Rugby Europe Super Cup fixtures announced with curious twist

Rugby Europe have announced the fixtures for this season’s Rugby Europe Super Cup, which will take place between October and December. The sixth edition will be played over five weekends in a round-robin format, beginning on October 10.

After three rounds of fixtures in October, the tournament will pause during the November Test match window before resuming in December.

The Portuguese Lusitanos, Czechia’s Bohemia Rugby Warriors, the Netherlands’ Delta, Belgium’s Brussels Devils and Romania’s Romanian Wolves are all set for another season of high-intensity rugby as they battle for Super Cup glory.

One of the main changes for 2026 will be Castilla y León Iberians’ absence, just months after the Spanish franchise won the tournament for the first time. The Spanish Rugby Union decided to withdraw the team from the competition and is currently exploring its options for the future, with the only certainty being the franchise’s participation in the Tbilisi Cup, which will take place between September 24 and October 4.

With the Iberians’ departure, a new champion will emerge. For the Portuguese and Romanian franchises, the competition will be crucial preparation for the second round of Nations Cup fixtures, with many of their domestic players set to feature in the Super Cup.

The competition kicked off in 2021, with the Georgian side Black Lion winning the title four times in a row, a feat that earned them qualification for the EPCR Challenge Cup in the last three seasons.

The Super Cup has been instrumental in raising the profiles of many players, such as Luka Matkava, Luka Ivanishvili and Rodrigo Marta. It has provided a platform to showcase their abilities and helped many others earn opportunities to feature for their national teams and secure their places among the best.

The matches will be streamed in full on Rugby Europe TV and RugbyPass TV.