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50-642: In 2021, the United Rugby Championship introduced regional shields with the Irish provinces competing for the Irish Shield. Initially the pool included results against other non-Irish sides but from 2023 onwards, the URC announced that the regional pool shields of the competition would be decided only by results between the teams within each pool. With this change, the URC effectively reintroduced

100-627: A US franchise on the country's Atlantic coast in the near future, seeing the recent growth of the sport in the US as an opportunity to help close some of the financial gap between Pro12 and Europe's two major domestic leagues, the English Premiership and France's Top 14 . Browne added that Pro12 was also looking to expand further into Continental Europe by teaming with major association football clubs, some of which already have rugby sections. In August 2016, Pro12 officials began talks with

150-672: A private company limited by shares based in Ireland. The organisation is responsible for running and operating the URC and is currently owned equally by the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU), the Scottish Rugby Union (SRU) and the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU). The Italian Rugby Federation (FIR) may become a shareholder subject to it meeting certain conditions. The board of Celtic Rugby DAC

200-467: A match now on Sunday afternoons. BBC Alba also screened matches, with some also available in English on BBC Scotland, although BBC Alba did offer English language commentary via their Red Button service when the match was not shown on BBC Scotland. BBC Northern Ireland screened all Ulster matches not available on Sky Sports. RTÉ Sport dropped their coverage after the 2014 final due to budget cuts, making TG4

250-466: A new possibility of South African teams entering the competition. Following the decision of Super Rugby organiser SANZAAR to drop three teams from the competition (two from South Africa), multiple media reports indicated that the two likeliest South African sides to be axed, the Cheetahs and Southern Kings , could be added to Pro12 as early as the 2017–18 season. A later BBC report indicated that

300-581: A replacement team for Southern Kings and possible expansion to more teams in South Africa to enter the league in 2021. Later that month, SA rugby voted that their Super Rugby sides ( Lions , Stormers , Sharks , Bulls ) would enter the Pro 14 to replace the liquidated Kings and the Cheetahs, who were withdrawn before the 2021 season. Barney Mullan Bernard Mullan (died 25 September 1986)

350-411: A single league table. This creates an 18-match regular season before the play-offs, essentially a full single round robin with three additional 'derby ties' (or one extra derby and two extra Scottish-Italians ties in that pool). The play-offs are made up of the top eight teams, and consist of a straight knockout tournament. Teams are seeded 1–8 and the lowest-seeded teams receive home advantage. The final

400-399: A single round robin league, with 'derby games' between teams from the same nation being protected, and an expanded playoff structure. This allowed the competition to control the calendar, and control the number of games per team. League points are awarded using the bonus points system. Until and including the 2008–09 season, the champions were decided solely on the basis of who finished top of

450-642: Is an annual rugby union competition involving professional teams from Ireland, Italy, Scotland, South Africa, and Wales. For sponsorship reasons the league is known as the Vodacom United Rugby Championship in South Africa, and the BKT United Rugby Championship in the competition's other territories, the split branding mirroring the format previously adopted in Super Rugby . The Championship represents

500-480: Is held in a pre-arranged venue. Championship points are awarded using the bonus points system ; 4 points for a win and 2 for a draw. Bonus points can be earned so long as teams either score four or more tries in a game or lose by seven points or fewer – should a team do both, two bonus points are gained. As for European qualification, the South African teams are eligible for European competition. As of 2023,

550-692: Is made up of representatives from the IRFU, SRU, WRU, ProRugby Wales, the FIR and the South African Rugby Union. The chief executive is Martin Anayi. In 2020 the championship received an investment from CVC Capital Partners who acquired a 28% share in the championship. The organisation's headquarters are at Millbank House, Sandyford , Dublin 18. Starting in the 2010–11 season, the League

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600-782: The National Championship of Excellence into the league; or creating two teams of Italy-qualified players exclusively for the competition. On 18 July 2009, the FIR announced that Aironi and Praetorians Roma would compete in the Celtic League from the start of the 2010–11 season – beating bids from Benetton Treviso and Duchi Nord-Ovest. Praetorians would be based in Rome at the Stadio Flaminio , while Aironi would be based in Viadana but would play some matches in

650-475: The Six Nations Championship have been reduced. Due to the travelling distance between Europe and South Africa, home South African games are always played on a Saturday, allowing visiting teams to have a seven-day turnaround between fixtures, including five "clean days" that do not involve any travel. Should the draw see European teams play both South African teams away, the schedule will see

