2011 in Sports - Rugby Union

Rugby Union

• February 4 – 19 March: Six Nations Championship
  • Winner: England, 26th title.
• May 20: Amlin Challenge Cup Final at Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff
  • Harlequins claimed the title with a 19–18 win over Stade Français, becoming the first team to win the Challenge Cup three times.
• May 21: Heineken Cup Final at Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
  • Leinster won its second European title with a 33–22 win over Northampton Saints.
• IRB Sevens World Series – New Zealand clinched the series title at the London Sevens on May 22, with the Edinburgh Sevens remaining to be played.
• May 24 – 5 June: 2011 IRB Junior World Rugby Trophy in Georgia
  • 1 ! Samoa, 2 ! Japan and 3 ! Georgia. This was the first title for Samoa.
• June 10–26: 2011 IRB Junior World Championship in Italy
  • 1 ! New Zealand, 2 ! England and 3 ! Australia. This was the fourth title for New Zealand.
• July 9: Super Rugby Final at Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
  • The Reds claimed their first title in the competition's professional era with an 18–13 win over the Crusaders.
• July 23 – 27 August: Tri Nations Series
  • Australia won its third title.
  • This was also the final edition of the Tri Nations under that name. With the entry of Argentina in 2012, the competition was renamed The Rugby Championship.
• September 9 – 23 October: 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand
  • The tournament was won by New Zealand's All Blacks defeating France in the final by a score of 8–7. 1 ! New Zealand, 2 ! France and 3 ! Australia.

Domestic competitions

• English Premiership – Final, May 28 at Twickenham: Leicester Tigers vs. Saracens
  • Saracens defeated Leicester Tigers 22–18 for their first-ever Premiership title.
• RFU Championship – Worcester Warriors. As the only side among the semifinalists that met the requirements for promotion, they replaced Leeds Carnegie in the 2011–12 Premiership.
• Top 14 – Final, June 4 at Stade de France: Toulouse vs. Montpellier
  • Toulouse won 15–10 and lifted the Bouclier de Brennus for the 18th time.
• Rugby Pro D2 – Lyon won the championship and automatic promotion to the Top 14. Bordeaux Bègles won the promotion playoffs. The two clubs will replace La Rochelle and Bourgoin.
• Celtic League – Grand Final, May 28 in Limerick:
  • In an all-Irish affair, Munster won their third title against Leinster 19–9.
• LV Cup (Anglo-Welsh Cup) – Gloucester
• ITM Cup:
  • Premiership – Final, September 3 in Hamilton: Waikato vs. Canterbury
    • Canterbury won 12–3 for their fourth consecutive title in the Air New Zealand/ITM Cup and ninth in the history of New Zealand provincial rugby.
  • Championship: Final, September 4 in Palmerston North: Manawatu vs. Hawke's Bay
    • Hawke's Bay won 35–30 and will replace Southland in the 2012 ITM Cup Premiership.
• Currie Cup: Final, October 29 in Johannesburg: Golden Lions vs. Natal Sharks
  • The Lions won 42–16 in the most one-sided Currie Cup final since 1980.

Other major events

• February 26: During the England–France match in the Six Nations, England's Jonny Wilkinson retakes the all-time lead for career Test points from New Zealand's Dan Carter.
• February 27: During the Scotland–Ireland match in the Six Nations, Ireland's Ronan O'Gara retakes the all-time lead for career points in the Championship from Wilkinson.
• March 19: During the Ireland–England Six Nations match, two Irish players reach major career milestones in the Championship:
  • Brian O'Driscoll takes over the all-time lead for career tries in the Championship with his 25th try, breaking the record of Scotland's Ian Smith that had lasted since 1933.
  • O'Gara makes his 56th appearance in the Championship, drawing level with countryman Mike Gibson for the Championship record.
• July 30: During New Zealand's Tri Nations opener at home to South Africa, Carter reclaims the all-time lead for career Test points from Wilkinson.