Cell C Sharks v DHL Stormers **Feb 3/4

Emirates Lions v Vodacom Bulls **Feb 3/4

The second Vodacom United Rugby Championship season kicks off in 50 days’ time with the league ready to build upon an enormously successful first campaign that saw the DHL Stormers claim the inaugural title.

All 18 rounds are confirmed with broadcast selections and kick-off times to be confirmed in early August. This is the first step in the journey to crown the champions of 2022/23 and now fans can identify the weekends where their team will take on rivals new and old from north and south.

The Vodacom URC will kick off on 16 September 2022, although the South African teams will not be in action that weekend, and the regular season will come to an end in Round 18 on 23 April 2023.

Each week, teams from five rugby powerhouse nations, cross the hemispheres to compete and fight for the right to be our champion. Every match features a clash of rugby styles, cultures, languages and identity. It’s the diversity of our competition that makes us different.

Looking ahead to the first seven rounds of the Vodacom URC, before we head into the Autumn Nations Series, there is plenty to get excited about.

Round 1 will see the two Welsh teams that battled it out for the Welsh Shield last season, going to battle once again when Scarlets host Ospreys in Llanelli.

Inaugural Vodacom URC Champions, the DHL Stormers, will make their first appearance since lifting the Trophy in Cape Town as they welcome Connacht in Round 2 where the smoke from the fireworks at the Grand Final has hardly settled.

Round 3 will see the top two Irish sides in Ulster and Leinster entertain the Irish fans, Ulster having won their last two games versus their provincial rivals, while SA Shield winners, the DHL Stormers, welcome Scottish X Italian Shield winners Edinburgh Rugby.

Edinburgh Rugby, Glasgow Warriors, Leinster and Zebre Parma will host all four teams from the South in Round 4, in what is sure to be a spectacular display of North v South rugby.

Round 5 will see the Vodacom Bulls travelling to Thomond Park for the first time, to take on Munster, two iconic teams playing at an iconic stadium.

The Vodacom Bulls will be heading back to Treviso for the first time since they lost to Benetton in the Rainbow Cup Final, and a thrilling Irish Derby is expected when Leinster take on Munster in Round 6.

In Round 7, we bring you a clash of the Capitals as Cardiff Rugby take on Edinburgh Rugby, and an Irish derby not to be missed when Munster take on Ulster.

The Vodacom URC format will see all 16 teams ranked across a single table which will reward the top eight teams with their places in the Final Eight (quarter-finals), followed by a Final Four (semi-finals) to set the stage for the Grand Final. Every game counts. Any team can win on any given weekend.

Martin Anayi, Vodacom URC CEO, said: “The diversity of our league we so proudly celebrate, is also a reason for the immense complexity of putting together our Season 2 fixtures. This is a monumental task, and it takes many stakeholders many long hours dedicated to making this the best club rugby championship in the world.

“We have to consider a variety of factors across our 16 clubs and five territories, but we believe that our season schedule will give our fans the best rugby week in and week out. My heartfelt thanks go out to everyone who has worked tirelessly to put together a blockbuster fixture list right from Round 1.

“We have seen the success of our tournament format culminating in the grandest of Grand Finals last season and we look forward to going on this journey with our fans and with our stakeholders to another successful year of world-class rugby in action.”

