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2025–26 United Rugby Championship
The 2025–26 United Rugby Championship will be the 25th season of the professional rugby union competition currently known as the United Rugby Championship, the highest level domestic club rugby competition in South Africa, Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Italy. This season is also the fifth season under that name, and the fifth with the current collection of teams. It will begin on 26 September 2025 and will end in June 2026. Leinster enter the competition as the reigning champions, and holders of the URC Irish Shield and will kick off the competition with the first match away to Stormers. Glasgow Warriors, Sharks and Cardiff will defend the Scottish-Italian, South African and Welsh Shields respectively. Format The 2025–26 season once again consists of 21 rounds: 18 rounds of regular season play, followed by three rounds of play-offs. The competition runs from September 2025 to June 2026, with the regular season ending in mid May. The season also contains breaks for the 2025 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2024–25 United Rugby Championship
The 2024–25 United Rugby Championship was the 24th season of the professional rugby union competition currently known as the United Rugby Championship, the highest level domestic rugby competition in South Africa, Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Italy. This season was the fourth season under that name, and the fourth with the current collection of teams. It began on 20 September 2024 and ended on 14 June 2025. Glasgow Warriors entered as the 2023–24 United Rugby Championship, reigning champions, their second overall title, but were eliminated by Leinster Rugby, Leinster in the semi-finals. The first confirmed titles of the season were the four URC Regional Shields, which were won by Leinster Rugby, Leinster (Irish Shield), Cardiff Rugby, Cardiff (Welsh Shield), Sharks (rugby union), Sharks (South African Shield) and Glasgow Warriors (Scottish-Italian Shield) respectively. Leinster's win, their fourth, extended their record within the championship for Shield wins. During the sea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1872 Cup
The 1872 Cup – also known as the 1872 Challenge Cup – is a men's rugby union tournament contested every year between the two Scottish professional clubs, Glasgow Warriors and Edinburgh Rugby. Under the current format, Glasgow Warriors and Edinburgh Rugby play home-and-away league matches against one another within the United Rugby Championship in which both sides compete. The results in these matches is used to decide the Cup winners. The aggregate score in the home and away ties decides the 1872 Champions each year and bonus points won within the URC league structure are disregarded. Not only is the Glasgow – Edinburgh fixture the oldest inter-district rugby match in the world, but the derby is classed as one of the biggest in world rugby. Former Edinburgh coach, the South African Alan Solomons states: "These games are massive. For me, this is one of the big derbies of world rugby." Glasgow Warriors head coach Franco Smith said: "It's a very special derby that is world r ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rodney Parade
Rodney Parade is a stadium in the city of Newport, South Wales. It is located on the east bank of the River Usk in Newport city centre. The ground is on Rodney Road, a short walk from the city's central bus and railway stations via Newport Bridge or Newport City footbridge. There is no spectator car park at the ground but a number of multi-storey car parks are nearby. Rodney Parade is the home ground of Dragons RFC, one of the four Welsh regional rugby union teams. It is also the home ground of Newport County football club. It is the third-oldest sports venue in the Football League, after the Racecourse Ground and Deepdale. Stadium capacity is reduced from rugby levels for football matches. In 2017 the rugby union club Newport RFC sold Rodney Parade to the Welsh Rugby Union and subsequently in 2021 Newport RFC relocated to Newport Stadium. In 2023 a private consortium purchased Rodney Parade and the Dragons regional rugby union team from the WRU. Newport Squash Rackets Cl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dragons RFC
Dragons RFC () are one of the four professional rugby union regional teams in Wales. They play in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup/ European Rugby Challenge Cup. They play their home games at Rodney Parade, Newport, which was the home of Newport RFC from 1877 to 2017, and is shared with Newport County AFC, the city's English Football League team. The Dragons were formed in 2003 as a result of the introduction of regional rugby union teams in Wales, and represent a region covers an area of southeast representing an arena that covers an area of southeast Wales including Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly, Monmouthshire, Newport and Torfaen, with a total population approaching 600,000. They are affiliated with a number of semi-professional and amateur clubs throughout the area, including Pontypool RFC, Caerphilly RFC, Cross Keys RFC, Ebbw Vale RFC and Newport RFC. The team has been owned by Dragons RFC Ltd since 2023, having been solely owned by t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Sportsground
Dexcom Stadium (formerly The Sportsground) is the home of Connacht Rugby. It opened in 1927 and has been used to host Connacht Rugby matches since. Dexcom Stadium is able to hold up to 8,129 people without temporary seating. When Greyhound racing in Ireland, greyhound racing takes place at the stadium and adjoining premises, they trade as the Galway Greyhound Stadium. History 20th Century In 1928, the Sports Ground or the Sports Field as it was also known opened. The first rugby team to use the ground was Galwegians RFC who used the ground after moving from the Grammar School grounds. In the 1930s, it hosted the varsity matches and Connacht Senior Cup matches for the University of Galway. Renovations (2011–2016) Up until 2011, the regular capacity of The Sportsground was 5,500. The stadium was modified and extended in 2011, and again in 2016, instigated by the success of Connacht Rugby. The facilities include the: * Main Stand – which has enclosed corporate faciliti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stuart Lancaster (rugby Union)
