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	15	12	3	0	426	243	183	64	23	58
2	Leinster	15	11	4	0	439	306	133	64	38	54
3	Munster	15	10	4	1	378	256	122	50	31	53
4	Vodacom Bulls	15	10	5	0	517	350	167	68	43	51
5	DHL Stormers	15	9	6	0	379	291	88	48	39	45
6	Connacht	15	9	6	0	373	336	37	46	44	44
7	Edinburgh	15	10	5	0	344	323	21	39	41	43
8	Benetton	14	9	4	1	286	276	10	33	38	42
9	Ospreys	15	8	7	0	341	346	-5	45	43	40
10	Ulster	14	8	6	0	321	305	16	39	41	39
11	Emirates Lions	15	7	8	0	424	335	89	55	42	39
12	Cardiff Rugby	15	3	11	1	311	333	-22	40	40	25
13	Hollywoodbets Sharks	15	4	11	0	291	344	-53	39	43	23
14	Scarlets	15	3	12	0	229	511	-282	27	69	17
15	Dragons RFC	15	3	12	0	251	509	-258	31	71	16
16	Zebre Parma	15	1	13	1	287	533	-246	36	78	15