PLANS have been unveiled for a new United Rugby Championship (URC) next season that will feature northern and southern hemisphere teams.
The 16-team league, forged from an agreement between PRO14 Rugby and SA Rugby, will start in September.
It includes South Africa’s four Super Rugby sides – Sharks, Stormers, Lions, and Bulls – who join current Guinness PRO14 combinations Cardiff, Ospreys, Scarlets, Dragons, Leinster, Munster, Ulster, Connacht, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Benetton, and Zebre.
For the first time, and subject to contract terms being finalised with European Professional Club Rugby, South African teams will be eligible to play in the Heineken Champions Cup from season 2022-23.
URC chief executive Martin Anayi claimed the new league would “begin to reshape the world of club rugby,” while SA Rugby boss Jurie Roux described it as “a watershed moment in South African rugby history”.
The competition format comprises four regional pools of four, with teams
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