A newcomer, the chasing pack and the champions in African Violet.
With Hartpury University also chasing a fourth championship this decade - and a fifth consecutive league title - the new Women's BUCS Super Rugby season brings fresh excitement.
An aligned schedule across BUCS, the PWR, RFU and Celtic Challenge competitions should also provide greater clarity for players competing across different programmes.
Crucially, the adjustment has moved the Women's BUCS Super Rugby Championship final forward to March, as a standalone event before the U21 Six Nations, rather than the final taking place during the tournament in April.
The season will now run from October to March, creating a more intense schedule than usual. However, it could also mean more of the league’s top talent will be available for the business end of the campaign, with fewer clashes with international commitments.
So, 14 rounds, 56 games, eight teams and more eyes on the league than ever before.
It all starts this Wednesday. But first, let’s take a look at the teams and their prospects for the season ahead.
Loughborough University: The champions and their challenge to Hartpury...
Having finally got over that proverbial hump, can the African Violet build on last April’s success and wrestle the league title away from Hartpury?
One player looking to lead that charge is captain Freya MacColl, who also plays in the back three for PWR side Loughborough Lightning.
"I think someone’s got to stop Hartpury doing the double," she told TRU. "Nothing is too small to go for. We will set our sights on everything, give it absolutely everything we’ve got, especially with the new group. We’ve got a lot of exciting freshers."
MacColl also highlighted the importance of last season’s intake of freshers, particularly given the number of players in the squad who also competed in the PWR.
"They all watched how close we got the previous year," MacColl adds, reflecting on the 2024/25 Women's BUCS Super Rugby final which Loughborough lost 30-29 to Cardiff Met.
"They made up so much of our player group, coming in straight away and bringing the energy and the quality up with them. Maybe they didn’t have that heartbreak before and just had that bit of confidence about them."
Loughborough will need that same energy this season, with an additional team in the league, a growing Brunel side, a dangerous Exeter outfit and, of course, the ever-present threat of Hartpury.
However, after finally getting their hands on the championship title, MacColl is confident that a stronger start could put her side in contention for further success.
"Historically, we’ve had a bit of a slow start to the season," she added. "We’ve got some tough games, Hartpury away fairly early on.
“We’ve got to start off strong if we want to do it. Getting that taste for gold, we just want to go after it again."
Their fixture away to Hartpury on November 4th looks set to be one of the standout matches of the opening phase, before the fixtures are reset at the halfway point.
Can Loughborough make a fast start, put Hartpury under pressure and bring their league dynasty to an end?
Hartpury University: The league winners
Hartpury’s fourth consecutive top-division league title - and their three successive championships between 2022-2024 - have cemented their position as the most dominant side in the recent history of women's university rugby.
The Gloucestershire institution completed a perfect league campaign last season, winning all 12 matches and collecting the maximum 60 points.
"We've been in a good spot for the last few years. It (our pathway) has been strong, but obviously we're aware that other institutions are now catching up.
"So, it's about how do we try and stay ahead of the curve or try and stay really strong and relevant within that."
With the newly aligned schedule across BUCS, the PWR, RFU and Celtic Challenge, Ford also discussed the potential benefits for Hartpury, whose squad has been stretched by players' commitments to other competitions.
"It should allow the teams that are strong throughout the league season to be strong in knockout competition as well. Ultimately we challenged the group (last year) to be really tight and connected, and then suddenly they lose a massive cohort. It's almost like we're missing a whole part of the family.
"So for them to go on a journey together and have a chance to get after two trophies for whatever team, for me, I think it's special."
Hartpury's 22-15 semi-final defeat to newly promoted Brunel in the championship last season will have hurt, despite their dominance in the league. However, Ford is enthused by the potential of his squad heading into the new campaign.
"I’m really excited about some of the individuals coming in and how they're going to add because a lot of our first-years and second-years got WBSR exposure last year.
"So, that group are now probably going to step up and be more of a mainstay, and it's exciting to see who can come in and add to that."
