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	Leinster	7	6	1	0	227	136	91	33	17	29
2	Glasgow Warriors	7	5	2	0	208	163	45	32	16	26
3	Vodacom Bulls	7	5	2	0	274	156	118	37	19	25
4	Munster	7	4	2	1	172	122	50	23	16	23
5	Edinburgh	7	5	2	0	171	162	9	19	20	22
6	Benetton	7	5	1	1	125	123	2	12	17	22
7	Ulster	7	4	3	0	175	168	7	21	24	20
8	Connacht	7	4	3	0	174	186	-12	20	26	19
9	Emirates Lions	7	3	4	0	210	157	53	27	19	19
10	DHL Stormers	7	3	4	0	171	128	43	23	17	18
11	Ospreys	7	3	4	0	151	148	3	20	18	16
12	Cardiff Rugby	7	2	4	1	151	156	-5	18	19	15
13	Scarlets	7	2	5	0	125	272	-147	16	37	11
14	Zebre Parma	7	1	5	1	156	252	-96	22	36	11
15	Hollywoodbets Sharks	7	1	6	0	140	170	-30	19	22	7
16	Dragons RFC	7	1	6	0	108	239	-131	12	31	6