University Rugby League Round Up | BUCS Men’s Northern and Southern Tiers get underway in 2025/26

Northumbria University Men’s 2 edged out Liverpool John Moores University Men’s in a thriller to kick off Northern Tier 1 - 1A in style.

Northumbria University 1, Loughborough University 1 and national champions Leeds Beckett University kicked off a brand new BUCS University Rugby League season in high-scoring fashion, and alongside its southern counterpart, the Northern Tier kicked off with a cracker this week as last season’s National Trophy runners-up Liverpool John Moores University hosted Northumbria University 2 at Thatto Heath Crusaders.

The visitors set out early to suffocate Liverpool John Moores, and through a combination of their own punishing defence and their hosts’ inability to look after the ball, Northumbria’s Jacob Rennison took advantage of a knock-on and slalomed his way through a series of despairing LJMU tackles to score the first try of the game.

The territory gained and the ease with which they marched up the pitch saw Northumbria opt to run last tackle plays on more than one occasion in the first ten minutes, and a crucial slip from second-rower Joe

Chadwick allowed Rennison in again on the right-hand side to race towards the try line. With the angles closing on the centre, he arrowed a pass back in-field to the supporting Jake Griffiths, who raced under the sticks to double Northumbria’s lead.

It was 25 minutes before LJMU successfully completed a full set on the Northumbria line, but the visitors looked comfortable in defence and then stretched their advantage with Joe Bradley’s penalty in front of the

John Moores uprights. Bradley urged his teammates to not become complacent and continue their first-half dominance into the second forty.

Half-time: Liverpool John Moores University 0-10 Northumbria University 2

More handling errors from LJMU looked to have taken the game out of sight as Player of the Match Max Hope was the beneficiary of a flowing Northumbria move before handing off to hooker Matty Rolls to finish off under the posts. Bradley converted four into six to give his team a 16-point lead early in the second half.

It would have been an unassailable lead had the right-edge not squandered a certain try after Rolls’ explosive dummy-half scoot that left the LJMU markers for dead.

That let off seemed to finally spark the home team into life barely a minute later. A chipped kick into the right corner turned the Northumbria defence around, and although the bounce forced Alfie Robinson to collect the ball on the rise, the referee adjudged the winger to have been tackled in the air by his opposite number Olly Egan and awarded a penalty try - an easy conversion for full-back Ben Foster.

The John Moores offence was now full of intent, and they seemed content to attack from all areas of the pitch. A charge from deep eventually put the ball in the hands of Chadwick, who atoned for his slip in the first-half and shrugged off a number of Northumbria tacklers to power over the line. Foster was unable to add the conversion, but the momentum had firmly swung back to the home side. While Northumbria were searching for answers to their lapses in defence, LJMU took advantage again, forcing an error just yards from their opponents’ try line. From the base of the scrum on tackle one, the ball was shifted left and Conor Travis produced a great show of strength to score and bring his team to within two points - Foster was unable to level proceedings with a tough conversion from the touchline.

It looked like John Moores were set to produce the unlikeliest of comebacks, but crucial handling errors in attacking positions saw Northumbria breathe a huge sigh of relief and hold on to the opening day win.

LJMU captain Euan Haynes and forward George Moffitt both expressed their disappointment at the narrow defeat, but with a raft of debutants in the squad, Moffitt is not getting carried away with the loss, “We could have had [Northumbria] there at the end. We’re a team full of freshers, but it’s only the first game of the season.”

Full-time: Liverpool John Moores University 14-16 Northumbria University 2

Liverpool John Moores University

1. Ben Foster 2. Alfie Robinson 3. Ethan Shelerdine 4. Conor Travis 5. Raffy Wilson 6. Reece Robinson 7. Ollie Brady 8. Joseph Mountcastle 9. Oscar Halsall 10. Euan Haynes (C) 11. Kynan Selby 12. Joe Chadwick 13. George Moffitt 14. Oskar Marsh 15. Lewis Fairhurst 16. Jacob Lacey 17. Josh Webster 18. Alex Thomas

Penalty Tries: Alfie Robinson

Tries: Joe Chadwick

Conversions: Ben Foster

Northumbria University 2

1. Joe Bradley 2. Olly Egan 3. Max Hope 4. Jacob Rennison 5. Kian Maloney 6. Dylan Whitham 7. Jake Griffiths 8. Jude Sander 9. Matty Rolls 10. Isaac Oughton 11. Harry Elvidge 12. Max Freeman 13. Rob Mensah 14. Alfie Bradley 15. Bobby Richards 16. Tom Standish 17. Michael Imadiyi

Tries: Jacob Rennison, Jake Griffiths, Matty Rolls

Conversions: Joe Bradley

Penalties: Joe Bradley

Cross-city rivals University of Liverpool were similarly edged out in another classic encounter, going down18-16 away to University of Hull. Performance of the week, however, came from their Northern Tier 1 - 1A rivals Newcastle University, who travelled to Northern Conference Champions Sheffield Hallam University and produced a dominant 70-0 win to stamp their early authority on the division.

In another game of the week contender, Cardiff University made a winning start to life in Southern Tier 1 - 1A, sneaking past Loughborough University 2 in a 18-22 thriller. In Southern Tier 2 - 2A, there were big wins for University of Leicester and Warwick University over University of Northampton and University of Birmingham, respectively, and it was a tough afternoon for University of Nottingham 2 who went down 0 points to 52 against University of Gloucestershire.

Meanwhile, in the National League, Leeds Beckett University and Northumbria University 1 look to be in imperious form once again just six months after their epic battle in the National Championship final at Loughborough University. Fresh from being the hat-trick hero in his rugby league debut last week, Beckett’s

Henry Hazlem scored a trio of tries once again as his team steamrollered University of Exeter 64-0 – LBU have scored 156 points and conceded one solitary score in their two games so far this season. Oscar Doran’s quartet of tries means Northumbria are hot on Leeds’ heels after their 78-6 victory over Loughborough 1, determined more than ever to avenge their surprise final defeat and once again be the top dogs in University Rugby League.

By Patrick Bratin