The Ivy Rugby Conference was a rugby union conference consisting of the eight member schools of the Ivy League. As of the 2022 season the teams now compete in the Liberty Rugby conference, but an Ivy League champion will continue to be awarded. The Ivy conference was formed in 2009 to foster better competition among rugby teams from the Ivy League schools and to raise the quality of play. Ivy Rugby formed committees to manage the league, independently of the LAUs and TUs. The conference took over the organization of the Ivy rugby championships that had been contested since 1969.

The Ivy Rugby Conference, and specifically its sevens tournament, has enabled the Ivy schools to tap into existing rivalries and fan bases.

Ivy Rugby has had some past success in attracting commercial sponsors. Sponsors have included H2H, Royall Lyme and Boathouse Sports.

The Ivy League schools have a rich rugby tradition that pre-dates the formation of the Ivy conference. Teams in the Ivy League have played rugby games against each other since the mid-1870s and starting in 2024 will be celebrating the 150th anniversary of such rugby games.

The eight Ivy League schools competed in the Ivy Rugby Championship Tournament from 1969 until the Ivy Rugby Conference was formed in 2009. The Ivy Rugby logo was developed in 2005.

In addition to the traditional 15-a-side rugby union competition, the teams play yearly for the Ivy Rugby 7s Championship.

Members

Photo of the first Yale team to play using rules of rugby union (1876); Back row: Clark, C. Camp, Hatch, Walter Camp, Wurts, Taylor; front row: Davis, Downer, Walker, Baker, Bigelow, Thompson, Morse
Penn's 1878 team with 15 players and a coach played using Rugby Union football rules
Program for the "Football match", Harvard vs Yale, the first intercollegiate game. It is considered the first rugby game between Ivy League teams. The game was played at Hamilton Field in New Haven, Connecticut.
InstitutionLocationTeam NicknameUndergraduate enrollmentGraduate enrollment
BrownProvidence, Rhode IslandBears6,3162,333
ColumbiaNew York City, New YorkLions7,16015,760
CornellIthaca, New YorkBig Red13,9316,702
DartmouthHanover, New HampshireBig Green4,2481,893
HarvardCambridge, MassachusettsCrimson7,18114,044
PrincetonPrinceton, New JerseyTigers5,1132,479
PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, PennsylvaniaQuakers10,33710,306
YaleNew Haven, ConnecticutBulldogs5,2756,391

Roll of Honor

CountyTitle(s)Runners-UpYears wonYears runners-up
Dartmouth24111972, 1977, 1990, 1993, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009 (Spring), 2009 (Fall), 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 (Spring), 2014 (Fall), 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 20191976, 1984, 1992, 1995, 1996, 2007, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
Brown1691974, 1975, 1976, 1980, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1995, 1996, 2021, 2022, 2023, 20241969, 1971, 1973, 1979, 1989, 2013, 2014 (Fall), 2018, 2019, 2025
Harvard8121981, 1982, 1984, 1989, 1991, 1994, 2003, 20071970, 1983, 1985, 1986, 2006, 2008, 2009 (Spring), 2010, 2011, 2014 (Spring), 2015, 2017
Princeton561969, 1971, 1973, 1979, 20041975, 1978, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001
Yale241970, 19781977, 1982, 2003, 2009 (Fall)
Penn1119922016
Cornell032002, 2004, 2005

Championship results

Historic results of the Ivy Rugby Championship, organised by the Ivy Rugby Conference since 2009:

Ivy Rugby Championship
Ed.YearChampionScoreRunner UpRef.
11969Princeton (1)6–3Brown
21970Yale (1)?Harvard
31971Princeton (2)?Brown
41972Dartmouth (1)??
51973Princeton (3)32–6Brown
61974Brown (1)??
71975Brown (2)?Princeton
81976Brown (3)24–13Dartmouth
91977Dartmouth (2)18–6Yale
101978Yale (2)10–3?Princeton
111979Princeton (4)10–6?Brown
121980Brown (4)??
131981Harvard (1)??
141982Harvard (2)33–12Yale
151983Brown (5)21–6Harvard
161984Harvard (3)11–3Dartmouth
171985Brown (6)?Harvard
181986Brown (7)13–4Harvard
191987Brown (8)??
201988Brown (9)??
211989Harvard (4)12–9Brown
221990Dartmouth (3)?Columbia
231991Harvard (5)??
241992Penn (1)?Dartmouth
251993Dartmouth (4)
261994Harvard (6)??
271995Brown (10)?Dartmouth
281996Brown (11)?Dartmouth
1997(not held due to snow)
291998Dartmouth (5)22–21Princeton
301999Dartmouth (6)39–17Princeton
312000Dartmouth (7)?Princeton
322001Dartmouth (8)?Princeton
332002Dartmouth (9)35–17Cornell
342003Harvard (7)22–7Yale
352004Princeton (5)25–5Cornell
362005Dartmouth (10)21–7Cornell
372006Dartmouth (11)52–16Harvard
382007Harvard (8)28–25 (a.e.t.)Dartmouth
392008Dartmouth (12)41–0Harvard
402009 (Spring)Dartmouth (13)62–13Harvard
412009 (Fall)Dartmouth (14)53–6Yale
422010Dartmouth (15)31–0Harvard
432011Dartmouth (16)62–0Harvard
442013*Dartmouth (17)32–3Brown
452014 (Spring)Dartmouth (18)52–3Harvard
462014 (Fall)Dartmouth (19)90–7Brown
472015Dartmouth (20)51–19Harvard
482016Dartmouth (21)105–0Penn
492017Dartmouth (22)43–22Harvard
502018Dartmouth (23)37–7Brown
512019Dartmouth (24)18–12Brown
2020(not held due to COVID-19 pandemic)
522021Brown (12)15–13Dartmouth
532022Brown (13)24–5Dartmouth
542023Brown (14)38–15Dartmouth
552024Brown (15)40–14Dartmouth
562025Brown (16)25–21Dartmouth
*2012 regular season played in the Fall and final played in Spring 2013

7s championship results

YearChampionScoreRunner UpMVPRef.
Spring 2011Brown19–10ColumbiaDaniel Levine-Spound
Fall 2011Dartmouth40–14Harvard
2012Dartmouth15–5Penn
2013Dartmouth*Will Chockley
2014Dartmouth46–0Yale
2015Dartmouth??
2016Dartmouth*
2017Dartmouth??
2018Brown22–0Dartmouth
2019Dartmouth17–12Harvard
2020–2021Not held due to COVID-19 pandemic
2022Brown12–10Dartmouth
2023Dartmouth14–7Brown
2024Brown21–12Dartmouth
2025Brown19–15Dartmouth
*Dartmouth A and B reached the final and shared title.

External links