United Rugby Championship: New league unveils inaugural fixture list
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The United Rugby Championship - how the revamped competition will work
The new United Rugby Championship (URC) has unveiled its inaugural fixture list and will kick-off on 24 September.
The Pro14 has rebranded with South Africa's four top teams joining the competition for the 2021-22 campaign.
Sharks, Stormers, Lions and Bulls will play alongside the 12 existing sides from Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales in a 16-team league.
The South African sides start the season in Europe with opening games in Italy and Republic of Ireland.
To accommodate the latest travel conditions across the URC's competing territories the provisional fixtures had to be readjusted with the South African teams completing four-week tours of Europe.
Sides from the northern hemisphere will play two away games in South Africa each season, with these games being played back-to-back.
Italian side Zebre have the honour of hosting the opening game when they play Lions at 17:35 BST, while Ulster v Glasgow and Cardiff v Connacht are the later fixtures on that Friday.
Benetton, Leinster and Munster all start at home against South African opposition the following day, with Edinburgh v Scarlets the other Saturday fixture, while round one ends on Sunday with a Welsh derby between Dragons and Ospreys.
The dates and times for the first 10 rounds of fixtures have been scheduled, with the final eight weeks of games to be confirmed.
There will be one division, with end of season play-offs. The season starts at the end of September 2021, with each team playing 18 regular season fixtures, while there will be a grand final in mid-June.
The top eight teams will reach the knock-out stages, with quarter-finals and semi-finals planned before that final in mid June.
There will also be four regional pools within the tournament with the quartet of Welsh regions, Irish provinces and South African sides each forming a nation-specific group, and the two Scotland and Italian sides linking up in the other.
All points won during the regular season will contribute to rankings in the regional pools and the highest-ranking team in each of the four pools will earn a place in the Champions Cup for the following season.
This means derbies have been maintained and teams will play each other at least once each season.
In Wales, the traditional Boxing Day derbies between Ospreys v Scarlets and Cardiff v Dragons have been changed to other local matches. Ospreys will now host Dragons and Cardiff entertain Scarlets on 26 December.
Judgement Day at the Principality Stadium, which involves a Welsh regional double-header with Cardiff v Ospreys and Dragons v Scarlets, is scheduled for weekend of April 22-24.
The South African derbies scheduled for rounds five, eight and nine will take place in February and March.
Each team will play home and away fixtures against their regional opponents, and 12 home or away fixtures against the remaining teams in the league. All sides are guaranteed nine home games.
The commitment to avoid clashing with international weekends means the original round six date has been moved to the final week in November which ensures every round of the tournament is played on a standalone weekend.
"We believe these fixtures will ensure the URC could deliver on its promise of a new era for our league where the very best from South Africa go head-to-head with our Celtic and Italian teams," said URC chief executive Martin Anayi.
"As we carefully manoeuvre out of the pandemic, the URC will take its place as one of the leading leagues in global rugby and this fixture list should ignite our competition.
"This schedule is the most complex we have ever produced and the efforts of every one of our stakeholders to help us piece it together in the current climate have been monumental.
"We now have a format that will heighten competition, showcase our clubs, elevate our athletes and bring great excitement to fans and TV audiences right across our territories and beyond."
United Rugby Championship: Fly through the home of Ulster Rugby with BBC Sport NI
Round one
