List of oldest rugby union competitions
The following article lists the oldest known rugby union competitions.
| Rank | Competition | Location | Date | First winner | First Runner-up | Ref |
| 1 | United Hospitals Challenge Cup | The Oval | 1874 | Guy's Hospital | St George’s Hospital | |
| 2 | Ulster Schools' Cup | Ulster | 1876 | The Royal School, Armagh | Royal Belfast Academical Institution | |
| 3 | Yorkshire Cup | Recreation Ground, Holbeack | 1877 | Halifax | York | |
| 4 | Calcutta Cup | Raeburn Place | 1879 |
Other long established rugby union competitions include:
| Competition | Location | Date | First winner | First runner-up | Ref |
| Shute Shield | 1874 | Waratah | |||
| Home Nations Championship | 1883 | ||||
| The Treasury vs. Land Information New Zealand | Wellington | 1886 | Unknown | Unknown | |
| Leinster Towns Cup | Ireland | 1888 | |||
| Currie Cup | South Africa | 1889 | Western Province | ||
| French Championship | Bagatelle, Paris | 1892 | |||
| Mulock Cup | Toronto | 1895 | Faculty of Medicine | ||
| River Plate Rugby Championship | Argentina | 1899 | Lomas Athletic Club | Buenos Aires Football Club | |
| Bottle Match | United Kingdom | 1902 | Camborne School of Mines | Royal School of Mines | |
| Ranfurly Shield | New Zealand | 1904 | Wellington | Auckland | |
| Clifford Cup | Sri Lanka | 1911 | United Services | All Ceylon | |
| Siam Cup | 1920 |  Jersey Reds |  Guernsey |