A new era will kick off for South African rugby when the Sharks, Stormers, Lions and Bulls join 12 PRO14 clubs for the United Rugby Championship.
United Rugby Championship: What is the format?
Organisers have confirmed the format for the United Rugby Championship which deviates from the old Pro14 system.
A new era will kick off for South African rugby when the Sharks, Stormers, Lions and Bulls join 12 PRO14 clubs for the United Rugby Championship.
SA Rugby and its European partners, this week announced that their new joint venture, which replaces the Pro14, will be called the United Rugby Championship.
United Rugby Championship format explained
Organisers have confirmed the format for the United Rugby Championship which deviates from the old Pro14 system which had two pools of seven teams from mixed origins.
The brand-new league format will consist of a single league table and 18 rounds of action with 16 teams across five territories.
Four regional pool tables will determine the 6 Home and Away fixtures played by each team in their territory. The remaining 12 games will be made from an even number of Home or Away games against the other teams in the league.
According to the United Rugby Championship, regional pools were designed to amplify rivalries and competitiveness among nations.
After 18 games, the top eight teams will qualify for the Quarter-finals, followed by Semi-Finals and a Final. Teams will be seeded from 1 to 8 and will receive home advantage according to their seeding for these fixtures.
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The very first United Rugby Championship will run from September 2021 until June 2022. South Africa’s Currie Cup will occupy its customary slot on the domestic calendar and the Springboks will continue to compete in the Southern Hemisphere’s major international tournament The Rugby Championship.
REGIONAL POOLS
Irish Pool: Connacht, Leinster, Munster, Ulster
Welsh Pool: Dragons, Cardiff Rugby, Ospreys, Scarlets
South African Pool: Cell C Sharks, DHL Stormers, Emirates Lions and Vodacom Bulls
Italian & Scottish Pool: Benetton Rugby, Edinburgh, Glasgow Warriors, Zebre Rugby Club
United Rugby Championship FIXTURE DATES:
R1: Weekend 24/25/26 September
R2: 1/2/3 October
R3: 8/9/10 October
R4: 15/16/17 October
R5: 22/23/24 October
R6: 29/30/31 October
R7: 3/4/5 December
R8: 24/25/26 December
R9: 31 December 1/2 January
R10: 7/8/9 January
R11: 28/29/30 January
R12: 18/19/20 January
R13: 4/5/6 March
R14: 25/26/27 March
R15: 1/2/3 April
R16: 22/23/24 April
R17: 29/20/21 April
R18: 20/21/22 May
URC Quarter Finals: 3/4/5 June
URC Semi-Finals: 10/11/12 June
URC Final: 23/24/25 June
