New club competition set to launch in European rugby

The competition has been created to help develop rugby in the region. Rather than replacing existing domestic competitions or the Rugby Europe Super Cup, Ascent Rugby is designed to provide additional fixtures that allow teams to regularly test themselves against higher-level opposition.

The inaugural competition will feature seven teams, with two each from Germany, SC Frankfurt 1880 and Vanguard, and the Netherlands, The Dukes and RC Eemland. Czechia's RC Tatra Smíchov, Poland's Pogon Siedlce and Belgium's Boitsfort Rugby Club complete the line-up.

Ascent Rugby has been founded by four Germans, Rugby Bundesliga boss Niko Colic, Henry Blunck and former Germany internationals Timo Vollenkemper and Felix Lammers.

Explaining the thinking behind the new competition, co-founder Blunck said, "We have a huge deficit when it comes to rugby and options to play better rugby in Germany and Central Europe.

"What we're aiming at with Ascent Rugby is to give good teams in our region a possibility to play on a better level, to develop their players, to get visibility on a higher level and in the end to develop the sport of rugby in our region. That's the main goal."

Clubs from across Europe, as well as teams from as far afield as Asia, expressed an interest in taking part, with the competition's low barriers to entry helping attract potential participants.

There is currently no set league table or formal competition structure, with the primary focus instead being on player development.

Ascent Rugby will operate through a series of six-team festivals held at a single venue, with multiple matches taking place across one day. The format is designed to reduce travel and infrastructure costs while also creating more of an event atmosphere.

Six teams will travel to one location, meaning only one journey is required for each club while the necessary infrastructure and matchday facilities can be shared across the festival.

The first festival will take place in Frankfurt on August 22, with the second scheduled for s'-Hertogenbosch [Den Bosch] in the Netherlands the following weekend.

Dates and venues for festivals three, four and five have yet to be confirmed, although Blunck says the plan is to stage five events during the coming season.

Germany finds itself in a unique position, with interest in rugby continuing to grow off the pitch despite concerns over the development of the sport itself.

"Everybody involved in rugby in Germany, they see two things. One, is that the level of rugby in Germany is not really developing in the right direction," Blunck explained.

"The national team has just been relegated from the Rugby Europe Championship and the Bundesliga is doing okay but is not making huge improvements.

"But, on the other hand, the TV market is going up. We're seeing increasing viewership numbers when it comes to the Six Nations and the Rugby World Cup in 2023 was a huge success for broadcasting partners in Germany. So, the interest is going up, but the sporting level is decreasing.

"Whenever you talk to someone in the community they say that we have to do something. We have to become better in giving players a better opportunity to increase the level of rugby."

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