Saints reclaim Scottish Varsity crown with 21-12 victory

The University of St Andrews Men’s 1st XV were crowned 2026 Men’s Scottish Varsity champions after a resounding 21-12 victory over the University of Edinburgh in front of a sellout crowd at the HIVE Stadium.

After a tense opening, the Saints took control in the first half through tries from Keenan Mills and Ruari Mavin, with Chris Black adding a penalty to give St Andrews a 13-0 lead at the break.

The Saints extended their advantage early in the second half when lock Mika Schubert powered over for a third try, putting St Andrews 18-0 ahead. Edinburgh responded with two tries of their own and reduced the deficit to six points after a spell of intense pressure, including a period with St Andrews reduced to 14 players.

However, the Saints showed tremendous resilience in defence before Black’s late penalty settled the contest and secured a memorable 21-12 victory, reclaiming the Scottish Varsity title.

Scrum-half Ollie Bloore was named Steven Sims Man of the Match following an outstanding all-round performance that combined excellent game management, defensive commitment and attacking creativity.

The award, presented by Joan Sims, honours the memory of Steven Sims, a much-loved member of the University of St Andrews Rugby Football Club who passed away in 2012.

The Saints Varsity 2026 champions are:

1 David Brown (Captain)
2 Michael Onobhayedo
3 James Page
4 Keenan Mills
5 Mika Schubert
6 Ruari Mavin
7 Reuben Crothers
8 Oliver Finlayson-Russell
9 Ollie Bloore
10 Howie Offord
11 Matthew Cingel
12 Chris Black
13 Rufus Hornyold-Strickland
14 Jean Van der Spuy
15 Jamie Thomson
16 Christopher Cheok
17 Daniel Riley
18 Euan Stewart
19 Ben De Laet-Gamble
20 Callum FitzHenry
21 Thomas Whyte
22 Rory Murray-Smith
23 Thomas Russell