| 2011–12 Rugby-Bundesliga | |
| Countries: | |
| Champions: | Heidelberger RK |
| Count: | 8 |
| Runner-Up: | TV Pforzheim |
| Promoted: | 12 clubs |
| Relegated: | none, expansion of league |
| Top Point Scorer: |  Luke James Muggeridge (234) |
| Top Try Scorer: | Caine Elisara (31) |
| Prevseason: | 2010–11 |
| Nextseason: | 2012–13 |
The 2011–12 Rugby-Bundesliga was the 41st edition of this competition and the 92nd edition of the German rugby union championship. In the Rugby-Bundesliga, the first division, ten teams played a home-and-away season with semi-finals and a final between the top four teams at the end. The season started on 27 August 2010 and finished with the championship final on 5 May 2012, interrupted by a winter break from mid-December to late February. The league's top try scorer was Caine Elisara for the second year running while Luke James Muggeridge took out the honours of best points scorer for the first time. Both are from New Zealand and played for Heidelberger RK.
The league was won by Heidelberger RK who defeated TV Pforzheim 20-16 to earn its third consecutive title. TV Pforzheim played in its first-ever German championship final, having defeated SC 1880 Frankfurt 46–25 in the semi-finals. Frankfurt had played in the previous five finals and won the championship in 2008 and 2009. The second semi-final was played between HRK and SC Neuenheim with the former winning 71–21.
In the second tier, the 2nd Rugby-Bundesliga, FC St. Pauli Rugby and the reserve team of SC 1880 Frankfurt took out the division titles, with SC 1880 Frankfurt II taking out the overall title with a 32–22 finals victory.
Both divisions of the 2nd Bundesliga played with only nine instead of ten clubs. The South/West division lost RG Heidelberg II just before the start of the season when the club decided to withdraw its reserve team to the third division[1] while the reserve team of Berliner Rugby Club was withdrawn during the season.[2] RU Hohen Neuendorf was expulsed from the league during the season for falling to field in two games without adequate excuse. TSV Handschuhsheim II was punished the same way for the same reason after the season had ended, with both of the teams being relegated.[3] [4]
In mid-July 2012 the Deutsche Rugby Tag, the annual general meeting of the DRV decided to approve a league reform proposed by German international Manuel Wilhelm. The new system will see the number of clubs in the Bundesliga increased from ten to 24 in 2012–13, the league divided into four regional divisions of six clubs each and the finals series expanded from four to eight teams. One of the main aims of the reform was to reduce the number of kilometres traveled by individual teams and therefore reduce the travel expenses. Additionally, the 2nd Bundesliga would be expanded to 24 teams.[5] [6] [7]
The final standings in the table:[8] [9]
| Club | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Points for | Points against | Difference | Bonuspoints | Points | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Heidelberger RK | 18 | 17 | 0 | 1 | 1100 | 209 | 891 | 17 | 85 | |
| 2 | SC 1880 Frankfurt | 18 | 15 | 0 | 3 | 837 | 275 | 562 | 14 | 74 | |
