Scotland Boys U18 Open Competition

The Boys' U18 Open Competition is Scottish Rugby's elite age-grade league, bringing together the country's leading school and club programmes in a single competition for the first time. Launched as an eight-team pilot in 2025/26 and won by Strathallan School, it has expanded to 12 teams for 2026/27.

The competition sits at the top of Scotland's youth pathway. Rather than a traditional cup or conference, it is an invitational league. Schools and clubs apply for entry and are assessed by a panel drawn from Scottish Rugby's Rugby Development and High Performance departments, with selection based on player development, performance standards and programme delivery.

The 2026/27 field is made up of George Watson's College, Merchiston Castle School, Strathallan School, Erskine Stewart's Melville, Dollar Academy, Edinburgh Academy, Glenalmond College, Ayr RFC, Boroughmuir RFC, Stirling County RFC, Marr Rugby and GHA RFC, with the last four named among the new entrants this season.

The season runs from late August to December, with the 12 teams split into two pools of six before an end-of-year finale. It is played in parallel with the National Schools Cup and the National Youth Cup, so participating schools and clubs continue to compete in those competitions alongside their Open Competition programme.

The stated aim is to give Scotland's top youth programmes regular, meaningful fixtures against opposition of similar strength, while raising standards in coaching, physical development, player welfare and match officiating. A U16 edition runs in tandem.

From 2026/27, selected fixtures are streamed live on the Scottish Rugby YouTube channel as part of the new Match of the Week programme, giving the competition a national broadcast platform for the first time.