United Rugby Championship: Cardiff, Scarlets, Munster and Zebre to return to South Africa
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The United Rugby Championship - how the revamped competition will work
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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