Vodacom United Rugby Championship schedule 2022/23

R1 – Friday, September 16 / Saturday, September 17 / Sunday, September 18

Edinburgh Rugby v Dragons RFC

Ulster v Connacht

Benetton v Glasgow Warriors

Zebre Parma v Leinster

Scarlets v Ospreys

Cardiff Rugby v Munster

Cell C Sharks v DHL Stormers **Feb 3/4

Emirates Lions v Vodacom Bulls **Feb 3/4

R2 – Friday, September 23 / Saturday, September 24 / Sunday, September 25

Zebre Parma v Cell C Sharks

Glasgow Warriors v Cardiff Rugby

Leinster v Benetton

DHL Stormers v Connacht

Vodacom Bulls v Edinburgh Rugby

Scarlets v Ulster

Ospreys v Emirates Lions

Dragons RFC v Munster

R3 – Friday, September 30 / Saturday, October 1 / Sunday, October 2

Cardiff Rugby v Emirates Lions

Ulster v Leinster

Benetton v Scarlets

DHL Stormers v Edinburgh Rugby

Vodacom Bulls v Connacht

Ospreys v Glasgow Warriors

Munster v Zebre Parma

Dragons RFC v Cell C Sharks

R4 – Friday, October 7 / Saturday, October 8 / Sunday, October 9

Edinburgh Rugby v Emirates Lions

Zebre Parma v DHL Stormers

Glasgow Warriors v Vodacom Bulls

Connacht v Munster

Benetton v Dragons RFC

Scarlets v Cardiff Rugby

Leinster v Cell C Sharks

Ulster v Ospreys

R5 – Friday, October 14 / Saturday, October 15 / Sunday, October 16

Edinburgh Rugby v Benetton

Ospreys v DHL Stormers

Emirates Lions v Ulster

Cell C Sharks v Glasgow Warriors

Munster v Vodacom Bulls

Scarlets v Zebre Parma

Cardiff Rugby v Dragons RFC

Connacht v Leinster

R6 – Friday, October 21 / Saturday, October 22 / Sunday, October 23

Connacht v Scarlets

Benetton v Vodacom Bulls

Zebre Parma v Edinburgh Rugby

Emirates Lions v Glasgow Warriors

Cell C Sharks v Ulster

Dragons RFC v Ospreys

Cardiff Rugby v DHL Stormers

Leinster v Munster

R7 – Friday, October 28 / Saturday, October 29 / Sunday, October 30

Scarlets v Leinster

Glasgow Warriors v Benetton

Cardiff Rugby v Edinburgh Rugby

Dragons RFC v Zebre Parma

Munster v Ulster

Ospreys v Connacht

Vodacom Bulls v Cell C Sharks **Feb 10/11

Emirates Lions v DHL Stormers **Feb 10/11

R8 – Friday, November 25 / Saturday, November 26 / Sunday, November 27

Benetton v Edinburgh Rugby

Emirates Lions v Dragons RFC

Vodacom Bulls v Ospreys

Cell C Sharks v Cardiff Rugby

Munster v Connacht

DHL Stormers v Scarlets

Leinster v Glasgow Warriors

Ulster v Zebre Parma

R9 – Friday, December 2 / Saturday, December 3 / Sunday, December 4

Edinburgh Rugby v Munster

Zebre Parma v Glasgow Warriors

Cell C Sharks v Ospreys

DHL Stormers v Dragons RFC

Emirates Lions v Scarlets

Vodacom Bulls v Cardiff Rugby

Connacht v Benetton

Leinster v Ulster

R10 – Friday, December 23 / Saturday, December 24 / Monday, December 26

Glasgow Warriors v Edinburgh Rugby

Cell C Sharks v Emirates Lions

DHL Stormers v Vodacom Bulls

Benetton v Zebre Parma

Dragons RFC v Cardiff Rugby

Connacht v Ulster

Munster v Leinster

Ospreys v Scarlets

R11 – Friday, December 30 / Saturday, December 31 / Sunday, January 1

Edinburgh Rugby v Glasgow Warriors

Cell C Sharks v Vodacom Bulls

DHL Stormers v Emirates Lions

Zebre Parma v Benetton

Scarlets v Dragons RFC

Leinster v Connacht

Ulster v Munster

Cardiff Rugby v Ospreys

R12 – Friday, January 6 / Saturday, January 7 / Sunday, January 8

Dragons RFC v Vodacom Bulls

Glasgow Warriors v DHL Stormers

Benetton v Ulster

Connacht v Cell C Sharks

Cardiff Rugby v Scarlets

Munster v Emirates Lions

Ospreys v Leinster

Edinburgh Rugby v Zebre Parma

R13 – Friday, January 27 / Saturday, January 28 / Sunday, January 29

Ulster v DHL Stormers

Zebre Parma v Ospreys

Benetton v Munster

Dragons RFC v Glasgow Warriors

Connacht v Emirates Lions

Scarlets v Vodacom Bulls

Edinburgh Rugby v Cell C Sharks

Leinster v Cardiff Rugby

R14 – Friday, February 17 / Saturday, February 18 / Sunday, February 19

Glasgow Warriors v Ulster

Munster v Ospreys

Zebre Parma v Connacht

Scarlets v Edinburgh Rugby

Leinster v Dragons RFC

Cardiff Rugby v Benetton

Vodacom Bulls v DHL Stormers

Emirates Lions v Cell C Sharks

R15 – Friday, March 3 / Saturday, March 4 / Sunday, March 5

Munster v Scarlets

Glasgow Warriors v Zebre Parma

Cardiff Rugby v Ulster

Dragons RFC v Connacht

Edinburgh Rugby v Leinster

Ospreys v Benetton

Vodacom Bulls v Emirates Lions

DHL Stormers v Cell C Sharks

R16 – Friday, March 24 / Saturday, March 25 / Sunday, March 26

Benetton v Emirates Lions

Ulster v Vodacom Bulls

Scarlets v Cell C Sharks

Zebre Parma v Cardiff Rugby

Leinster v DHL Stormers

Ospreys v Dragons RFC

Connacht v Edinburgh Rugby

Munster v Glasgow Warriors

R17 – Friday, April 14 / Saturday, April 15 / Sunday, April 16

Cell C Sharks v Benetton

Connacht v Cardiff Rugby

Glasgow Warriors v Scarlets

Vodacom Bulls v Zebre Parma

Emirates Lions v Leinster

Edinburgh Rugby v Ospreys

DHL Stormers v Munster

Ulster v Dragons RFC

R18 – Friday, April 21 / Saturday, April 22 / Sunday, April 23

DHL Stormers v Benetton

Glasgow Warriors v Connacht

Emirates Lions v Zebre Parma

Vodacom Bulls v Leinster

Ospreys v Cardiff Rugby

Dragons RFC v Scarlets

Cell C Sharks v Munster

Ulster v Edinburgh Rugby