| 3 | TV Pforzheim | 18 | 15 | 1 | 2 | 834 | 348 | 486 | 14 | 74 | |
| 4 | SC Neuenheim | 18 | 11 | 0 | 7 | 469 | 390 | 79 | 10 | 54 | |
| 5 | TSV Handschuhsheim | 18 | 8 | 1 | 9 | 511 | 593 | -82 | 14 | 48 | |
| 6 | RG Heidelberg | 18 | 7 | 1 | 10 | 327 | 507 | -180 | 4 | 32 | |
| 7 | DSV 78 Hannover | 18 | 5 | 1 | 12 | 278 | 629 | -351 | 6 | 28 | |
| 8 | RK 03 Berlin | 18 | 5 | 0 | 13 | 372 | 898 | -526 | 6 | 27 | |
| 9 | Berliner Rugby Club | 18 | 2 | 0 | 16 | 321 | 653 | -332 | 9 | 17 | |
| 10 | RK Heusenstamm | 18 | 3 | 0 | 15 | 283 | 830 | -547 | 4 | 16 |
The results of the Bundesliga in 2011–12:[8]
| Club | HRK | SCF | TVP | SCN | TSV | RGH | DSV | RKB | BRC | RKH | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heidelberger RK | — | 22–19 | 24–17 | 34–3 | 147–12 | 45–5 | 102–0 | 109–7 | 50–0 | 99–0 | |
| SC 1880 Frankfurt | 26–39 | — | 49–7 | 30–0 | 38–14 | 48–23 | 71–12 | 120–0 | 30–15 | 82–0 | |
| TV Pforzheim | 26–24 | 27–17 | — | 37–20 | 62–39 | 67–21 | 60–18 | 104–24 | 54–7 | 41–7 | |
| SC Neuenheim | 32–33 | 15–24 | 11–20 | — | 26–22 | 15–16 | 33–15 | 71–14 | 27–10 | 29–8 | |
| TSV Handschuhsheim | 10–58 | 19–36 | 27–34 | 26–29 | — | 20–22 | 27–11 | 47–17 | 36–17 | 45–3 | |
| RG Heidelberg | 26–46 | 14–37 | 27–27 | 21–24 | 10–32 | — | 31–0 | 21–7 | 20–13 | 10–26 | |
| DSV 78 Hannover | 7–41 | 12–59 | 11–41 | 17–22 | 34–34 | 23–11 | — | 33–0 | 22–16 | 13–12 | |
| RK 03 Berlin | 14–64 | 17–60 | 7–60 | 24–41 | 26–44 | 50–0 | 24–11 | — | 28–21 | 39–19 | |
| Berliner RC | 0–75 | 15–27 | 13–78 | 8–33 | 8–11 | 10–16 | 34–39 | 51–36 | — | 40–25 | |
| RK Heusenstamm | 5–88 | 24–64 | 12–72 | 31–38 | 15–46 | 17–33 | 11–10 | 22–38 | 46–43 | — |
| Home win | Draw | Away win |
The leading try scores in the 2011–12 Rugby-Bundesliga season were (10 tries or more):[12]
| Player | Club | Tries | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caine Elisara | Heidelberger RK | align=center | 31 | |
| Rusell Ngamarama Kupa | TV Pforzheim | align=center | 24 | |
| Shaun Walker | Heidelberger RK | align=center | 21 | |
| Tim Kasten | Heidelberger RK | align=center | 21 | |
| Jacob Kennedy | TV Pforzheim | align=center | 17 | |
| Rob May | TSV Handschuhsheim | align=center | 15 | |
| Manasah Sita | SC Neuenheim | align=center | 13 | |
| Jesse Westerlund | Heidelberger RK | align=center | 13 | |
| Alex Jessop | TV Pforzheim | align=center | 13 | |
| Afa Tauli | TV Pforzheim | align=center | 11 | |
| Steffen Liebig | Heidelberger RK | align=center | 11 | |
| Kieran Manawatu | SC 1880 Frankfurt | align=center | 10 | |
 Sean Armstrong | Heidelberger RK | align=center | 10 |
The leading point scores in the 2011–12 Rugby-Bundesliga season were (100 points or more):
| Player | Club | Points | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luke James Muggeridge | Heidelberger RK | align=center | 234 | |
| Sam Harris | SC Neuenheim | align=center | 163 | |
| Mathias Pipa | TSV Handschuhsheim | align=center | 162 | |
| Caine Elisara | Heidelberger RK | align=center | 157 | |
| Jacob Kennedy | TV Pforzheim | align=center | 132 | |
| Fabian Heimpel | RG Heidelberg | align=center | 131 | |
| Jeremy Te Huia | TV Pforzheim | align=center | 121 | |
| Alex Jessop | TV Pforzheim | align=center | 112 | |