With newly promoted Surrey among their early-season opponents, followed by Exeter, Hartpury will be looking to reassert their dominance and add more silverware to their collection.
The question is whether anyone can stop them.
University of Surrey: The debutants
Surrey arrive in BUCS Super Rugby as a breath of fresh air, bringing a new dynamic to the competition.
"Everyone was just over the moon that we’d obviously achieved the goal to get to BUCS Super Rugby.
"Once we had won the league, we had a lot of prep time going into the Nottingham game which was really helpful. We put in a really good performance on the day, and I think the players were just super excited that we won."
That confidence, built on overcoming tough opposition, will be important as Surrey prepare for the step up. But what can they bring to the league this season?
"I think it’s just excitement," Chisholm continued. "We are a new team and a university program that’s very new that people might not have heard of before.
"We’ll be playing an exciting brand of rugby. We are looking forward to having some good competitive games every week, hopefully some tight finishes and exciting fixtures."
Like several teams in the competition, Surrey also benefit from a partnership with a professional club, in their case Harlequins. Chisholm explained how that relationship has helped the programme develop.
"The partnership has been really beneficial for the programme. Both the University and Harlequins have been able to invest in the programme. They have helped build the infrastructure with funding, staffing, resources and things like that."
One player to benefit from the programme is captain and back-rower Chloe Benjamin, who has trained with Harlequins and also recently featured for the club in two of their JAECOO Next Gen Cup matches against Gloucester-Hartpury and Trailfinders Women.
She explained what the connection offers players at the university.
"It gives us something to aspire to, as there are world-class players in that environment. Once you’ve maybe had a couple of seasons at the Uni and maybe you are shining in that environment, you can take a step up and start doing some training sessions or position-specific things."
Now entering her fourth year at university, Benjamin is preparing to lead Surrey into the top division. Her message to her teammates is simple.
"I think honestly it’s just buy-in. The program is amazing, and you’re going to get out of it what you put into it. Take it in your stride, and you’ll get the results."
Surrey travel to Cardiff for their opening fixture, before hosting league champions Hartpury. Can the newcomers make their mark?
Brunel University: From surprise package to title contenders?
Brunel almost completed a dream first season in Women's BUCS Super Rugby last year.
A fifth-place league finish was followed by an impressive run to the championship final, including a semi-final victory over reigning league champions Hartpury that upset the odds.
The final proved a step too far, with Loughborough running out 45-5 winners. Nevertheless, Brunel were one of the standout stories across the BUCS Super Rugby competitions.
"When we came into WBSR last year, one of the main things that I said to the girls wasn't that I wanted them to make a final. It wasn't that we wanted to win Super BUCS. It was that I wanted to topple some top four teams.
"That's what we went into the season with. And I think that gave the girls the freedom to kind of relax. And then at that point [the final], we'd already achieved kind of what I'd set out for us to achieve."
With those expectations exceeded, Burton is now setting her sights on silverware.
"Coming into this year, our goal shifts. It completely shifts into - we want to win Super BUCS. That's what we want to do. I think kind of the change in wording might put a little bit more pressure on the girls and myself.
"But ultimately, as you saw last year, we thrive in pressure situations. So, I think pressure is a privilege, and I'm glad that we now have some of that."
Brunel begin at home against Exeter before travelling to Cardiff Met.
After proving they can compete with the best, the London side will no longer be an unknown quantity. Expectations have risen, but so has their ambition.
Can Brunel take the next step and win their first Women's BUCS Super Rugby title?
Cardiff Met: Finding their edge again
Cardiff Met head into the new season looking to bounce back from a difficult campaign. They finished fourth in the league but were knocked out by Brunel in a shock championship quarter-final defeat.
She continued: "I think obviously we've spoken about the Celtic Challenge before and girls going off into that space. We absolutely love that, and we want to continue to support those girls, but we probably need to re-evaluate how we build a full squad in terms of who sits underneath that and then what the new talent coming through is.
"We probably didn't quite get that right last year, but this year we are looking forward to those types of challenges."
