Finnish Championship League (''Rugbyn
SM-sarja'') is the premier
rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In it ...
competition in
Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bot ...
, formed in 2002. The league is governed by the Finnish Rugby Federation, the governing body for Rugby union in Finland. The league is played in summer months. Ten teams took part in the competition since 2014 season until 2016 season but from 2017 season onwards the competition has been held between six teams. The reigning champion (2022) is
Helsinki RC
Helsinki Rugby Club (colloquially known as HRC) is a Finnish Rugby union, rugby club based in Helsinki. Founded in 1999, it is the oldest and biggest (in terms of registered players) club in Finland. They currently play in the Finnish Championship ...
.
Clubs in 2022
*
Eagles RFC,
Turku
Turku ( ; ; sv, Åbo, ) is a city and former capital on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River, in the region of Finland Proper (''Varsinais-Suomi'') and the former Turku and Pori Province (''Turun ja Porin lääni''; ...
*
Helsinki RC
Helsinki Rugby Club (colloquially known as HRC) is a Finnish Rugby union, rugby club based in Helsinki. Founded in 1999, it is the oldest and biggest (in terms of registered players) club in Finland. They currently play in the Finnish Championship ...
,
Helsinki
Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...
*
Jyväskylä RC,
Jyväskylä
*
Kuopio RC,
Kuopio
Kuopio (, ) is a Finnish city and municipality located in the region of Northern Savonia. It has a population of , which makes it the most populous municipality in Finland. Along with Joensuu, Kuopio is one of the major urban, economic, and cu ...
*
Porvoo RC,
Porvoo
Porvoo (; sv, Borgå ; la, Borgoa) is a city and a municipality in the Uusimaa region of Finland, situated on the southern coast about east of the city border of Helsinki and about from the city centre. Porvoo was one of the six medieva ...
*
Warriors RC,
Helsinki
Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...
Champions
*2002 – Helsinki RUFC
*2003 – Helsinki RUFC (2)
*2004 – Jyväskylä RC
*2005 – Jyväskylä RC (2)
*2006 – Tampere RC
*2007 – Tampere RC (2)
*2008 – Warriors RC
*2009 – Warriors RC (2)
*2010 – Warriors RC (3)
*2011 – Warriors RC (4)
*2012 – Warriors RC (5)
*2013 – Tampere RC (3)
*2014 – Helsinki RUFC (3)
*2015 – Warriors RC (6)
*2016 – Helsinki RUFC (4)
*2017 – Jyväskylä RC (3)
*2018 – Warriors RC (7)
*2019 – Warriors RC (8)
*2020 – Helsinki RUFC (5)
*2021 – Helsinki RUFC (6)
*2022 – Helsinki RUFC (7)
See also
*
Rugby union in Finland
External links
Finnish Rugby Federation
{{Rugby union in Europe
Rugby union competitions in Finland
National rugby union premier leagues
Fin
2002 establishments in Finland
Sports leagues established in 2002
Professional sports leagues in Finland