2015 Varsity Rugby was the 2015 edition of four rugby union competitions annually played between several university teams in South Africa. It was contested from January to April 2015 and was the eighth edition of these competitions.
Contents
Rules
All four 2015 Varsity Rugby competitions used a different scoring system to the regular system. Tries were worth five points as usual, but conversions were worth three points, while penalties and drop goals were only worth two points.
All Varsity Cup games also had two referees officiating each game, props' jerseys featured a special gripping patch to ensure better binding, intended to reduce collapsing scrums and the mark was extended to the entire field.
Varsity Cup
The following teams competed in the 2015 Varsity Cup: Maties, NMMU Madibaz, NWU Pukke, UCT Ikey Tigers, UFS Shimlas, UJ, UP Tuks and CUT Ixias, who took part in this competition for the first time following their promotion from the 2014 Varsity Shield. The tournament was won by UFS Shimlas, who beat NWU Pukke 63–33 in the final. There was no relegation at the end of 2015.
Varsity Shield
The following teams competed in the 2015 Varsity Shield: TUT Vikings, UFH Blues, UKZN Impi, UWC and Wits, who have been relegated from the 2014 Varsity Cup. The tournament was won by UKZN Impi, who beat Wits 29–24 in the final. There was no promotion at the end of 2015.
Competition Rules
There were eight participating universities in the 2015 Young Guns competition. These teams were divided into two pools and each team played every team in the other pool once over the course of the season, either home or away.
Teams received four points for a win and two points for a draw. Bonus points were awarded to teams that scored four or more tries in a game, as well as to teams that lost a match by seven points or less. Teams were ranked by log points, then points difference (points scored less points conceded).
The top two teams overall qualified for the title play-off final.
Standings
The final league standings for the 2015 Varsity Cup Young Guns were:
Fixtures and results
The 2015 Varsity Cup Young Guns fixtures were as follows:
Competition Rules
There were eight participating teams in the 2015 Koshuis Rugby Championship competition, the winners of the internal leagues of each of the eight Varsity Cup teams. These teams were divided into two pools and each team played every team in the other pool once over the course of the season, either home or away.
Teams received four points for a win and two points for a draw. Bonus points were awarded to teams that scored four or more tries in a game, as well as to teams that lost a match by seven points or less. Teams were ranked by log points, then points difference (points scored less points conceded).
The top two teams overall qualified for the title play-off final.
Standings
The final league standings for the 2015 Koshuis Rugby Championship were:
Fixtures and results
The 2015 Koshuis Rugby Championship fixtures were as follows: