The second 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 URC title.
All 18 rounds are confirmed with broadcast selections and kick-off times to be confirmed next week. 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 URC will kick off on 16 September 2022. And will see the regular season 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 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 URC Champions 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 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.
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 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, 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”.
Ticketing and pre-match activities for Ospreys home games will be announced in time. Keep an eye on our social media channels and website for more information.
Don't forget, your 22/23 Ospreys season membership includes all our United Rugby Championship and Heineken Champions Cup home matches. Get yours today and join us on Our Journey, Together.
CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE YOUR 22/23 SEASON MEMBERSHIP
United Rugby Championship 2022/23 Fixtures
Round 1 – Scarlets v Ospreys, September 16/17/18 2022
Round 2 – Ospreys v Emirates Lions, 23/24/25 September 2022
Round 3 – Ospreys v Glasgow Warriors, September 30/ October 01/02 2022
Round 4 – Ulster v Ospreys, October 7/8/9 2022
Round 5 – Ospreys v DHL Stormers, October 14/15/16 2022
Round 6 – Dragons RFC v Ospreys, October 21/22/23 2022
Round 7 – Ospreys v Connacht, October 28/29/30 2022
Round 8 – Vodacom Bulls v Ospreys, November 25/26/27 2022
Round 9 – Cell C Sharks v Ospreys, December 02/03/04 2022
Round 10 – Ospreys v Scarlets, December 23/24/26 2022
Round 11 – Cardiff Rugby v Ospreys, December 30/31 2022/ January 1 2023
Round 12 – Ospreys v Leinster, January 6/7/8 2023
Round 13 – Zebre Parma v Ospreys, January 27/28/29 2023
Round 14 – Munster v Ospreys, February 17/18/19 2023
Round 15 – Ospreys v Benetton, March 3/4/5 2023
Round 16 – Ospreys v Dragons RFC, March 24/25/26 2023
Round 17 – Edinburgh Rugby v Ospreys, April 14/15/16 2023
Round 18 – Ospreys v Cardiff Rugby, April 21/22/23 2023
