About

VODACOM UNITED RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP

Irish side Munster, who dethroned the DHL Stormers in a pulsating Vodacom United Rugby Championship Grand Final in Cape Town on 27 May 2023, will start the defence of their title on the weekend of 21/22 October, when the new season kicks off. In 2022, the Capetonians became the first holders of the title by beating fellow-SA team the Vodacom Bulls in the final. Four teams from South Africa, the DHL Stormers, Vodacom Bulls, Emirates Lions and Hollywoodbets Sharks, are joined by 12 clubs from Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales this competition that first kicked off in September 2021. Previously, it was called the PRO12 and later PRO14. The 2023/24 season wiil conclude on 22 June 2024 with the Grand Final. All the teams are again split into four conferences.

The history

The Championship originated in 1999 when the Welsh and Scottish unions created a competition for their teams, and in 2001 four Irish provinces were added to create the Celtic League. The ambition amongst the three unions in 2001 was to create a vibrant and competitive professional club competition that would provide their players with the best preparation for Test level rugby. In 2010, two Italian teams were welcomed as the competition began to look boldly towards a more diverse future – this was reflected in the name change to PRO12 in later seasons. In a historic move in 2017, the Championship expanded to South Africa and, in keeping with its cross-border DNA, added the Cheetahs and the Southern Kings to become a cross-hemisphere club rugby tournament known as the PRO14.

Pos	Team	PL	W	L	D	PF	PA	DIFF	TF	TA	PTS
1	Glasgow Warriors	16	12	4	0	460	283	177	68	27	60
2	Leinster	16	12	4	0	500	320	180	73	40	59
3	Munster	16	11	4	1	425	268	157	57	33	58
4	Vodacom Bulls	16	11	5	0	557	384	173	72	47	56
5	DHL Stormers	16	10	6	0	423	312	111	53	41	50
6	Ulster	16	10	6	0	390	359	31	48	48	49
7	Edinburgh	16	11	5	0	384	337	47	45	43	48
8	Benetton	16	10	5	1	345	338	7	41	47	48
9	Connacht	16	9	7	0	385	383	2	48	51	44
10	Emirates Lions	16	8	8	0	458	348	110	59	43	44
11	Ospreys	16	8	8	0	355	407	-52	47	52	40
12	Hollywoodbets Sharks	16	4	12	0	315	369	-54	43	46	25
13	Cardiff Rugby	16	3	12	1	324	367	-43	41	44	25
14	Scarlets	16	3	13	0	249	542	-293	29	73	17
15	Dragons RFC	16	3	13	0	272	553	-281	33	76	16
16	Zebre Parma	16	1	14	1	301	573	-272	38	84	15