The 2017–18 RFU Junior Vase is the 28th version of the RFU Junior Vase national cup competition (9th using the name RFU Junior Vase) for clubs at level 9 and below of the English rugby union system. The competition consists of 134 clubs divided into four regions. The winners of each region then advance to the national semi-finals with the final being held at Twickenham Stadium in London at the end of the season, along with the RFU Intermediate Cup and RFU Senior Vase finals.
The 2017–18 champions were Yorkshire club, Old Otliensians, who defeated the Devon side, South Molton, 31–21 in the final. Old Otliensians were worthy winners of the competition, scoring over 260 points on route to the final, whilst conceding only 15, a run which included a club record 126–0 over Wallsend in the early stages.[1] Old Otliensians victory was the 11th by a Yorkshire club since the competition began in 1990.
The London & South East Junior Vase involves a knock-out competition with 1st round, 2nd round, 3rd round, 4th round, semi-finals and final. The winners of the London & South East Junior Vase then go on to the national Junior Vase semi-finals where they face the winners of the South West Junior Vase. There are 55 teams involved in the London & South East Junior Vase, all of which are 1st XV sides, coming from the following unions and leagues.
The Midlands Junior Vase is a direct knockout cup with a 1st round, 2nd round, 3rd round, quarter-finals, semi-finals and final The winner of the final goes forward to the National Vase semi-finals where they face the winners of the Northern section.[10] The competition involves 50 clubs from the following unions and level 9-10 leagues:
Unlike the other regional competitions, the Northern Junior Vase starts with a mini-league stage, in which the eligible clubs are placed in 2 regional pools of 3 teams each. The winners of each pool then face each other in the Northern Vase final, with the winner advancing to the National Junior Vase semi-finals, where they will face the winners of the Midlands section. There are 6 teams (1st XV only) involved in the Northern Junior Vase representing the following unions and leagues:
The winners of the Pool 1 (West) and Pool 2 (East) would meet in the Northern Junior Vase final. The winners of this final would then advanced to the National Junior Vase semi-finals.
The South West Junior Vase consist of three stages, with representatives from the different unions joining at different points. The Dorset & Wilts and Gloucestershire clubs first play in county based knock-out tournaments, with the winners advancing to either the Southern Counties or South West Counties area semi-finals, where they join the other south-west representatives. The winners of each area final then meet in the South West Junior Vase final to determine who goes through to the national semi-finals, where they face the winners of the London and South East section.
The South West Junior Vase involves 23 clubs (1st XV only) from the following unions and leagues:[a 6]
8 teams were involved in the Gloucestershire RFU Junior Vase qualification tournament. The winners of the competition would go through to the South West Counties final.
The winners of the Dorset & Wilts Junior Vase would join representatives from the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire unions in the Southern Counties knock-out stage. The winners would advance to play the South West Counties winners in the south-west regional final.
The winners of the Gloucestershire Junior Vase would meet the representatives from the Somerset RFU in the semi-final, while the representatives from Devon RFU had a bye into the South West Counties final due to Cornish clubs not taking part this season. The winners would advance to play the Southern Counties winners in the south-west regional final.
The winners of the Southern Counties and South West Counties final would meet in the south-west regional final. The winners of this final would then advanced to the national semi-finals.
The Midlands winners would face the North winners in the first semi-final, while the London & South East winners would face the South-West winners in the other, with the winners of each semi-final meeting in the Twickenham final. Home advantage in the semi-finals will be decided by a draw.[41]
^A member of the Kent RFU (Old Suttonians) also took part in the competition despite not being involved in any leagues within the English rugby union system.
^Despite initially losing their second round game against Old Whitgiftian, Gillingham Anchorians were reinstated back into the London Junior Vase after Old Whitgiftian were later expelled for breaching competition rules.[4]
^A member of the North Midlands RFU (Five Ways Old Edwardians) also took part in the competition despite not being involved in any official league within the English rugby union system.
^The breakaway of 19 Lancashire RFU clubs at the start of the 2017–18 season meant that no clubs from this union were involved in the RFU Junior Vase that year.[18]
^Note that a representative from the Cornwall RFU is not taking part in the Junior Vase this season due to Cornwall League 1 and Cornwall League 2 amalgamating into one league and containing both level 9 and level 10 clubs.
^The Dorset & Wilts representatives also include a 1st XV club (Amesbury) not currently involved in any league within the English rugby union system.
^South Molton received a bye through to the South West Counties final as Cornish teams were not included in this year's competition.
^The RFU website incorrectly lists Oxford as South Molton's opposition (they would meet Oxford next in the south-west final).
^South Molton progressed to the national semi-finals by virtue of scoring more tries - 2 to 1 - than Oxford.[40]
