# División de Honor de Rugby

The División de Honor de Rugby is Spain's top level professional men's rugby union competition. The División de Honor de Rugby Championship is organised by the Federación Española de Rugby (Spanish Rugby Federation) and currently consists of 12 teams.
The last-placed team in the competition is relegated at the end of the season to the División de Honor B, Spain`s second level of men's rugby union. The team finishing 11th enters a relegation/promotion playoff with the runner-up from the Division de Honor B playoffs.

## Format

The División de Honor season takes place between September and May, with every team playing each other home and away for a total of 22 matches. Points are awarded according to the following:
* 4 points for a win
* 2 points for a draw
* 1 bonus point is awarded to a team scoring 4 tries or more in a match
* 1 bonus point is awarded to a team that loses a match by 7 points or fewer
The six teams with the highest number of points at the end of 22 rounds of matches play the championship playoffs. The top two teams win a semi-final berth automatically, while the next four teams participate in semi-final play-off to take the remaining two spots.

### Promotion and relegation

The bottom team in the standings is relegated to the División de Honor B, while the team finishing 11th plays in the promotion/relegation playoff against a team from the second tier of rugby union in Spain.
The top team from the División de Honor B is promoted to the División de Honor.

## Current Teams

| Team | Manager | Captain | Stadium | Capacity |
| Alcobendas | Javier Garrido | Agustín Schab | Campo de Rugby Las Terrazas | 2,000 |
| Aparejadores Burgos | Jose Ignacio García | Iñaki Mateu | Estadio San Amaro | 1,000 |
| Ciencias Sevilla | Jesús Romero | Vicente del Hoyo | Instalaciones Deportivas La Cartuja | 3,000 |
| Complutense Cisneros | Valentin Telleriarte | Guillermo Espinós | Estadio Nacional Complutense | 12,400 |
| El Salvador | Juan Carlos Pérez | Victor Sánchez | Estadio Pepe Rojo | 5,000 |
| FC Barcelona | Santiago Monteagudo | Rochedi Mirabet | La Teixonera | 500 |
| CR La Vila | Hernan Diego Quirelli | Paco Martínez | Estadio de Rugby "El Pantano" | 1,550 |
| Pozuelo Rugby Unión | “Miki” Puerta | ”Colo” Helman | Valle de las Cañas | 500 |
| Les Abelles | Guillermo Ahuir | Germán Ahuir | Polideportivo de Quatre Carreres | 500 |
| Ordizia | Federico Gallo | Oier Goia | Estadio Municipal de Altamira | 2,000 |
| Santboiana | Sergio Guerrero | Marcos Puig | Estadi Baldiri Aleu | 3,500 |
| Valladolid RAC | Diego Merino | Ilaitia Gavidi | Estadio Pepe Rojo | 5,000 |

## History

The Spanish Rugby Championship (now the Copa del Rey) was created in 1926, and was the only national rugby competition for decades. A national league was not considered until the 1950s, with the first season being 1952-53. Four teams competed: two from Catalonia and two from Castille.
FC Barcelona won the league that year and retained the title the following season, but the league folded. There were various attempts to relaunch it, but none bore fruit until the 1969-70 season, when the National Rugby League was created. Six clubs competed in the first division, which was increased to eight in 1970-71 and then ten in 1972-73.
For the 1978-79 season, the league was restructured into four regional groups of eight teams. The top team from each region were crowned champions.
From the 1979-1980 season, the four regional champions progressed to a final stage, named the Superliga. This format was maintained until the 1982-1983 season, when a national division of eight teams was created.

### Performance by season

The following scrollable table shows the teams' final league positions in each season.
The playoff champions - not necessarily the team finishing first in the league - are highlighted in gold, except in 1979 when the championship was shared.
For the years 1979-1982, all participating teams are denoted with an X.

