Head coach Matt Campbell highlighted the impact of his senior players have made after Loughborough University exceeded his pre‑season expectations to progress to a third BUCS Super Rugby Milk Championship Final appearance in as many years.
The African Violets take on Brunel University at Newport’s Rodney Parade on Wednesday 22 April (kick-off 7pm), hoping to make it third time lucky after being pipped to the title in both 2024 and 2025.
After finishing second in the table with a return of 12 wins from 16 games, Loughborough progressed to the deciding match once more with knock-out wins against Cardiff Met and Exeter University.
“The nature of university rugby means there is a high turnover of people,” Campbell said. “Over half of the matchday squad for Wednesday weren’t involved in last year’s final, so they do not have that hangover or that sort of feeling. For us, finals are all about who shows up best on the day, so that is our main focus and not what’s happened historically.
“This year was always going to be about development and, with that in mind, I actually thought this would be a transition year.
“I also think we have recruited quite well. Players who had potential have really stepped up, and you are seeing that potential starting to be reached at this level, which makes me excited for the future.”
Within the Loughborough matchday squad, 12 have played a competitive game for Loughborough Lightning, with five making their debut this season in Premiership Women’s Rugby or PWR: The Cup.
Seven players in the 23 selected for the final featured in last weekend’s U21 Women’s Six Nations Series fixtures: Freya MacColl, Alice Bennett, Aoibhe Kelly, Amelia Williams, Keevy Fitzpatrick, Tamsin Baynes and Lucy Finch – who co‑captains the team alongside Ellie Roberts, who starts at No.8.
For Finch, Fitzpatrick and MacColl, it will be their third final in as many years, and standing in their way of a first title since 2005 is Brunel University – who defeated regular‑season table‑toppers Hartpury in the semi‑finals and defending champions Cardiff in the last eight.
Both sides tasted away success in the regular‑season meetings, with Loughborough winning 14-27 in November 2025 before the tables were turned in February 2026, as Brunel left Epinal Way with a 33-36 victory.
“Brunel have hit the ground running in the knock‑outs and done very well; they’ve got some very good players,” added Campbell. “What we are going after is us at our best, rather than specifically focusing on them. In the game they beat us at home, we were on the wrong side of the referee and a lot of that was our own fault. I think we conceded 25 penalties and played a third of the game with 14 players after three yellow cards. It’s very hard to come down on the right side of the result if your discipline is like that. It is about us getting those processes right so we avoid those situations.”
The match is available to watch live on the BUCS Super Rugby YouTube channel by clicking HERE.
Loughborough University team to face Brunel
Women’s BUCS Super Rugby Milk Championship Final
Rodney Parade
Wednesday 22 April
Kick-off: 7pm
15 Imogen Mockford
14 Freya MacColl (VC)
13 Alice Redfern
12 Emily Heaps
11 Alice Bennett
10 Ella Barnes
9 Aoibhe Kelly
1 Amelia Williams
2 Harli Stanton
3 Grace Clifford
4 Keevy Fitzpatrick
5 Kaya Acton
6 Tamsin Baynes
7 Sarah Shrestha
8 Ellie Roberts (CC)
16 Cerys Shrewsbury
17 Fleur Walker
18 Slyvia Ball
19 Lucy Finch (CC)
20 Sasha Roberts
21 Ashton Adcock
22 Izzy Clist
23 Harriet Brown