Established in 1872, the Harvard Rugby Football Club (HRFC) is one of the school’s oldest athletic team and the first rugby club in North America. The club enjoys a full membership of more than 50 Harvard students, fielding three teams that compete throughout the fall and spring on a weekly basis. The team participates in the Ivy Rugby Conference.

As one of the top programs in New England, the HRFC is often nationally ranked. The team has recently gone to the National Sweet 16 in 2011, 2007, and 2003. Harvard also competes annually in the Ivy League Tournament, winning it in 2007. In May of 2011, after having succeeded in the Sweet 16, the squad made it to the National Final Four.