United Rugby Championship: Cardiff, Scarlets, Munster and Zebre to return to South Africa

United Rugby Championship games that were postponed in South Africa will be played there on the final two weekends of the Six Nations.

Scarlets, Cardiff, Munster and Zebre will all travel back after getting caught up in December's Covid-related travel chaos.

The four European sides struggled to get home when the UK put South Africa on the red travel list because of the Omicron variant.

Eight matches were postponed in total.

They have now been rescheduled for two weekends in March, with tournament organisers opting not to switch the encounters from South Africa to Europe.

Playing URC games on Six Nations weekends was something organisers stated would not happen this season, but Scarlets, Cardiff, Munster and Zebre will be without their international players for those two matches.

The northern hemisphere teams who went to South Africa for the December games remain fresh in their memories.

Some members of the Cardiff squad spent almost a month in self-isolation in South Africa and the UK after testing positive for Covid-19.

That prompted coaching boss Dai Young to admit Cardiff would need convincing to return there this season.

In a statement URC said: "After review of the repatriation process that occurred in December, the URC will ensure that significant on-call measures are in place in the unlikely event of such circumstances occurring again.

"Additionally, the league's direct relationship with the relative government and health departments has also been strengthened."

URC chief executive Martin Anayi added: "Having been on the ground alongside other members of the URC management team in December when these games were postponed, we were fully aware of the circumstances that isolation presented.

"Player welfare remains paramount to rugby's success and after much internal consultation we believe that our clubs and players are confident that contingences now exist that - no matter how unlikely to be needed - can expedite any future process."

Tournament organisers have released the final dates and times up to and including the penultimate round of regular league games.

Tournament play-offs are still planned for three weeks in June.

South Africa alterations

The four South African sides, Sharks, Stormers, Bulls and Lions, were meant to be travelling to play games in Ireland and Italy in early January.

South Africa is off the UK travel red list and those games have been rescheduled for the third week of the Six Nations tournament, on the final weekend of February.

A number of South African derbies were also been adjusted to accommodate the revised schedule. The URC say they are fully committed to playing all games as scheduled but will ensure the welfare of teams and players comes first.

Cardiff had been scheduled to play Lions and then Stormers in South Africa during November

