The Rugby Regionalliga is the third-highest level of Germany's Rugby union league system, organised by the German Rugby Federation. Its set below the 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga. It is organised in eight regional divisions.
Since 2010, the Regionalliga is only the fourth level of play in Southern Germany, since the interception of the 3rd Liga South/West, which covers the same states as the 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga South/West above it except Bavaria.
The Regionalligas form the third tier of German rugby union since the intereception of the 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga in the early 1990s. Before that, the league was the second tier, below the Rugby-Bundesliga. Below the Regionalliga sits the Rugby-Verbandsliga, however, in some regions, the Regionalliga is the lowest division and no Verbandsliga exists.
The eight leagues cover the following states:
Regionalliga North
Bremen
Hamburg
Lower Saxony (northern parts)
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
Schleswig-Holstein
Regionalliga Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony
Regionalliga East A & B
Berlin
Brandenburg
Saxony
Saxony-Anhalt
Thuringia
Regionalliga North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia
Regionalliga Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate
Saarland
Regionalliga Hesse
Hesse
Regionalliga Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg
Regionalliga Bavaria
Bavaria
Baden-Württemberg (Ulm region)
The champions of the eight leagues play-off at the end of the season for 2nd Bundesliga promotion. In 2007-08, the three northern champions from the Regionalligas East, North and Lower Saxony plus the runners-up from East determined two promoted teams to the 2nd Bundesliga North/East.
The five southern champions determined one promoted team between each other, to the 2nd Bundesliga South/West.
Until 2002, North Rhine-Westphalia played a separate spring and autumn championship.
In 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007, Lower Saxony and East played a combined North/East championship in spring.
Until 2001 and from 2007 to 2009, Lower Saxony played a separate spring and autumn championship.
From 2010-11 onwards no separate Regionalliga North was played.
In 2006-07, RC Mainz competed in both Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate.
In 2005-06, Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate played a combined championship.
Until 2001, Bavaria played a separate spring and autumn championship.
Until 2001, Rhineland-Palatinate played a separate spring and autumn championship.
The league placings in the Regionalliga North:
1 Combined team of VfL Jesteburg and VfL Geesthacht.
2 Welfen Braunschweig played in the Regionalliga Lower Saxony until 2009.
3 Hamburger RC also played in the North/East championship in spring 2006.
The league placings in the Regionalliga Lower Saxony. The league has been defunct since the end of the 2009–10 season:
Until 2001, the league was played in an autumn (A) and a spring (S) championship, with the autumn champion receiving the opportunity to play in the 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga North/East qualification round in spring. From 2003 to 2009, the league was once more divided into autumn and spring. From 2004 to 2007, a North/East championship was played in spring. Since 2010, the clubs from Lower Saxony play in the Regionalliga North and no Regionalliga Lower Saxony exists.
1 Combined reserves team of SV Odin Hannover and VfR Döhren.
2 Combined reserves team of DSV 78 Hannover and SV 08 Ricklingen.
3 Played in the Regionalliga North in 2009-10.
4 Combined team of FC Schwalbe Hannover and the reserve team of DRC Hannover.
5 Combined reserves team of TSV Victoria Linden and DSV 78 Hannover.
6 Combined reserves team of FC Schwalbe Hannover and VfR Döhren.
7 Hamburger RC also played in the Regionalliga North championship in 2005-06.
The league placings in the Regionalliga East:
Until 2007 and again in 2009-10, the league was played in an autumn (A) and a spring (S) championship, with the autumn champion, until 2001, receiving the opportunity to play in the 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga North/East qualification round in spring.
In 2003-04, the league was divided into a northern and a southern group, which played in autumn. The top two teams from the north and the best team from the south then played in the North/East championship in spring. The remaining top teams in each group then played in placings round 1 while the bottom teams played in round 2.
From 2004-05 to 2006-07, the league was played in an A and a B division in autumn. The best teams from the A division then played in the North/East championship in spring. The remaining teams from the A division and the winner of B then played in the placings round 1. The worst team in the A group and the rest of B played in round 2.
