2012 in Sports - Rugby Union

Rugby Union

• February 4 – 17 March: Six Nations Championship
  • Wales win the championship for the 25th time, also claiming their 11th Grand Slam and 20th Triple Crown.
• May 18: Amlin Challenge Cup Final at The Stoop, London:
  • Biarritz defeat Toulon 21–18 to claim their first Challenge Cup title and first European trophy.
• May 19: Heineken Cup Final at Twickenham, London
  • Leinster crush Ulster 42–14 for their third Heineken Cup, becoming only the second club to successfully defend a Heineken Cup title and the first ever to win the Cup three times in four years.
• IRB Sevens World Series:
  • 1 ! New Zealand, 2 ! Fiji and 3 ! England. New Zealand claim their second consecutive series crown and tenth overall.
• June 4–22: 2012 IRB Junior World Championship in Cape Town and Stellenbosch, South Africa
  • 1 ! South Africa, 2 ! New Zealand and 3 ! Wales. This was the first title for South Africa. It was also the first time in the competition's five-year history in which New Zealand did not claim the title.
• June 16–30: 2012 IRB Junior World Rugby Trophy in Salt Lake City, United States
  • 1 ! United States, 2 ! Japan and 3 ! Tonga. This was the first title for the USA, which will be promoted to the 2013 Junior World Championship at the expense of Italy.
• August 4: Super Rugby Final at Waikato Stadium, Hamilton:
  • The Chiefs crush the Sharks 37–6 to claim their first-ever title.
• August 18 – October 6: The Rugby Championship
  • New Zealand win the title with a clean sweep in the first season of the newly renamed competition, now including Argentina. Including the competition's previous history as the Tri Nations, this is the All Blacks' 11th series win.

Domestic competitions

• English Premiership Final, May 26 at Twickenham:
  • Harlequins defeat Leicester Tigers 30–23 to claim their first Premiership title. Quins had also finished atop the league table.
• RFU Championship Final, May 23 and May 30:
  • London Welsh defeat Cornish Pirates 66–41 on aggregate to claim the title. London Welsh were initially denied a place in the Premiership due largely to stadium issues, but successfully appealed the denial, placing them in the Premiership for 2012–13 at the expense of bottom finisher Newcastle Falcons.
• Top 14 Final, June 9 at Stade de France, Saint-Denis:
  • Toulouse defeat Toulon 18–12 and lift the Bouclier de Brennus for the 19th time.
• Rugby Pro D2 — Grenoble automatically promoted to Top 14 as champion. Mont-de-Marsan defeat Pau 29–20 in the playoff final to claim the second promotion place. These teams replace Brive and Lyon, which finished on the bottom of the Top 14 table.
• Pro12 Final, May 27 at RDS Arena, Dublin:
  • Ospreys defeat Leinster 31–30 to claim their fourth Celtic League/Pro12 title.
• LV Cup (Anglo-Welsh Cup) – Leicester Tigers
• ITM Cup
  • Premiership Final, October 27 at Rugby League Park, Christchurch: Canterbury defeat Auckland 31–18 for their fifth consecutive provincial title.
  • Championship Final, October 26 at ECOLight Stadium, Pukekohe: Counties Manukau defeat Otago 41–16 to claim their first title at any level of provincial rugby in 32 years. The Steelers are promoted to the 2013 ITM Premiership, replacing bottom-placed Hawke's Bay.
• Currie Cup Final, October 27 at Mr Price Kings Park, Durban:
  • Western Province defeat Natal Sharks 25–18 to claim their first Currie Cup title since 2001.