Friday, 24 September
Zebre v Lions, 17:35 BST
Ulster v Glasgow, 19:35 BST
Cardiff v Connacht, 19:35 BST
Saturday, 25 September
Benetton v Stormers, 13:00 BST
Leinster v Bulls, 17:15 BST
Edinburgh v Scarlets, 17:15 BST
Munster v Sharks, 19:35 BST
Sunday, 26 September
Dragons v Ospreys, 14:00 BST
Round two
Friday, 1 October
Connacht v Bulls, 19:35 BST
Scarlets v Lions, 19:35 BST
Saturday, 2 October
Benetton v Edinburgh, 13:00 BST
Glasgow v Sharks, 15:00 BST
Zebre v Ulster, 17:15 BST
Ospreys v Cardiff, 19:35 BST
Munster v Stormers, 19:35 BST
Dragons v Leinster, tbc
Round three
Friday, 8 October
Ulster v Benetton, 19:35 BST
Ospreys v Sharks, 19:35 BST
Saturday, 9 October
Leinster v Zebre, 13:00 BST
Glasgow v Lions, 15:00 BST
Connacht v Dragons, 17:15 BST
Edinburgh v Stormers, 17:15 BST
Cardiff v Bulls, 19:35 BST
Sunday, 10 October
Scarlets v Munster, 14:00 BST
Round four
Friday, 15 October
Ulster v Lions, 19:35 BST
Dragons v Stormers, 19:35 BST
Saturday, 16 October
Zebre v Glasgow, 13:00 BST
Benetton v Ospreys, 15:00 BST
Leinster v Scarlets, 17:15 BST
Edinburgh v Bulls, 17:15 BST
Munster v Connacht, 19:35 BST
Cardiff v Sharks, 19:35 BST
Round five
Friday, 22 October
Scarlets v Benetton, 19:35 BST
Saturday, 23 October
Zebre v Edinburgh, 13:00 BST
Glasgow v Leinster, 15:00 BST
Cardiff v Dragons, 17:15 BST
Connacht v Ulster, 17:15 BST
Ospreys v Munster, 19:35 BST
Saturday, 5 February
Lions v Sharks
Stormers v Bulls
Round six
Friday, 26 November
Connacht v Ospreys, 19:35 GMT
Saturday, 27 November
Stormers v Zebre, 13:00 GMT
Benetton v Glasgow, 13:00 GMT
Sharks v Scarlets, 15:30 GMT
Dragons v Edinburgh, 17:15 GMT
Bulls v Munster, 17:45 GMT
Leinster v Ulster, 20:00 GMT
Sunday, 28 November
Lions v Cardiff, 14:00 GMT
Round seven
Friday, 3 December
Bulls v Scarlets, 17:35 GMT
Edinburgh v Benetton, 19:35 GMT
Leinster v Connacht, 19:45 GMT
Saturday, 4 December
Sharks v Zebre, 13:00 GMT
Ospreys v Ulster, 15:00 GMT
Lions v Munster, 15:30 GMT
Glasgow v Dragons, 17:15 GMT
Stormers v Cardiff, 17:45 GMT
Round eight
Friday, 24 December
Zebre v Benetton, 13:00 GMT
Sunday, 26 December
Cardiff v Scarlets, 15:00 GMT
Ulster v Connacht, 17:15 GMT
Ospreys v Dragons, 17:15 GMT
Munster v Leinster, 19:35 GMT
Monday, 27 December
Glasgow v Edinburgh, 19:00 GMT
Saturday, 12 February
Bulls v Sharks
Stormers v Lions
Round nine
Saturday, 1 January
Dragons v Cardiff, 15:00 GMT
Connacht v Munster, 17:15 GMT
Scarlets v Ospreys, 17:15 GMT
Ulster v Leinster, 19:35 GMT
Sunday, 2 January
Benetton v Zebre, 13:00 GMT
Edinburgh v Glasgow, 14:00 GMT
Saturday, 19 March
Lions v Bulls
Sharks v Stormers
Round 10
Friday, 7 January
Leinster v Lions, 19:35 GMT
Saturday, 8 January
Benetton v Sharks, 13:00 GMT
Zebre v Bulls, 15:00 GMT
Edinburgh v Cardiff, 15:00 GMT
Connacht v Stormers, 17:00 GMT
Glasgow v Ospreys, 17:15 GMT
Munster v Ulster, 19:35 GMT
Scarlets v Dragons, 19:35 GMT
Round 11
January 28/29/30
Connacht v Glasgow
Ulster v Scarlets
Cardiff v Leinster
Dragons v Benetton
Ospreys v Edinburgh
Bulls v Lions
Stormers v Sharks
Zebre v Munster
Round 12
February 18/19/20
Leinster v Ospreys
Munster v Edinburgh
Cardiff v Zebre
Dragons v Ulster
Scarlets v Connacht
Lions v Stormers
Sharks v Bulls
Glasgow v Benetton
Round 13
March 4/5/6
Munster v Dragons
Ulster v Cardiff
Scarlets v Glasgow
Ospreys v Zebre
Bulls v Stormers
Sharks v Lions
Edinburgh v Connacht
Benetton v Leinster
Round 14
March 25/26/27
Connacht v Leinster
Munster v Benetton
Cardiff v Glasgow
Bulls v Dragons
Lions v Ospreys
Sharks v Edinburgh
Stormers v Ulster
Zebre v Scarlets
Round 15
April 1/2/3
Leinster v Munster
Scarlets v Cardiff
Bulls v Ulster
Lions v Edinburgh
Sharks v Dragons
Stormers v Ospreys
Glasgow v Zebre
Benetton v Connacht
Round 16
April 22/23/24
Ulster v Munster
Cardiff v Ospreys
Dragons v Scarlets
Bulls v Benetton
Lions v Connacht
Sharks v Leinster
Stormers v Glasgow
Edinburgh v Zebre
Round 17
April 29/30
Munster v Cardiff
Ospreys v Scarlets
Bulls v Glasgow
Lions v Benetton
Sharks v Connacht
Stormers v Leinster
Edinburgh v Ulster
Zebre v Dragons
Round 18
May 20/21/22
Connacht v Zebre
Leinster v Edinburgh
Ulster v Sharks
Dragons v Lions
Scarlets v Stormers
Ospreys v Bulls
Glasgow v Munster
Benetton v Cardiff