The top-three teams from each of the two divisions then qualified for the finals round, held in a home-and-away format.

[4] [5] On 19 July 2008 at the annual general meeting of the German rugby association, the DRV decided to expand the Bundesliga and slightly change its modus.

[6] The women's Rugby-Bundesliga consists of six teams in 2008 and also plays a final between the top two clubs at the end of the season.

[7] As a sign of the gap between the Bundesliga and the 2nd Bundesliga, TSV Victoria Linden, who only won the 2009-10 North/East division in the last round of the championship, declined promotion, citing the additional cost of travelling and the limited player pool as their reason.

It also meant, for the first time ever, that no club from Hanover would compete at the top level of German rugby.

[10] The annual convention of the German Rugby Federation however decided in early July 2010 to allow DSV 78 to stay in the Bundesliga.

[11] In February 2011, the DRV decided that the league would continue to play with ten teams in the near future.

[12] 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 championship play-offs after the second stage will be reduced from sixteen to twelve clubs with the top two teams in each group advancing directly to the quarter-finals while the remaining eight will play a wild card round to determine the other four quarter finalists.

[16] At the annual general meeting of the DRV in July 2015 it was decided to return to a sixteen club format with two regional divisions of eight.

[18] • FC St. Pauli • Berliner RC • Hamburger RC • DSV 78 Hannover • RC Leipzig • RK 03 Berlin • SC Germania List • Victoria Linden • RG Heidelberg • München RFC • ASV Köln Rugby • RK Heusenstamm • SC Frankfurt 1880 • SC Neuenheim • TSV Handschuhsheim • Offenbacher SCR The German rugby champions are determined by a final (except in 2001-02), currently contested by the two top teams of the Bundesliga: Source:"Die Deutschen Meister der Männer".