The DHL Stormers and Vodacom Bulls will lock horns at Cape Town Stadium, while the Sharks tackle the Lions in Durban in round 1 of the 2024-25 Vodacom URC.
As the current campaign comes down to the most competitive final round in the league’s history, supporters can now benefit from the earliest-ever release of fixtures which comes 114 days before kick-off.
The league will kick off on Friday, 20 September with Leinster visiting Edinburgh and Cardiff hosting Zebre Parma on the first day of the new season.
Not to be left out, Wales and Ireland will also host derby games with Dragons facing Ospreys and Munster battling it out with Connacht in Limerick. In Italy, Benetton Rugby will open their home fixture list against Scarlets while Ulster will host familiar rivals Glasgow Warriors in the opening round’s final fixture.
The sequence of home or away fixtures against non-Shield opponents is in year two. This means all fixtures from last season are reversed so that each team will complete their balance of home and away games against the same opponents over a two-year cycle.
Additionally, the earlier generation of fixtures will assist all teams in their cross-hemisphere travel with improved access to different seat classes and cost efficiencies related to bookings made further in advance.
GET YOUR DERBY TICKETS! Stormers vs Lions
“Given the complexity of our scheduling we are thrilled to have our fixtures published earlier than ever before,” URC CEO Martin Anayi said.
“Our fixture list is at the core of our entire league with fans, teams, broadcasters and media all setting their schedules to it and now we have set a new standard by delivering it while the current season is still in play.
“Our whole team is focused on making the United Rugby Championship the best league in the world and setting fan-friendly goals is key to that. Our clubs have been more engaged than ever in supporting this while our broadcast partners also play a crucial role in allowing the kick-off times to be set so far in advance.
“This weekend we will discover who has triumphed in the Race to Eight before the gripping drama of our play-offs takes centre stage. Now, no matter how the season ends fans can immediately look to next season’s fixtures to begin planning for another thrilling campaign.”
Due to calendar restrictions the outbound tours for South African teams will occur in blocks of three, two and one week(s). For teams travelling from the north, only five windows for touring exist in rounds 2-3, 5-6, 13-14, 15-16 and 17-18.
All URC Round 1 fixtures for 2024-25:
Friday, 20 September
Cardiff vs Zebre Parma (8:35pm)
Edinburgh vs Leinster (8:35pm)
Saturday, 21 September
Sharks vs Lions (3:45pm)
Dragons vs Ospreys (4pm)
Stormers vs Vodacom Bulls (6:15pm)
Munster vs Connacht (6:30pm)
Benetton vs Scarlets (8:45pm)
Ulster v Glasgow Warriors (8:45pm)
For the full fixture list, CLICK HERE
Photo: Ryan Wilkisky/BackpagePix
The post SA derbies to kick off new URC season appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
The DHL Stormers and Vodacom Bulls will lock horns at Cape Town Stadium, while the Sharks tackle the Lions in Durban in round 1 of the 2024-25 Vodacom URC.
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