The United Rugby Championship (URC) will start in September 2021

ito United Rugby Championship Starting in September 2021 with the best South African rugby clubs (Sail Sea Sharks, DHL Stormers, Emirates Lions and Vodacom Bulls) who will be involved in them “Guinness PRO14” To form a league of sixteen teams of international caliber.

The United Rugby Championship will be bigger, more attractive and stronger than the tournaments before it. Teams from the five most prominent nations in the global rugby landscape such as Ireland, Italy, Scotland, Wales and South Africa will compete in a Super Club league that will make a difference, supporting the athletes on their way, in an event-enabled sport. To represent the people proudly.

Off the pitch, the United Rugby Championship will strive to provide an adequate platform for its players to tell their stories, so that a new generation of rugby talent can be seen with their achievements on the pitch and in civil society, while watching rugby-like fans. be inspired. There is a game for all.

This significant agreement between the South African Union and PRO14 Rugby will strengthen the existing partnership and promote further growth in the sport, benefiting all sixteen teams in the league.

Martin Fore, CEO of the United Rugby Championship, he declared: “Fans have always demanded more from our tournament, now we are taking it to new heights. World champions in the United Rugby Championship, emblems of the Guinness Six Nations, Tour Stars of the Rugby Championship and British and Irish Lions will increase the intensity of competition in an exciting new competition format. From the origins of the Celtic League in 2001, the vision has always been to innovate and evolve, to create a compelling competition that challenges our athletes and teams to perform at their best every single week. His ability was never questioned and now we can provide him the ideal platform to express his best“

“The creation of the United Rugby Championship would begin to reshape the world of club rugby. We are building a league that embraces and celebrates diversity and where the only chance for success will be to ensure the same skill and intensity as rugby.“

“The arrival of the best South African teams and the option of not playing during the international window will strengthen our league. We will see the heroes of the World Cup take on the best of the Six Nations in iconic stadiums, adding an unprecedented appeal to the clue rugby landscape.B”.

“Today we have a clear goal and an identity that unites all the constituents of our league. We have listened to and responded to the challenges posed by our clubs by taking the event to a higher level on and off the pitch. Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere Rugby will face each other every week and we can’t wait to find out who will establish themselves as the first United Rugby Championship champions“Four in conclusion.

Juri Roux, CEO of the South African Union, said: “South African Rugby has for many years envisioned a future aligned with Northern Hemisphere Rugby and this announcement marks the realization of that vision. Our teams with great rugby tradition and folklore will challenge the best clubs from the Four Nations and the South. will do so without changing the time zone with all games played in prime-time for the African public. This is a watershed for South African rugby, which Opens new doors and ushered in a new and exciting era for our sport“

New Horizons for the World of Oval Ball
The agreement will pave the way for the South African federation to become an equal member in the Pro Rugby Championship along with the Celtic and FIR Federations. In a sporting landscape that looks like the post-pandemic, this integration between North and South provides all the components with an optimistic look into the future.

Under the contract, all participants in the United Rugby Championship will be eligible to qualify for EPCR competitions for the 2022/23 season.

Compared to the structure of the Guinness PRO14, the Unit Rugby Championship will consist of eighteen regular season days with a return to a single ranking and avoid overlapping with international weekends, while retaining the chances of teams fighting for the title. Each match in the tournament will be significant, further enhanced by an elaborate final stage that aims to provide more uncertainty with quarter-finals, semi-finals and grand finals in high-profile stadiums.

The United Rugby Championship will be the platform for a wide variety of sports, languages ​​and cultures, with week after week challenges in iconic venues at the heart of the rugby world. The new competition will allow South African teams from Super Rugby to play at your usual time, helping to increase the audience and commercial value of the tournament.

United Rugby Championship Formula
The tournament will use a unique ranking to identify the teams that will advance to the final stage and compete for the title of champion.
The regular season of the United Rugby Championship will take place over eighteen days, with teams playing a total of six home and away matches with members of their regional group and twelve home or away games against other constituents of the league.

group

Irish Group: Connacht, Leinster, Munster, Ulster
Welsh Group: Dragons, Cardiff Rugby, Osprey, Scarlett
South Africa Group: Sail Sea Sharks, DHL Stormers, Emirates Lions and Vodacom Bulls
Italy-Scottish Group: Benetton Rugby, Edinburgh, Glasgow Warriors, Zebra Rugby Club

A single ranking will be used to rank all teams after eighteen days of the regular season. The first eight to qualify will go to the play-offs. Teams will receive a field advantage for the final based on their first to eighth place.
The quarterfinals and semifinals will identify the two teams that will qualify for the Grand Finals.

United Rugby Championship – Participation in the Champions and Challenge Cup
A total of eight teams from the United Rugby Championship will qualify each season for next season’s Heineken Champions Cup. The rest of the teams will take part in the Challenge Cup.

Subject to the finalization of the agreement with the EPCR, the eligibility of South African teams for the Champions Cup 2022/23 will be guaranteed based on their placement in the United Rugby Championship in the previous season.

All points earned during the United Rugby Championship season will help define the ranking of the regional groups, with each regional group qualifying for the first Heineken Champions Cup for the next season. This change in format will ensure more intensity to the long-standing rivalry.
The other four places available for the Heineken Champions Cup will be assigned to the top four best teams in the overall standings that do not qualify through the four regional groups.