TheWelsh Varsity is an annual sporting event contested byCardiff University andSwansea University, usually in early April. The sports contested includerugby union,hockey,cricket,squash,badminton,lacrosse,rowing,golf,basketball,football,American football,ultimate frisbee,netball,volleyball,fencing and an array of other sports. Profits go to charity. The event is held over the course of a week, with some sports competing over a weekend due to the nature of the sport. The majority of the games are held on the Wednesday afternoon, with the centrepiecerugby union match between the two sides held in the evening and often attended by in excess of 18,000 supporters.[1]
The showpiece event of the Welsh Varsity is therugby union fixture played between the men's teams of the two universities. The event began in 1997 and for the first six years alternated venues between theCardiff Arms Park andSt. Helen's in Swansea. Between 2003 and 2006, it was played atBrewery Field, home ofBridgend RFC, halfway between the two cities. It returned to the Arms Park for three years from 2007 to 2009, followed by a year at Swansea'sLiberty Stadium. Since then, the match has been divided between the Liberty Stadium and Cardiff'sMillennium Stadium.[2]
As of 2025, Swansea have won 15 of the 27 Varsity Matches played, while Cardiff have won 11, including a record 78–7 victory on 10 April 2019. The only drawn match came in 2001.[2]
| Details | Played | Won by Cardiff | Won by Swansea | Drawn | Cardiff points | Swansea points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| In Cardiff | 13 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 273 | 204 |
| In Swansea | 11 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 119 | 187 |
| Neutral venue | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 53 | 58 |
| Overall | 27 | 11 | 15 | 1 | 552 | 493 |
Note: Date shown in brackets indicates when the record was or last set.
| Record | Cardiff | Swansea |
|---|---|---|
| Longest winning streak | 3(2017–2019) | 4(1997–2000) |
| Largest points for | ||
| Home | 78(2019) | 49(1998) |
| Away | 27(2015) | 28(2011) |
| Largest winning margin | ||
| Home | 71(2019) | 36(1998) |
| Away | 8(2018) | 15(1997) |
| Year | Location | Winner | Swansea | Cardiff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Cardiff Arms Park | Swansea | 26 | 11 |
| 1998 | St. Helen's | Swansea | 49 | 13 |
| 1999 | Cardiff Arms Park | Swansea | 13 | 7 |
| 2000 | St. Helen's | Swansea | 28 | 18 |
| 2001 | Cardiff Arms Park | Draw | 10 | 10 |
| 2002 | St Helen's | Swansea | 21 | 3 |
| 2003 | Brewery Field | Cardiff | 12 | 19 |
| 2004 | Brewery Field | Swansea | 25 | 11 |
| 2005 | Brewery Field | Swansea | 16 | 8 |
| 2006 | Brewery Field | Cardiff | 5 | 15 |
| 2007 | Cardiff Arms Park | Swansea | 18 | 0 |
| 2008 | Cardiff Arms Park | Cardiff | 9 | 19 |
| 2009 | Cardiff Arms Park | Cardiff | 6 | 9 |
| 2010 | Liberty Stadium | Swansea | 16 | 12 |
| 2011 | Millennium Stadium | Swansea | 28 | 18 |
| 2012 | Millennium Stadium | Cardiff | 13 | 33 |
| 2013 | Millennium Stadium | Swansea | 21 | 13 |
| 2014 | Millennium Stadium | Swansea | 19 | 15 |
| 2015 | Liberty Stadium | Cardiff | 22 | 27 |
| 2016 | Liberty Stadium | Swansea | 16 | 10 |
| 2017 | Millennium Stadium | Cardiff | 15 | 35 |
| 2018 | Liberty Stadium | Cardiff | 15 | 23 |
| 2019 | Millennium Stadium | Cardiff | 7 | 78 |
| 2020 | Liberty Stadium | Swansea | Cancelled due toCOVID-19 pandemic | |
| 2021 | N/A | N/A | Cancelled due toCOVID-19 pandemic | |
| 2022 | Liberty Stadium | Swansea | 20 | 13 |
| 2023 | Cardiff Arms Park | Cardiff | 15 | 19 |
| 2024 | Swansea.com Stadium | Swansea | 44 | 28 |
| 2025 | Millennium Stadium | Cardiff | 0 | 69 |
Some of those who have played in the Welsh Varsity Match have gone on to win international honours. These include:[3]
Alun Wyn Jones (Swansea University) Richie Pugh (Swansea University) Dwayne Peel (Swansea University) Jamie Roberts (Cardiff University) Rhys Williams (Cardiff University)The inaugural Welsh Boat Race was held in 2006.The Welsh Boat Race has continued to grow due to support from the respective athletic unions, and sponsorship deals. The venue for the boat race has historically been theRiver Taff, but the venue for 2010 was theRiver Tawe. The event now takes place in whichever city is hosting the Varsity like most of the other sports. The event was historically held on a Wednesday to coincide with the other Varsity games but due to increasing popularity from alumni, parents and the general public, the event has now been moved to the weekend.[4]
Over the course of the day, several sports are contested, with a point awarded for each event won. The university with the most points at the end of the day is awarded the Welsh Varsity Shield. In 2017 the shield was won bySwansea University for the first time.[5]
The Welsh Varsity event is covered in its entirety by both universities' student newspapers and radio stations (Cardiff'sXpress Radio and Swansea's Xtreme Radio). Since 2009, it has also been covered by Cardiff Union Television (CUTV). The men's rugby union match is also broadcast live nationally by the Welsh-language channelS4C.[6]