United Rugby Championship remaining fixtures

Saturday, 22 January

Lions v Sharks, 13:00 GMT, Emirates Airline Park

Bulls v Stormers, 15:05 GMT, Loftus Versfeld

Friday, 28 January

Ulster v Scarlets, 19:35 GMT, Kingspan Stadium

Dragons v Benetton, 19:35 GMT, Rodney Parade

Saturday, 29 January

Lions v Bulls, 13:00 GMT, Loftus Versfeld

Connacht v Glasgow, 14:55 GMT, The Sportsground

Sharks v Stormers, 15:05 GMT, DHL Stadium

Zebre v Munster, 17:00 GMT, Stadio Lanfranchi

Ospreys v Edinburgh, 17:15 GMT, Swansea.com Stadium

Cardiff v Leinster, 19:35 GMT, Arms Park

Saturday, 5 February

Bulls v Lions, 13:00 GMT, Loftus Versfeld

Stormers v Sharks, 15:05 GMT, Jonsson Kings Park Stadium

Saturday, 12 February

Lions v Stormers, 13:00 GMT, Emirates Airline Park

Bulls v Sharks, 15:05 GMT, Loftus Versfeld

Friday, 18 February

Munster v Edinburgh, 19:35 GMT, Thomond Park

Cardiff v Zebre, 19:35 GMT, Arms Park

Saturday, 19 February

Leinster v Ospreys, 17:00 GMT, RDS Arena

Scarlets v Connacht, 19:35 GMT, Parc y Scarlets

Glasgow v Benetton, 19:35 GMT, Scotstoun Stadium

Sunday, 20 February

Dragons v Ulster, 14:00 GMT, Rodney Parade

Friday, 25 February

Zebre v Bulls, 17:30 GMT, Stadio Lanfranchi

Leinster v Lions, 19:35 GMT, RDS Arena

Saturday, 26 February

Connacht v Stormers, 13:00 GMT, The Sportsground

Benetton v Sharks, 15:05 GMT, Stadio Monigo

Friday, 4 March

Ulster v Cardiff, 19:35 GMT, Kingspan Stadium

Edinburgh v Connacht ,19:35 GMT, DAM Health Stadium

Saturday, 5 March

Benetton v Leinster, 12:55 GMT, Stadio Monigo

Scarlets v Glasgow, 17:15 GMT, Parc y Scarlets

Munster v Dragons, 17:15 GMT, Thomond Park

Sunday, 6 March

Ospreys v Zebre, 14:00 GMT, Swansea.com Stadium

Scarlets trained in Durban after arriving in South Africa

Fri, 11 March

Sharks v Scarlets, 17:10 GMT, DHL Stadium

Sat, 12 March

Bulls v Munster, 14:05 GMT, Loftus Versfeld

Sunday, March 13

Lions v Cardiff, 14:00 GMT, Emirates Airline Park

Stormers v Zebre, TBC, Jonsson Kings Park Stadium

Fri, 18 March

Bulls v Scarlets, 17:10 GMT, Loftus Versfeld

Sat, 19 March

Lions v Munster, 12:00 GMT, Emirates Airline Park

Sharks v Zebre,16:30 GMT, DHL Stadium

Sun, 20 March

Stormers v Cardiff Rugby, 12:00 GMT, Jonsson Kings Park Stadium

Friday, 25 March

Lions v Ospreys, 17:00 GMT, Emirates Airline Park

Munster v Benetton, 19:35 GMT, Musgrave Park

Saturday, 26 March

Zebre v Scarlets, 13:00 GMT, Stadio Lanfranchi

Stormers v Ulster, 13:00 GMT, DHL Stadium

Sharks v Edinburgh, 15:05 GMT, Jonsson Kings Park Stadium

Cardiff v Glasgow, 17:15 GMT, Arms Park

Bulls v Dragons, 17:15 GMT, Loftus Versfeld

Connacht v Leinster, 19:35 GMT, The Sportsground

Friday, 1 April

Sharks v Dragons, 18:30 BST, Jonsson Kings Park Stadium

Glasgow v Zebre, 19:35 BST, Scotstoun Stadium

Saturday, 2 April

Benetton v Connacht, 12:00 BST, Stadio Monigo

Bulls v Ulster, 13:00 BST, Loftus Versfeld

Lions v Edinburgh, 15:05 BST, Emirates Airline Park

Stormers v Ospreys, 17:15 BST, DHL Stadium

Leinster v Munster, 19:00 BST, Aviva Stadium

Scarlets v Cardiff, 19:35 BST, Parc y Scarlets

Saturday, 9 April

Stormers v Bulls, 13:00 BST, DHL Stadium

Sharks v Lions, 15:05 BST, Jonsson Kings Park Stadium

Friday, 22 April

Stormers v Glasgow, 17:30 BST, DHL Stadium

Ulster v Munster, 19:35 BST, Kingspan Stadium

Edinburgh v Zebre, 19:45 BST, DAM Health Stadium

Saturday, 23 April

Bulls v Benetton, 13:00 BST, Loftus Versfeld

Lions v Connacht, 15:05 BST, Emirates Airline Park

Dragons v Scarlets, 15:00 BST, TBC

Cardiff v Ospreys 17:15 BST, TBC

Sharks v Leinster, 17:15 BST, Jonsson Kings Park Stadium

Friday, 29 April

Bulls v Glasgow, 18:00 BST, Loftus Versfeld

Munster v Cardiff, 19:35 BST, Musgrave Park

Saturday, 30 April

Lions v Benetton,13:00 BST, Emirates Airline Park

Sharks v Connacht, 15:05 BST, Jonsson Kings Park Stadium

Zebre v Dragons, 15:05 BST, Stadio Lanfranchi

Stormers v Leinster, 17:15 BST, DHL Stadium

Ospreys v Scarlets, 17:15 BST, Swansea.com Stadium

Edinburgh v Ulster,19:35 BST, DAM Health Stadium

Saturday, 21 May

Connacht v Zebre, TBC, The Sportsground

Leinster v Edinburgh, TBC, RDS Arena

Ulster v Sharks, TBC, Kingspan Stadium

Dragons v Lions, TBC, Rodney Parade

Scarlets v Stormers, TBC, Parc y Scarlets

Ospreys v Bulls, TBC, Swansea.com Stadium

Glasgow v Munster, TBC, Scotstoun Stadium

Benetton v Cardiff, TBC, Stadio Monigo.

Quarter-finals

3-5 June

Semi-finals

10-11 June

Final

17-18 June

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