Cardiff Rugby will host the Dragons on Tuesday, 26 December (3.00pm kick-off), while the Scarlets will entertain Ospreys (5.15pm kick-off) in what will be the league’s 23rd season. New Year’s Day will also see another round of derby matches.
The whole campaign kicks-off while the Rugby World Cup reaches its conclusion in France with the first fixture taking place on Saturday, 21 October. The opening weekends of the will see games played across Saturday and Sunday afternoons to avoid clashes with World Cup fixtures on Friday and Saturday nights.
The BKT URC Grand Final will take place after the regular season’s 144 fixtures and six knock-out games, on Saturday 22 June.
After a two-year window of home or away fixtures against non-Shield opponents, the sequencing has been refreshed. The home and away sequence from this season will be reversed for the 2024/25 campaign to ensure a fair balance of home and away games against the same opponents over a two-year cycle.
The South African teams will tour twice rather than three times this season in a bid to cut down on long-haul travel. This means a four-match tour to Europe in the early part of the season followed by a two-game tour after the Six Nations.
With no November Test series break, teams will take on a schedule of 11 consecutive weekends of rugby (including European fixtures), so January will also provide two relief weekends for teams to take a break in play and to accommodate traditional festive fixturing on 26 December in Wales and Ireland.
Martin Anayi, United Rugby Championship CEO, said: “The fixture list is the central pillar to the operation of our league and teams and providing certainty to fans, clubs and broadcasters earlier than ever will have a positive impact. Providing a set of fixtures that aims to balance kick-off times which encourage attendance and deliver big broadcast while factoring in the travel necessary to compete in the BKT URC is a monumental task that cannot be underestimated.
“Each year we feel we are learning more and more about how to refine and improve our process and the final fixture list itself and I must express great gratitude to our broadcast partners who have supported so many requests from the league and our clubs. To deliver this fixture list 102 days ahead of kick-off is unprecedented for our league and gives us another target to beat again next year.”
2023/24 BKT United Rugby Championship Fixtures
R1 – Saturday, 21 October
Connacht v Ospreys | 15.00 S4C, Viaplay, Premier Sports
Dragons v Edinburgh | 15.05 Viaplay, Premier Sports
Cardiff Rugby v Benetton | 17.15 S4C, Viaplay, Premier Sports
Sunday, 22 October
Bulls v Scarlets | 14.00 BBC Wales, Viaplay, Premier Sports
R2 – Saturday, 28 October
Ospreys v Zebre Parma | 13.00 BBC Wales, Viaplay, Premier Sports
Stormers v Scarlets | 15.00 S4C, Viaplay, Premier Sports
Sunday, 29 October
Dragons v Cardiff Rugby | 14.30 Viaplay, Premier Sports
R3 – Friday, 3 November
Ospreys v Sharks | 19.35 BBC Wales, Viaplay, Premier Sports
Saturday, 4 November
Scarlets v Cardiff Rugby | 17.15 Viaplay, Premier Sports
Munster v Dragons | 17.15 S4C, Viaplay, Premier Sports
R4 – Friday, 10 November
Cardiff Rugby v Bulls | 19.35 BBC Wales, Viaplay, Premier Sports
Saturday, 11 November
Ospreys v Glasgow Warriors | 17.15 Viaplay, Premier Sports
Scarlets v Lions | 17.15 S4C, Viaplay, Premier Sports
Sunday, 12 November
Dragons v Leinster | 13.15 S4C, Viaplay, Premier Sports
R5 – Friday, 17 November
