Fixtures released for new United Rugby Championship season

As expected, defending champions Leinster will host South Africa’s most successful Super Rugby side the Bulls on the opening weekend of the new United Rugby Championship.

The fixtures, which were confirmed on Friday, will see the four South African sides travel north for the opening four rounds of the competition.

Munster get their campaign underway with a home game against the Sharks, Ulster host Glasgow while Connacht will be away to Cardiff.

The new competition will run for five rounds until October 23rd and then break for four weekends for the autumn internationals.

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The 16 teams in the new United Rugby Championship have been divided into four pools – Irish, Welsh, South African and Scottish/Italian – with each team playing derbies home and away in their pool and then playing the other 12 teams either home or away.

Each team will have a total of nine home and nine away games before the knockout stages.

The top eight teams will qualify for the quarter-finals of the inaugural United Rugby Championship.

The four pool winners will automatically qualify for the Champions Cup, with the remaining four teams being the next highest in the final league table.

Round one Fri, Sept 24th: Zebre v Lions (17:35); Ulster v Glasgow Warriors (19:35); Cardiff v Connacht (19:35). Sat, Sept 25th: Benetton v Stormers (13:00); Leinster v Bulls (17:15); Edinburgh v Scarlets (17:15); Munster v Sharks (19:35). Sun, Sept 26th: Dragons v Ospreys (14:00) Round two Fri, Oct 1st: Connacht v Bulls (19:35); Scarlets v Lions (19:35). Sat, Oct 2nd: Benetton v Edinburgh (13:00); Glasgow Warriors v Sharks (15:00); Zebre v Ulster (17:15); Dragons v Leinster (TBC); Ospreys v Cardiff (19:35); Munster v Stormers (19:35).

Round three Fri, Oct 8th: Ulster v Benetton (19:35); Ospreys v Sharks (19:35). Sat, Oct 9th: Leinster v Zebre (13:00); Glasgow Warriors v Lions (15:00); Connacht v Dragons (17:15); Edinburgh v Stormers (17:15); Cardiff v Bulls (19:35). Sun, Oct 10th: Scarlets v Munster (14:00). Round four Fri, Oct 15th: Ulster v Lions (19:35); Dragons v Stormers (19:35). Sat, Oct 16th: Zebre v Glasgow Warriors (13:00); Benetton v Ospreys (15:00); Leinster v Scarlets (17:15); Edinburgh v Bulls (17:15); Munster v Connacht (19:35); Cardiff v Sharks (19:35). Round five Fri, Oct 22nd: Scarlets v Benetton (19:35) Sat, Oct 23rd: Zebre v Edinburgh (13:00); Glasgow Warriors v Leinster (15:00); Connacht v Ulster (17:15); Cardiff v Dragons (17:15); Ospreys v Munster (19:35)

Round six Fri, Nov 26th: Connacht v Ospreys (19:35) Sat, Nov 27th: Stormers v Zebre (13:00); Benetton v Glasgow Warriors (13:00); Sharks v Scarlets (15:30); Dragons v Edinburgh (17:15); Bulls v Munster (17:45); Leinster v Ulster (20:00) Sun, Nov 28th: Lions v Cardiff (14:00)

Round seven Fri, Dec 3rd: Bulls v Scarlets (17:35) ; Edinburgh v Benetton (19:35); Leinster v Connacht (19:45) Sat, Dec 4th: Sharks v Zebre (13:00); Ospreys v Ulster (15:00); Lions v Munster (15:30); Glasgow Warriors v Dragons (17:15); Stormers v Cardiff (17:45)

Round eight Fri, Dec 24th: Zebre v Benetton (13:00) Sun, Dec 26th: Cardiff v Scarlets (15:00); Ulster v Connacht (17:15); Ospreys v Dragons (17:15); Munster v Leinster (19:35) Mon, Dec 27th: Glasgow Warriors v Edinburgh (19:00)

Round nine Sat, Jan 1st: Dragons v Cardiff (15:00); Connacht v Munster ( 17:15); Scarlets v Ospreys (17:15); Ulster v Leinster (19:35) Sun, Jan 2nd: Benetton v Zebre (13:00); Edinburgh v Glasgow Warriors (14:00)

Round 10 Fri, Jan 7th: Leinster v Lions (19:35) Sat, Jan 8th: Benetton v Sharks (13:00); Zebre v Bulls (15:00); Edinburgh v Cardiff (15:00); Connacht v Stormers (17:00); Glasgow Warriors v Ospreys (17:15); Munster v Ulster (19:35); Scarlets v Dragons (19:35)

Round 11 Jan 28th/29th/30th: Connacht v Glasgow Warriors; Ulster v Scarlets; Cardiff v Leinster; Dragons v Benetton; Ospreys v Edinburgh; Bulls v Lions; Stormers v Sharks, Zebre v Munster

Round five (SA Derbies) Feb 4th/5th/6th: Lions v Sharks; Stormers v Bulls

Round eight (SA Derbies) Feb 11th/12th/13th: Bulls v Sharks; Stormers v Lions.

Round 12 Feb 18th/19th/20th: Leinster v Ospreys; Munster v Edinburgh; Cardiff v Zebre; Dragons v Ulster; Scarlets v Connacht; Lions v Stormers; Sharks v Bulls; Glasgow Warriors v Benetton

Round 13 Mar 4th/5th/6th; Munster v Dragons; Ulster v Cardiff; Scarlets v Glasgow Warriors; Ospreys v Zebre; Bulls v Stormers; Sharks v Lions; Edinburgh v Connacht; Benetton v Leinster

Round nine (SA Derbies) Mar 18th/19th/20th: Lions v Bulls; Sharks v Stormers

Round 14 Mar 25th/26th/27th: Connacht v Leinster; Munster v Benetton; Cardiff v Glasgow Warriors; Bulls v Dragons; Lions v Ospreys; Sharks v Edinburgh. Stormers v Ulster, Zebre v Scarlets

Round 15 Apr 1st/2nd/3rd: Leinster v Munster; Scarlets v Cardiff; Bulls v Ulster; Lions v Edinburgh; Sharks v Dragons; Stormers v Ospreys; Glasgow Warriors v Zebre; Benetton v Connacht

Round 16 Apr 22nd/23rd/24th: Ulster v Munster; Cardiff v Ospreys; Dragons v Scarlets; Bulls v Benetton; Lions v Connacht; Sharks v Leinster; Stormers v Glasgow Warriors; Edinburgh v Zebre

Round 17 Apr 29th/30th, May 1st: Munster v Cardiff; Ospreys v Scarlets; Bulls v Glasgow Warriors; Lions v Benetton; Sharks v Connacht; Stormers v Leinster; Edinburgh v Ulster; Zebre v Dragons

Round 18 May 20th/21st/22nd: Connacht v Zebre; Leinster v Edinburgh; Ulster v Sharks; Dragons v Lions; Scarlets v Stormers; Ospreys v Bulls; Glasgow Warriors v Munster; Benetton v Cardiff

- The South African derbies scheduled for rounds five, eight and nine will take place on the weekends of February 5th, February 12th and March 19th respective. - The quarter-finals, semi-finals and final will take place on consecutive weekends on June 4th, June 11th and June 18th.