The Ospreys will kick of their Rabodirect PRO12 campaign with a home game against European champions Leinster on the opening weekend of September.
The competition will continue through September and early October while the Rugby World Cup is being played in New Zealand, but there will be a two week break after Round 6 (weekend of 7 October) while the semi-finals and final of the global tournament are played.
Then it is back to business on the weekend of 28 October for Rounds 7 and 8 ahead of the opening Pool weekends of the Heineken Cup and Amlin Challenge Cup.
Four of the region’s first five games will be at the Liberty Stadium, with Edinburgh next to visit on the second weekend of the season.
The first away trip comes on the weekend of Friday 16th September when the Ospreys face Benetton Treviso, before hosting Ulster the following weekend.
Round five, on the weekend of Friday 30th September, sees another Irish side, Connacht, come to Ospreylia, before the Ospreys return to Thomond Park, scene of their semi-final defeat last season, to face Munster a week later.
After the break for the closing stages of the Rugby World Cup, the Ospreys travel to Glasgow before the first Welsh derby of the season at the start of November when the Scarlets are the visitors at the Liberty Stadium.
Rounds nine and ten on weekends of Friday 25th November and Friday 2nd December sees the Ospreys travel to Connacht then welcome Munster to the Liberty, before the Christmas derbies, which this year pits the Ospreys away to the Scarlets around the early part of the festive break before a home fixture against Cardiff Blues on the weekend of Friday 30th December. Another Welsh derby, this time against Newport Gwent Dragons is scheduled for the weekend after, before the return of the Heineken Cup.
February sees the Ospreys in Edinburgh (weekend of Friday 10th February) before they entertain Aironi, with a trip to Ulster following on the weekend of Friday 24th February.
Glasgow Warriors come to the Liberty Stadium on the first weekend of March, then the Ospreys travel to Dublin to challenge Leinster two weeks later.
Treviso are the visitors for Round 19 on the weekend of Friday 30th March, and two weeks later the Ospreys are away to Cardiff Blues. It’s another Welsh derby the following weekend when the Dragons are the opposition at the Liberty Stadium for the penultimate fixture of the regular season, with the Ospreys finishing away to Aironi for the second consecutive season on the first weekend of May.
The RaboDirect PRO12 Play-Offs, between the top four finishing teams in the regular season, will take place on the weekend of Friday 11 May and the RaboDirect PRO12 Grand Final will be on Saturday, 26 May, 2012.
With discussions between PRO12 officials and broadcast partners ongoing, we hope to be able to bring you more detailed arrangements for fixtures up until the end of 2011 very soon.