United Rugby Championship: 2023-24 season to start on 21 October because of World Cup

Munster players celebrate with the 2022-23 United Rugby Championship title

The 2023-24 United Rugby Championship (URC) season will begin on 21 October and end with the final on 22 June.

The season starts later than usual because of the World Cup in France with the opening round of matches clashing with the semi-finals.

The top eight URC sides will qualify for the end of season play-offs which start on 7 June, 2024.

Reigning champions Munster will be hoping to defend their title as they open their campaign against Sharks.

Ospreys have three home matches with venues yet to be confirmed as they contend with a ground share with Swansea City.

The venue for matches against South African sides Sharks on 3 November and Lions on 30 March are still to be confirmed, along with the 1 January derby date against Cardiff, because of a clash with Swansea City home matches when the football side's fixture takes precedence.

The region say they are still exploring alternative venues which would suit each individual game.

Discussions are set to involve moving matches within the region while the possibility has been considered of games outside the region and being staged in places like London.

Scarlets start their season with a two-week trip to South Africa, where they will face Bulls and Stormers.

Dragons and Cardiff host Edinburgh and Benetton respectively on the opening weekend before the two Welsh sides face each other on 29 October at Rodney Parade, the day after the World Cup final.

The third round of league matches on the opening weekend of November could clash with a Wales match against Barbarians that is being considered by the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU), which is also the weekend after the World Cup final.

Any such fixture that could help pay tribute to former Wales lock Alun Wyn Jones at Principality Stadium would be on the same weekend as Scarlets hosting Cardiff in a Welsh derby.

The traditional 26 December matches will take place with Cardiff hosting Dragons and Scarlets entertaining Ospreys.

There might be a potential Judgement Day double-header on 1 June on the final round of regular league matches with Scarlets hosting Dragons and Cardiff entertaining Ospreys with home venues yet to be confirmed.

Nothing has been officially decided on whether Judgement Day will go ahead in the new season.

In a new approach aimed at reducing long-haul travel across the league, the South African teams will tour Europe twice rather than three times in a season.

"The fixture list is the central pillar to the operation of our league and teams and providing certainty to fans, clubs and broadcasters earlier than ever will have a positive impact," said URC chief executive Martin Anayi.

"Providing a set of fixtures that aims to balance kick-off times which encourage attendance and deliver big broadcast while factoring in the travel necessary to compete is a monumental task that cannot be underestimated.

"Each year we feel we are learning more and more about how to refine and improve our process and the final fixture list itself and I express great gratitude to our broadcast partners who have supported requests from the league and our clubs.

"To deliver this fixture list 102 days ahead of kick-off is unprecedented for our league and gives us another target to beat again next year."