## Past winners

| Year | Champion | Runner-up | Third place |
| 1953 | FC Barcelona | Atlético Madrid | Santboiana |
| 1954 | FC Barcelona | Atlético Madrid | Natació Barcelona |
| 1955-69 | Not held | Not held | Not held |
| 1970 | Atlético San Sebastián | FC Barcelona | Canoe |
| 1971 | Canoe | El Salvador | FC Barcelona |
| 1972 | Canoe | El Salvador | Santboiana |
| 1973 | Canoe | Arquitectura | El Salvador |
| 1974 | Arquitectura | Natació Barcelona | Canoe |
| 1975 | Arquitectura | Cisneros | CAU Madrid |
| 1976 | Cisneros | Arquitectura | CAU Madrid |
| 1977 | Arquitectura | CAU Madrid | Cisneros |
| 1978 | Atlético San Sebastián | Arquitectura | CAU Madrid |
| 1979 | Atlético San Sebastián | Hernani | Irún |
| 1979 | CAU Madrid | Cisneros | Arquitectura |
| 1979 | Cornellà | Santboiana | Valencia |
| 1979 | Amigos del Rugby | Sevilla FC | Universidad de Granada |
| 1980 | CAU Madrid | Hernani | Valencia |
| 1981 | Arquitectura | Hernani | Valencia |
| 1982 | Arquitectura | Hernani | FC Barcelona |
| 1983 | Valencia | Atlético San Sebastián | Santboiana |
| 1984 | Santboiana | CAU Madrid | Hernani |
| 1985 | Cisneros | Atlético San Sebastián | Arquitectura |
| 1986 | Arquitectura | Santboiana | Cisneros |
| 1987 | Santboiana | Arquitectura | Valencia |
| 1988 | Arquitectura | Santboiana | El Salvador |
| 1989 | Santboiana | CR Complutense Cisneros | Arquitectura |
| 1990 | Arquitectura | El Salvador | Ciencias Sevilla |
| 1991 | El Salvador | Liceo Francés | Getxo |
| 1992 | Ciencias Sevilla | Santboiana | Liceo Francés |
| 1993 | Getxo | Liceo Francés | Ciencias Sevilla |
| 1994 | Ciencias Sevilla | Getxo | El Salvador |
| 1995 | Arquitectura | Getxo | Valladolid |
| 1996 | Santboiana | Ciencias Sevilla | Getxo |
| 1997 | Santboiana | Getxo | Arquitectura |
| 1998 | El Salvador | Santboiana | Real Canoe |
| 1999 | Valladolid | Santboiana | Ciencias Sevilla |
| 2000 | Real Canoe | El Salvador | Santboiana |
| 2001 | Valladolid | Universidad de Sevilla | Liceo Francés |
| 2002 | Moraleja Alcobendas | El Salvador | Madrid 2012 |
| 2003 | El Salvador | Moraleja Alcobendas | Valladolid |
| 2004 | El Salvador | UCM 2M12 | Valladolid RAC |
| 2005 | Santboiana | El Salvador | Bera Bera |
| 2006 | Santboiana | El Salvador | USAP BCN |
| 2007 | El Salvador | Madrid Noroeste | Santboiana |
| 2008 | El Salvador | Ciencias Sevilla | Pozuelo Boadilla |
| 2009 | CRC Madrid | El Salvador | Ciencias Sevilla |
| 2010 | El Salvador | La Vila | Ciencias Sevilla |
| 2011 | La Vila | Ordizia | El Salvador |
| 2012 | Valladolid | Ordizia | Santboiana |
| 2013 | Valladolid | Santboiana | Gernika |
| 2014 | Valladolid | El Salvador | CR Complutense Cisneros |
| 2015 | Valladolid | Santboiana | Complutense Cisneros |
| 2016 | El Salvador | Valladolid | Bathco Independiente |
| 2017 | Valladolid | El Salvador | Alcobendas |
| 2018 | Valladolid | El Salvador | Alcobendas |
| 2019 | Valladolid | El Salvador | Alcobendas |
| 2020 | Valladolid | El Salvador | Alcobendas |
| 2021 | Valladolid | Alcobendas | El Salvador |
| 2022 | Santboiana | AMPO Ordizia | El Salvador |
| 2023 | Valladolid | Recoletas Burgos–UBU | Real Ciencias Enerside |
| 2024 | Valladolid | Recoletas Burgos–Caja Rural | Labiana Real Ciencias |

### Titles by team

| Team | Titles | Year |
| Valladolid | 13 | 1999, 2001, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023, 2024 |
| Arquitectura | 9 | 1974, 1975, 1977, 1981, 1982, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1995 |
| Santboiana | 8 | 1984, 1987, 1989, 1996, 1997, 2005, 2006, 2022 |
| El Salvador | 8 | 1991, 1998, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2016 |
| Canoe/CRC Madrid | 5 | 1971, 1972, 1973, 2000, 2009 |
| Atlético San Sebastián | 3 | 1970, 1978, 1979$^*$ |
| Ciencias Sevilla | 2 | 1992, 1994 |
| Cisneros | 2 | 1976, 1985 |
| CAU Madrid | 2 | 1979$^*$, 1980 |
| FC Barcelona | 2 | 1953, 1954 |
| La Vila | 1 | 2011 |
| Moraleja Alcobendas | 1 | 2002 |
| Getxo Artea | 1 | 1993 |
| Valencia | 1 | 1983 |
| Amigos del Rugby | 1 | 1979$^*$ |
| Cornellà | 1 | 1979$^*$ |
| $^*$1978–79 season; 4 groups competition format, thus 4 champions. ||||