New Rugby Europe Super Cup to 'bridge the gap' between club and Test rugby

Rugby Europe - in conjunction with World Rugby - are launching a new European club competition: The Rugby Europe Super Cup.

Kicking off in September, the new, two conference competition with run in parallel to the EPCR's current elite competitions and will cater to clubs from European rugby's emerging nations. It's the first-ever club competition solely for the emerging Rugby Unions in Europe and bids to make their parent nations more competitive at Test level.

A Rugby Europe statement reads: "This new competitive annual club competition will see a mix of professional club and franchise teams battling it out for the Super Cup title through an exciting competition format. For the first edition, the Super Cup will feature 8 leading teams dispatched in two conferences for the initial round robin stage"

The Eastern Conference includes The Black Lions from Georgia, The Tel-Aviv Heat from Israel and Enisey-STM and Lokomotiv Penza from Russia.

The Western Conference will include the Brussells Devils from Belgium, The Delta from the Netherlands, The Lusitanos from Portugal and The Castilla Leon Iberians from Spain.

"The Rugby Europe Super Cup will create a high-performance pathway for the development of panEuropean rugby talent, that will be reflected in the competitiveness of the club and franchise teams,

as well as in the Rugby Europe National Teams level of performance.

"In future years, it is Rugby Europe’s ambition to extend the Super Cup to new teams and new

countries to increase the standards of the game, on and off the field, across the Continent and

strengthen the player pathway of the national teams."

World Rugby Chairman, Sir Bill Beaumont said: “World Rugby’s strategic mission is to make rugby a global sport for all. The Rugby Europe Super Cup launched today is an exciting growth opportunity across Europe where rugby appetite and potential is significant. Importantly, this competition will bridge the gap between domestic and international competition for the nations involved, reflecting our ambition to increase the overall competitiveness of the international game. I would like to extend my thanks to all involved and look forward to the Rugby Europe Super Cup kicking off.”

Octavian Morariu, President of Rugby Europe: “The launch of the Rugby Europe Super Cup is the result of a long process to create the key-milestone in the progression of our unions. Thanks to this annual competition, players will experience the High-Performance level regularly and the national teams will benefit from this permanent training. This is also an opportunity for Rugby Europe to promote European Rugby and open new territories for sponsors and media. "

All the 27 matches of the competition will be filmed and widely broadcast on TV and digital platforms

for a major exposure of the competition throughout Europe and the world.