Newton also spoke about the need for more “dog” in her team's mentality this season, alongside their ambition to play an exciting brand of rugby.
"I think we lost a little bit of our dog last year. As coaches, we want things to look and feel good all the time, and that's not the reality of the game. And when pressure comes on, we need the dog to be able to come out."
That grit will be tested immediately when Cardiff Met travel north to face Edinburgh in their opening fixture.
Met are a team which can play a fast, exciting brand of rugby at the best of times, but can they bring a more rounded game this season and let their quality shine?
Cardiff University: Turning promise into points
Cardiff University finished seventh last season after a difficult campaign, although there were encouraging signs along the way.
They secured a win against Edinburgh, pushed eventual championship finalists Brunel close in an epic 33-26 encounter but then suffered a disappointing heavy defeat to Loughborough in the championship quarter-finals.
With another new head coach in Kerry Jenkins and significant turnover in the playing squad, the team from the Welsh capital face a fresh challenge in a competition packed with quality.
"Look, it is a challenge and you know, every season brings a new challenge," Jenkins told BUCS. "Obviously, there's another new team that we've got to contend with so from our perspective, we've got to kind of clear out the noise. Focus on us. Look at what we've got.
"Back to basics is the message from me. Let's hone in on what we've got, what we can control and build every session as we go through."
Cardiff will be aiming to improve on last season's points total and close the gap on the league's leading sides, both in individual matches and across the campaign.
There were glimpses of their potential in performances against Loughborough at home, Cardiff Met in the Cardiff Clash and Brunel away, where they competed for significant periods. The challenge is to reproduce that level more consistently.
A pre-season win against Cardiff Met last Wednesday will be a source of encouragement for them.
"I think we had a lot of good opportunities last year which we didn't quite finish off," Jenkins said. "Some of our basics let us down, so we've looked hard at ourselves. We know what we've got to do and it's about controlling us and doing what we can do really."
Newly promoted Surrey are first up, giving the Welsh side an opportunity to start the season strongly in what should be a competitive contest. After that, they face a daunting trip to Loughborough's Rubber Crumb in Round Two.
Exeter University: Ready to take the next step?
Exeter may feel they had little reward for their efforts last season, having dominated territory and possession in their 24-15 championship semi-final defeat to eventual winners Loughborough.
They finished third in the regular league season after another solid campaign, and the Devon side have established themselves as a quality programme, with numerous alumni going on to play for Exeter Chiefs.
However, since reaching the final [previously the Women's National League before WBSR] in 2022-23, they are yet to return to the big dance.
Their ambition this season will be to change that.
With young Exeter Chiefs player Izzy Newnes-Smith co-captaining alongside Frankie Welsher, Exeter will look to combine quality and experience in those final stages of the season.
They face last season's finalists Brunel away in their opening fixture before welcoming Edinburgh to Devon in Round Two.
Edinburgh University: Can the northern challenge gather momentum?
BUCS Super Rugby's most northerly team may have been disappointed with their campaign last season.
Edinburgh finished sixth, exited the championship at the quarter-final stage and suffered a couple of disappointing defeats towards the end of the season.
However, they have enjoyed an intense pre-season, having prepared for their Scottish Varsity match against the University of St Andrews on 25th September. Edinburgh won that contest 41-7.
With that experience behind them, the question will be whether they can come in fully loaded against teams that haven’t played in a game of similar intensity, something varsity matches are famous for.
Their opening WBSR fixture against Cardiff Met will provide the first test, before they make the 446-mile journey south to Devon to face Exeter.
Women’s BUCS Super Rugby: A growing force
It is clear that Women's BUCS Super Rugby is becoming an increasingly important part of the wider rugby landscape. The revised schedule and the quality of competition both point towards a league that is gaining greater recognition.
With a new team joining the fold, a more intense schedule and several genuine contenders for silverware, the hype is very much real.
Round One Fixtures
Brunel vs Exeter Cardiff vs Surrey Edinburgh vs Cardiff Met Hartpury vs Loughborough - moved to 4 November 2026, with both teams beginning their campaigns in week two.