William Stuart Lancaster (born 9 October 1969) is an English rugby union coach and former player who is now currently the head coach of Irish club Connacht Rugby, Connacht. After managing Leeds Tykes, Leeds Tykes/Carnegie and the England Saxons, Lancaster was appointed as the head coach of the England national rugby union team, English national team in 2011 until he stepped down in 2015, following the 2015 Rugby World Cup, World Cup. He then joined Leinster Rugby, Leinster as a senior coach the following year where he won one European Rugby Champions Cup in 2018 as well as four United Rugby Championship, Pro 14 championships within a staff run by Leo Cullen (rugby union), Leo Cullen before leaving for Racing 92 in 2023. Early life and education William Stuart Lancaster was born on in Penrith, Cumbria, Penrith, Cumberland. He grew up in the village of Culgaith, where he was sent to St. Bees School. He started his rugby playing career at the school playing for the 1st XV, in a r ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Connacht Rugby
Connacht Rugby is one of the four professional provincial men's rugby union, rugby teams from the island of Ireland. Connacht competes in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup. The team represents the IRFU Connacht Branch, which is one of four primary branches of the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU), and is responsible for rugby union throughout the geographical Irish province of Connacht. Connacht plays its home games at The Sportsground, which currently holds 6,126 spectators and can be expanded to 8,129. Connacht play in a predominantly green Rugby shirt, jersey, Rugby shorts, shorts and Rugby socks, socks. The Connacht Rugby crest is a modified version of the provincial flag of Connacht and consists of a dimidiation, dimidiated eagle and an arm wielding a sword. With the province containing just over 8% of the total Irish population, Connacht has a much smaller base of rugby union players to choose from than the other three provinces. This playe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cardiff Arms Park
Cardiff Arms Park (), also known as The Arms Park, is primarily a rugby union stadium, and also has a bowling green. It is situated in Cardiff, Wales, next to the Millennium Stadium. The Arms Park was host to the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games, British Empire and Commonwealth Games in 1958, and hosted four games in the 1991 Rugby World Cup, including the third-place play-off. The Arms Park also hosted the inaugural Heineken Cup Final of 1995–96 Heineken Cup, 1995–96 and the following year in 1996–97 Heineken Cup, 1996–97. The history of the rugby ground begins with the first Bleacher, stands appearing for spectators in the ground in 1881–1882. Originally the Arms Park had a cricket ground to the north and a rugby union stadium to the south. By 1969, the cricket ground had been demolished to make way for the present day rugby ground to the north and a second rugby stadium to the south, called the National Stadium, Cardiff, National Stadium. The National Sta ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Loftus Versfeld Stadium
Loftus Versfeld Stadium is a rugby stadium situated in the suburb of Arcadia, city of Pretoria in the Gauteng province of South Africa, owned by the Blue Bulls Rugby Union. The stadium can accommodate 51,762 spectators. The stadium is the home ground of the Bulls franchise of the United Rugby Championship, Blue Bulls union in South Africa's Currie Cup and African Football league champions Mamelodi Sundowns. It also hosted the 2009 Super 14 Final which the Bulls won 61–17 against the Waikato Chiefs, the 2009 Currie Cup final, which the Bulls won 36–24 against the Free State Cheetahs, and the 2024 United Rugby Championship final, which the Bulls lost 16–21 to the Glasgow Warriors. Also, the South Africa national rugby union team has played several test matches at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium. They played New Zealand in 1970, 1996, 1999, 2003 and 2006, Australia in 1967, 1997, 2001, 2005, 2010, 2012 and 2023, England in 1994, 2000 and 2007, and Ireland in 1998 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bulls (rugby Union)
The Bulls (known for sponsorship reasons as the Vodacom Bulls) are a South African people, South African professional rugby union team based in Pretoria. They play their home matches at Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Loftus Versfeld. They compete in the United Rugby Championship, having competed in the Super Rugby competition until 2020. Prior to 1998 Super 12 season, 1998, the Bulls competed in the then-Super 12 as Blue Bulls, Northern Transvaal, as in those years South Africa was represented in the competition by its top four Currie Cup sides from the previous season, instead of the modern Super Rugby teams. The side won the Super 14 in 2007, 2009 and 2010, placing them among the most successful teams in Super Rugby history with three titles. They were the most successful team of the Super 14 era (2006–10), winning three out of the five titles. They are the most successful South African team, and the only South African team to win a Super Rugby title. The Currie Cup team has be ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stadio Comunale Di Monigo
Stadio Comunale di Monigo is a sports stadium in the Monigo frazione of Treviso, Italy. The stadium is used for rugby union, and is the home ground for Benetton. The stadium has a total capacity of , divided between the two covered stands: the Tribuna Ovest (West Stand), seated with seats, and the Tribuna Est (East Stand), seated with seats. The Tribuna Ovest was the only originally covered stand, in fact the East Stand was renovated in 2018, increasing the capacity and building a cover. On the occasion of the test match between Italy and Scotland which was played there on 24 January 1998, the capacity was expanded to approximately seats thanks to the installation of some temporary stands at the sides of the permanent ones. The stadium contains six changing rooms for athletes and referees, multiple food&drink outlets, a restaurant, the historical club house, an events room, a press room, a photographers' room, a hospitality suite and the club shop. There are ample parking ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Calum MacRae
Calum MacRae (born 26 January 1980 in Edinburgh, Scotland) is the head coach for Benetton. He was head coach of the Scotland rugby 7s team 2014–2017. Playing career MacRae played rugby union as a centre and had also operated at fullback and fly-half. After age grade rugby he played for a four-year period on the IRB Sevens World Series along with playing in the Celtic league for the Borders. He played his final tournament for Scotland at the 2005 RWC Sevens in Hong Kong. Following this he was in Frank Hadden's Scotland Training Squad for a 4-year period, however, MacRae never gained full honours. His international 15's career mainly consisted of three consecutive Churchill Cup Tournaments. He was called up to the Scotland squad for the autumn tests in 2006 and for the 2008 Six Nations Championship. In 2009 he signed for Worcester Warriors. Coaching career He worked as a skills and attack coach at Newcastle Falcons from June 2011. In June 2014 it was announced that he ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
