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BYU rugby stripped of 2015 National Championship by the Varsity Cup

By Nathan Cunningham

Nov 6, 2015; San Jose, CA, USA; The Brigham Young Cougars mascot Cosmo performs during the game against San Jose State Spartans in the 2nd quarter at Spartan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports.
Nov 6, 2015; San Jose, CA, USA; The Brigham Young Cougars mascot Cosmo performs during the game against San Jose State Spartans in the 2nd quarter at Spartan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports. /
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BYU rugby got some unfortunate news on Wednesday. The Varsity Cup has stripped the Cougars of their 2015 National Championship.

BYU rugby defeated Cal in the 2015 Varsity Cup final. It was the fourth-straight title for David Smyth’s Cougars.

Now the win has been cleared from the record books.

The Varsity Cup announced today that it is stripping BYU rugby of the title, because the Cougars used an “ineligible player.”

The Varsity Cup also announced that the Cougars won’t be competing for the 2017 crown.

It’s worth noting that the Varsity Cup has been heavily criticized due to a lack of written rules and polices. Some suggest that BYU rugby had everything cleared by the organization, while others are of the mindset that it was never discussed. Others claim Cal – a school with a history of questioning the age of BYU’s players – pressured the Varsity Cup to do something.

Regardless of what truly happened behind closed doors, the bottom line is BYU losing gold from the trophy case.

Goff Rugby Report claims the “ineligible player” is likely Nic Purcell – a 29-year old who played for the Philadelphia Eagles. Purcell is a 6-foot-7, 295-pound junior, according to BYU rugby’s website.

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In November 2016, BYU joined D1A Rugby as an Independent. So while the Cougars won’t be participating in the 2017 Varsity Cup, they’ll still have meaningful games ahead, and a potential title on the line.

At the time of this writing, BYU has not issued a statement on the Varsity Cup’s decision.

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