Hartpury College captain Seb Negri believes the experience of winning the BUCS Rugby Union Championship in front of his family at Twickenham is one that will remain with him for the rest of his life.

After leading his team to BUCS Super Rugby glory a few weeks previous, Negri and co completed an emphatic double with a thrilling 27-24 victory over University of Exeter at the home of rugby on Thursday.

It was a victory they had to complete the hard way though, trailing 14-3 just before the break prior to launching a stunning comeback, largely thanks to fly-half Harry Randall’s late double salvo.

But for Negri, the feeling of success was hardly something he could put into words, with some special guests on hand to help revel in the celebrations.

“It was a bit of a blur, but I couldn’t be prouder of the boys,” he said. “The amount of heart and character they showed, not just in the final but in the long journey that has been this season, I’m so proud.

“We’ve got a good group of lads, I don’t think I’ve ever been involved in such a team before, from the coaches and the medical staff right through to the players, and I couldn’t be happier to wear the Hartpury shirt.

“We had to dig deep when the chips were down. We showed that against Bath in the semi-finals, but to do the job at Twickenham and win in front of a crowd and win with your best friends, there’s hardly anything better.

“It’s the best stadium in the world, to play there is very, very special and something that you don’t take for granted as not many people get to do it. It’s something that will remain with me throughout the rest of my life.

“My family came all the way from Africa to support and it was a special night.”

As well as this BUCS Rugby Union Championship, the 2016-17 season also saw the introduction of the BUCS Super Rugby League, pitting the eight best rugby institutions from across the country together over the course of the season.

Negri had wasted little time experiencing first-hand the impact BUCS Super Rugby has had, already an Italian international embarking on a full-time contract with Guinness PRO12 outfit Benetton Treviso.

But a gleaming BUCS Championship trophy was not the only silverware to be heading the way of the flanker at Twickenham.

Negri was also named co-player of the competition, alongside University of Exeter’s Tom Lawday, and was delighted with the way university rugby has developed in its new calendar.

“To win the player of the year is credit to my teammates and the team I’m a part of, I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for them,” he continued.

“I don’t take too much interest in the personal stuff, so long as we do well as a team and we’ve done that this by winning the double.

“Having the BUCS Super Rugby League is unbelievable to get that student athlete. You want to go to university to complete your degree, but you also want to develop your rugby career and a competition like this is a great stepping stone to bigger and better things.”

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