| Tim Kasten | Heidelberger RK | align=center | 105 | |
| Shaun Walker | Heidelberger RK | align=center | 105 |
The top try and point scorers per club were:
| Club | Player | Tries | Player | Points | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berliner RC[13] | Robert Taylor | align=center | 5 | Raphael Hackl | align=center | 55 | |
| RK 03 Berlin[14] | Christian Lill | align=center | 9 | Christian Lill | align=center | 45 | |
| SC 1880 Frankfurt[15] | Kieran Manawatu | align=center | 10 | Kieran Manawatu | align=center | 86 | |
| TSV Handschuhsheim[16] | Rob May | align=center | 15 | Mathias Pipa | align=center | 162 | |
| DSV 78 Hannover[17] | Nikolai Siekmann | align=center | 6 | Steven Bouajila | align=center | 48 | |
| RG Heidelberg[18] | Bastian Himmer | align=center | 6 | Fabian Heimpel | align=center | 131 | |
| Heidelberger RK[19] | Caine Elisara | align=center | 31 | Luke James Muggeridge | align=center | 234 | |
| RK Heusenstamm[20] | Benjamin Polheim Patrick Weber Tim Biniak | align=center | 5 | Pascal Schuster | align=center | 76 | |
| SC Neuenheim[21] | Manasah Sita | align=center | 13 | Sam Harris | align=center | 163 | |
| TV Pforzheim[22] | Rusell Ngamarama Kupa | align=center | 24 | Jacob Kennedy | align=center | 132 |
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The final standings in the table:[23] [24]
| Club | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Points for | Points against | Difference | BonusPoints | Points | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SC 1880 Frankfurt II | 16 | 12 | 0 | 4 | 446 | 214 | 232 | 14 | 62 | |
| 2 | Heidelberger TV | 16 | 10 | 0 | 6 | 436 | 269 | 167 | 8 | 48 | |
| 3 | RC Luxembourg | 16 | 10 | 0 | 6 | 347 | 276 | 71 | 6 | 46 | |
| 4 | ASV Köln Rugby | 16 | 10 | 0 | 6 | 318 | 317 | 1 | 5 | 45 | |
| 5 | Heidelberger RK II | 16 | 7 | 0 | 9 | 389 | 406 | -17 | 8 | 36 | |
| 6 | RC Mainz | 16 | 6 | 0 | 10 | 289 | 392 | -103 | 8 | 32 | |
| 7 | München RFC | 16 | 6 | 0 | 10 | 220 | 263 | -43 | 6 | 30 | |
| 8 | TSV Handschuhsheim II | 16 | 7 | 0 | 9 | 250 | 434 | -184 | 3 | 27 | |
| 9 | RC Aachen | 16 | 4 | 0 | 12 | 270 | 394 | -124 | 7 | 21 |
The final standings in the table:[25] [26]
| Club | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Points for | Points against | Difference | BonusPoints | Points | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FC St. Pauli Rugby | 14 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 537 | 190 | 347 | 11 | 63 | |
| 2 | SC Germania List | 14 | 10 | 0 | 4 | 453 | 197 | 256 | 8 | 48 | |
| 3 | USV Potsdam Rugby | 14 | 8 | 1 | 5 | 390 | 305 | 85 | 8 | 42 | |
| 4 | Hamburger RC | 14 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 287 | 266 | 21 | 6 | 34 | |
| 5 | DRC Hannover | 14 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 254 | 346 | -92 | 4 | 34 | |
| 6 | TSV Victoria Linden | 14 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 256 | 302 | -46 | 9 | 33 | |
| 7 | Berliner SV 92 Rugby | 14 | 4 | 0 | 10 | 194 | 403 | -209 | 3 | 19 | |
| 8 | Welfen Braunschweig | 14 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 117 | 479 | -362 | 5 | 5 | |
| 9 | RU Hohen Neuendorf | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |