Welsh Varsity returns once again for the first time since 2019. It's been a long wait, but the biggest sporting competition in the Welsh student calendar takes centre stage in Swansea this year.
Wednesday, April 27, sees the event play out its 24th instalment after a two-year hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic, with Swansea University and Cardiff University going head-to-head in a day of sport which promises to be as action-packed and dramatic as ever.
The competition initially began as a rugby match between Cardiff and Swansea Universities at Cardiff Arms Park in 1997. However, since then it has grown year-on-year and is now the largest student multi-sport event in the UK, with hundreds of students taking part each year and even more coming along to support.
Throughout the week-long festival of sport, students compete in more than 30 different sports for the coveted Welsh Varsity Shield, including fencing, squash, basketball and ultimate Frisbee. However, the main draw remains the rugby, with both universities' women's and men's teams set to do battle in front of a roaring crowd at the Swansea.com Stadium on Wednesday evening.
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This year, the event returns to Swansea, with around 15,000 students set to descend on the city and turn it into a sea of red and green. Cardiff currently hold both the Welsh Varsity Shield and the Cup following their victories at home in 2019 and will be looking for a fourth successive win in the men's rugby after beating the visitors 78-7 last time out.
With plenty of action to get stuck into, here's everything you need to know about Wednesday's events. You can also follow live updates on from Welsh Varsity on our live blog here from Wednesday mid-morning.
When is Welsh Varsity 2022?
The main day of action is Wednesday, April 27 with teams from the two universities battling it out over 36 different events. The first competition of the day will be golf, which is beginning at 7.30am.
The women's rugby match will then kick off the main event at the Swansea.com Stadium at 4.30pm, with the men's match then lined up to close the day out, kicking off at 7pm. However, while most of the events are taking place on Wednesday, a number of events have already taken place earlier this month. The following results so far are:
- Rowing (April 2) - Cardiff
- Sailing (April 2) - Cardiff
- Archery (April 9) - Swansea
- Karate (April 23) - Cardiff
- Equestrian (April 25) - Swansea
- Women's Cycling (April 26) - Cardiff
- Men's Cycling (April 26) - Swansea
- Women's Cricket (April 26) - Swansea
Where is Welsh Varsity?
This year's Varsity competition is taking place in Swansea. It was last held in Cardiff in 2019, with the home side taking home the cup, before the event was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Events will take place across the city throughout the day, with the majority of the action happening at Swansea Bay Sports Park on Sketty Lane and the rugby kicking off at the Swansea.com stadium. However, some events are a bit further afield, with the golf taking place at Pennard Golf Club and Monday's equestrian event being held at Beacons Equestrian Centre in Llandyfan.
Welsh Varsity schedule for 2022
Swansea and Cardiff will compete in 24 different sports over 36 events on the final day of the Varsity competition, with around 1,400 students from both universities expected to take part. The full schedule for Wednesday is as follows:
Are there any Welsh Varsity tickets left?
There are just a handful of tickets of left, with Cardiff University's Students Union website saying on Tuesday that they were down to their final 200 tickets. The tickets cost £37.50 plus a £2.45 booking fee, but you need to either be a student or an alumni to attend. You can check if tickets are available here and also here.
The price includes a match ticket for the men's and women's rugby at the Swansea.com Stadium, access to day sports and fan zones at Swansea Bay Sports Park, an official Varsity supporter’s T-shirt, promotional merchandise, and entry to the official after-party. There will also be free travel to and from the stadium from select locations.
Who's going?
More than 15,000 students from Cardiff and Swansea universities are set to descend on Swansea on Wednesday, turning the city into a sea of red and green, the respective colours of each university.
Where can I watch Welsh Varsity?
If you can't get a ticket, you can watch live coverage of both the women's and men's rugby matches at the Swansea.com Stadium on Wednesday evening. S4C will be streaming the women's game from 4.25pm online via S4C Clic, as well as their YouTube and Facebook pages, as well as the men's game at 7pm.
If you're watching on Clic, you can choose whether to watch with English or Welsh commentary, while the YouTube coverage is solely in English and Facebook is in Welsh. Alternatively, we will be running our own live coverage of the games.
Highlights of both matches will then be shown on S4C from 10pm on Thursday night, with Lauren Jenkins hosting coverage. English subtitles will be available.
What happened at Welsh Varsity 2019?
At the last event in 2019, Cardiff saw off Swansea to retain their Welsh Varsity crown in the Welsh capital. The hosts claimed the overall Varsity shield and were presented with the trophy before going head-to-head for the Varsity Cup in the rugby finale at the Principality Stadium.
However, the big match was shrouded in controversy even before kick-off, with Swansea forced to effectively field a second-string side due to a clash with their fixture with Nottingham Trent in the play-offs for the BUCS Super League. While they won that game and earned promotion, many feared the showpiece Varsity match would turn into a rout.
They were right, with the gulf in quality between the two teams evident from the off as Cardiff ran out 78-7 winners to claim a third straight Varsity Cup title for the first time in the competition's history. However, there was far more luck for Swansea's women's side, who earned themselves a dramatic 30-27 victory earlier in the day, courtesy of a scintillating last-minute try.
