. The structure of the championship will mean that every team plays each other twice, with semi-finals and a destination Grand Final.

Over the course of the year teams will compete in between 17 to 20 competitive fixtures, dependant on league standings.

As in previous years, five Scottish Rugby contracted academy players will be aligned to each of the six clubs to enhance the development of the next generation alongside their full-time training at either Edinburgh or Glasgow Warriors.

Scottish Rugby’s director of performance, Jim Mallinder said: “To now have two windows in which to play Super6 rugby, the spring and late summer, is hugely beneficial in helping players develop and prepare better for a professional rugby environment.”

Scottish Rugby will also provide financial support to the six teams in the appointment of a full-time general manager to lead on their respective Super6 team’s off-field operations.