In 2007-08 and 2008–09, an A and a B division existed with a standard home-and-away season and no separate autumn and spring rounds.
In 2009-10, all clubs in the East played a single autumn round in one division. The rop five then played in the A division in spring while the bottom six played in the B division.
1 Combined team of the reserve side of RU Hohen Neuendorf and Stahl Hennigsdorf Rugby.
2 Combined team of the reserve side of RV Dresden and Sachsen-Anhalter SV.
3 Combined team of the reserve side of USV Potsdam Rugby and Berlin Grizzlies.
The league placings in the Regionalliga North Rhine-Westphalia:
Until 2002, the league was played in an autumn (A) and a spring (S) championship, with the autumn champion, until 2001, receiving the opportunity to play in the 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga South/West qualification round in spring. Since the 2013–14 season the league has been split into a Rhineland and Westphalia division.
1 Combined team of Brühler TV and RC Hürth.
2 Combined team of WMTV Solingen and SVD Sundwig.
Rhineland-Palatinate
The league placings in the Regionalliga Rhineland-Palatinate. The league has been defunct since the end of the 2013–14 season:
Until 2001, the league was played in an autumn (A) and a spring (S) championship, with the autumn champion receiving the opportunity to play in the 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga South/West qualification round in spring.
1 Combined team of FSV Trier-Tarforst and DJK Andernach.
2 Combined team of RC Worms and a team from Speyer.
3 In 2006-07, RC Mainz took part in both the Regionalliga Hesse and Regionalliga Rhineland-Palatinate.
4 In 2005-06, the Regionalliga Hesse and Regionalliga Rhineland-Palatinate played as a joined league. SC 1880 Frankfurt II, Eintracht Frankfurt Rugby, RU Marburg, Blau-Gelb Darmstadt and URC Gießen 01 are clubs from Hesse.
5 In 2003-04, RC Worms took part in both the Regionalliga Hesse and Regionalliga Rhineland-Palatinate.
6 Combined team of the reserve team of RC Mainz and TuS Horrweiler.
The league placings in the Regionalliga Hesse:
1 Combined team of RU Marburg and CRC Babenhausen.
2 Combined team of the third team of SC 1880 Frankfurt and CRC Babenhausen.
3 In 2006-07, RC Mainz took part in both the Regionalliga Hesse and Regionalliga Rhineland-Palatinate.
4 In 2005-06, the Regionalliga Hesse and Regionalliga Rhineland-Palatinate played as a joined league. RC Mainz, RC Worms and the Ramstein Rogues RFC are clubs from Rhineland-Palatinate.
5 In 2003-04, RC Worms took part in both the Regionalliga Hesse and Regionalliga Rhineland-Palatinate.
6 Combined team of the reserve team of RK Heusenstamm and the TGS Hausen.
7 Combined team of the reserve team of BSC Offenbach and the Blau-Gelb Darmstadt.
8 Combined team of CRC Babenhausen and TGS Hausen.
The league placings in the Regionalliga Baden-Württemberg. The league has been defunct since the end of the 2011–12 season:
Until 2001, the league was played in an autumn (A) and a spring (S) championship, with the autumn champion receiving the opportunity to play in the 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga South/West qualification round in spring. No competition has been held since 2012.
1 Combined team of RC Konstanz and TSB Ravensburg.
2 Combined team of RC Rottweil and the reserve team of Stuttgarter RC.
3 Combined team of Karlsruher SV Rugby, TV Pforzheim and the reserve team of Heidelberger TV.
4 Combined team of Karlsruher SV Rugby and TV Pforzheim.
5 Combined team of the reserve team of SC Neuenheim and TV Pforzheim.
The league placings in the Regionalliga Bavaria, which was formed shortley after the Bavarian Rugby Federation in 1996:
Until 2001, the league was played in an autumn (A) and a spring (S) championship, with the autumn champion receiving the opportunity to play in the 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga South/West qualification round in spring. As the 2000 autumn champions, München RFC II, was ineligible to compete in the 2nd Bundesliga, being a reserves team, the second placed team, TSV 1846 Nürnberg, went instead.