Zebre Parma v Cardiff Rugby | 19.35 BBC Wales, Viaplay Xtra, Premier Sports
Saturday, 18 November
Dragons v Ospreys | 17.15 Viaplay, Premier Sports
Leinster v Scarlets | 19.35 S4C, Viaplay, Premier Sports
R6 – Friday, 24 November
Cardiff Rugby v Stormers | 19.35 BBC Wales, Viaplay, Premier Sports
Saturday, 25 November
Sharks v Dragons | 17.05 IRE & UK / 18.05 ITA / 19.05 SA | SuperSport, S4C, Viaplay, Premier Sports
Sunday, 26 November
Ospreys v Scarlets | 15.00 Viaplay, Premier Sports
R7 – Saturday, 2 December
Cardiff Rugby v Scarlets | 15.00 Viaplay, Premier Sports
Lions v Dragons | 15.05 BBC Wales, Viaplay, Premier Sports
Benetton v Ospreys | 19.35 S4C, Viaplay, Premier Sports
R8 – Tuesday, 26 December
Cardiff Rugby v Dragons | 15.00 BBC Wales, Viaplay, Premier Sports
Scarlets v Ospreys | 17.15 S4C, Viaplay, Premier Sports
R9 – Monday, 1 January
Ospreys v Cardiff Rugby | 15.00 BBC Wales, Viaplay, Premier Sports
Dragons v Scarlets | 17.15 S4C, Viaplay, Premier Sports
R10 – Friday, 16 February
Scarlets v Munster | 19.35 BBC Wales, Viaplay, Premier Sports
Saturday, 17 February
Cardiff Rugby v Connacht | 17.15 S4C, Viaplay, Premier Sports
Glasgow Warriors v Dragons | 19.35 S4C, Viaplay, Premier Sports
Sunday, 18 February 18
Ospreys v Ulster | 15.00 Viaplay, Premier Sports
R11 – Friday, 1 March
Edinburgh v Ospreys | 19.35 Viaplay, BBC Wales, Premier Sports
Saturday, 2 March
Connacht v Scarlets | 17.05 S4C, Viaplay, Premier Sports
Cardiff Rugby v Leinster | 19.35 S4C, Viaplay, Premier Sports
Ulster v Dragons | 19.35 Viaplay, Premier Sports
R12 – Friday, 22 March
Glasgow Warriors v Cardiff Rugby | 19.35 Viaplay, Premier Sports
Ospreys v Munster | 19.35 BBC Wales, Viaplay, Premier Sports
Saturday, 23 March
Scarlets v Benetton | 15.00 S4C, Viaplay, Premier Sports
Dragons v Vodacom Bulls |19.35 S4C, Viaplay, Premier Sports
R13 – Friday, 29 March
Dragons v Zebre Parma | 19.35 BBC Wales, Viaplay, Premier Sports
Saturday, March 30
Ospreys v Emirates Lions | 15.05 S4C, Viaplay, Premier Sports
Munster v Cardiff Rugby | 19.35 S4C, Viaplay, Premier Sports
Scarlets v Glasgow Warriors | 19.35 Viaplay, Premier Sports
R14 – Friday, 14 April
Ulster v Cardiff Rugby | 19.35 BBC Wales, Viaplay, Premier Sports
Saturday, 15 April
Benetton v Dragons | 14.00 S4C, Viaplay, Premier Sports
Stormers v Ospreys | 18.15 S4C, Viaplay, Premier Sports
Edinburgh v Scarlets | 19.35 Viaplay, Premier Sports
R15 – Friday, 26 April
Scarlets v Sharks | 19.35 BBC Wales, Viaplay, Premier Sports
Saturday, 27 April
Bulls v Ospreys | 14.00 S4C, Viaplay, Premier Sports
Cardiff Rugby v Edinburgh | 15.05 Viaplay, Premier Sports
Dragons v Connacht | 20.00 S4C, Viaplay, Premier Sports
R16 – Friday, 10 May
Dragons v Stormers | 19.35 BBC Wales, Viaplay, Premier Sports
Saturday, 11 May
Scarlets v Ulster | 15.05 Viaplay, Premier Sports
Lions v Cardiff Rugby | 17.15 S4C, Viaplay, Premier Sports
Leinster v Ospreys | 19.35 S4C, Viaplay, Premier Sports
R17 – Friday, 17 May
Zebre Parma v Scarlets | 19.35 BBC Wales, Viaplay, Premier Sports
Saturday, 18 May
Ospreys v Dragons | 15.00 Viaplay, Premier Sports
Connacht v Stormers | 17.05 Viaplay, Premier Sports
Sharks v Cardiff Rugby | 17.15 S4C, Viaplay, Premier Sports
Saturday, 1 June
Scarlets v Dragons | 15.00 BBC Wales, Viaplay, Premier Sports
Cardiff Rugby v Ospreys | 17.15 S4C, Viaplay, Premier Sports
Quarter Final – Friday, 7 June / Saturday, 8 June
Semi Final – Saturday, 15 June
Grand Final – Saturday, 22 June
