FORMER Wellington College captain Buchan Richardson is hoping to add his name to the long list of rugby stars to come out of Durham University as he leads them into the inaugural BUCS Super Rugby competition.

Richardson has long been making a name for himself in the rugby world, having played at Under 17, 18 and 20 level for Scotland before switching allegiances to England.

The 22-year-old also captained Wellington College to victory at the Rosslyn Park Sevens before heading off to Durham.

With the likes of England legends Will Greenwood and Will Carling having played at Durham, Richardson is hoping to follow in their sizeable footsteps.

And he believes the introduction of a new BUCS Super Rugby competition – that sees the top eight university sides take on each other in a league ahead of a March 23 final at Twickenham – will help him do exactly that.

“Historically Durham have had guys go onto great things, we had Will Greenwood and Will Carling with us, and Josh Beaumont is now coming through too, and we’ve got a few guys contracted around the Premiership which is excellent – we have a whole host of talent,” he said.

“BUCS Super League will really allow us to get a lot more exposure with more media and crowds, and the training sessions will be taken to the next level with everyone desperate to impress coaches and scouts.

“I’m very excited, We’ve had a couple of years of fragmented leagues where you don’t always get to play the best in the country, so to have that opportunity to pit yourself against all the guys at the best universities is going to be a great challenge.”

The back rower added: “Everyone seems like they have strong teams this year.”

BUCS Super Rugby is a new national league, bringing together the eight best men’s university rugby teams in the country. It is run by British Universities & Colleges Sport (BUCS) and powered by Rugby Vertical. For more info visit www.bucs.org.uk/superrugby