700-515: The "grand final" in 2010 and 2011 ). Two Italian teams – the former National Championship of Excellence team Benetton Treviso , and a new team, Aironi – joined the league starting with the 2010–11 season. Aironi was replaced by Zebre from the 2012–13 season. Through the 2012–13 season, the Welsh, Irish, Scottish and Italian rugby unions used the league as the sole determinant for Heineken Cup qualification, and from 2013–14 they use it as

750-418: The 2009–10 season to determine the champions, similar to that used in the English Premiership. For the first two seasons there were two groups and a knockout to determine a winner. Starting from the 2003–04 season until the 2008–09 season, the champions were determined from league performance, with all the teams in one league. From the 2017–18 season, the regular season employed a conference structure rather than

800-661: The 2019–20 season. The sponsorship deal with Guinness began at the beginning of the 2014–15 season as the Guinness Pro14 , and concluded after the Guinness Pro14 Rainbow Cup in July 2021. Following the rebranding to the United Rugby Championship or the URC for short, the league formed a new partnership with Roc Nation . BKT and Vodacom secured naming rights the following season. As of 2021–22 ,

850-642: The 2022-23 season. Beginning with the creation of the Welsh–Scottish League in 1999, the league became known as the Celtic League when it grew to include teams from Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The league was sponsored by Irish cider makers Magners from the 2006–07 season until 2010–11 , and was referred to as the Magner's League . At the start of the 2010–11 season, the league expanded from 10 to 12 teams, adding two Italian teams. Following

900-479: The Celtic League broadcasting rights. On 2 May 2013, Sky Sports announced that it had agreed a four-year deal to broadcast 33 live matches each season. This deal commenced at the start of season 2014–15, Sky have 30 exclusive matches but are only allowed to cover one set of fixtures; for instance, only one Leinster v Munster match was live on Sky with the other on TG4. Regional screening of matches continued, BBC Wales show Scrum V Live on Friday Night with S4C covering

950-688: The Cheetahs and Kings would be added once their removal from Super Rugby was formally announced on 7 July, though neither Celtic Rugby Limited, the South African Rugby Union , nor the two teams would comment on the report. A week after the Cheetahs and Kings' departure from Super Rugby was confirmed, the BBC reported that Celtic Rugby Limited was expected to officially add those teams at the organisation's next board meeting on 18 July. While no announcement came on that date, media in both South Africa and Britain reported that SARU's chief executive

1000-530: The European end of the deal and changes in the leadership of the South African Rugby Union (SARU). London Welsh expressed interest in 2006 in joining the Celtic League if promotion and relegation were to be removed from the English Premiership . In February 2009, South Africa was rumoured to be negotiating entry of its current Super Rugby teams into the Celtic League, to take effect when

1050-21379: The Interprovincial Championship in its original format for the first time since 2002. 1. Matthew Neely (Collegians), 2. T Cromey (Collegians), 3. A Thompson (Instonians), 4. ED Bunting (NIFC), 5. Bob Agar (Malone), 6. Herbie Martin (Instonians), 7. Gordon Dudgeon (Collegians) 8. Desmond McCourt (QUB), 9. ND Beattie (Collegians), 10. Jack Kyle (QUB), 11. JA Todd (Instonians), 12. John Harper (Instonians), 13. Deryck Monteith (QUB, c), 14. Des McKee (NIFC), 15. HRH Morrison (QUB). 1. R Blackwood (TCD), 2. R C Scott (TCD), 3. J Naughton (Corinthians), 4. M Lally (Rovers), 5. P Joyce (Galwegians), 6. M Holland (Corinthians), 7. J Begley (Corinthians), 8. O Goodbody (Corinthians), 9. C Anderson (Corinthians), 10. F Flattery (Corinthians) 11. D McNally (Galwegians), 12. C MacMorrow (Bective Rangers), 13. L O'Brien (Ballinasloe, c), 14. M O'Rourke (Galwegians), 15. B Egan (Galwegians). Munster: 1. A Hoare (UCC), 2. J Donnelly (Sunday's Well), 3. D Donovan (Bohemians), 4. Ernie Keeffe (Sunday's Well), 5. B Laffan (Garryowen), 6. C Roche (Garryowen), 7. Jim McCarthy (Dolphin), 8. C Kirkland (Young Munster) 9. E Murphy (Cork Constitution), 10. Paddy Reid (Garryowen), 11. Bertie O'Hanlon (Dolphin), 12. Mick Lane (UCC), 13. Angus McMorrow (Garryowen), 14. T Riordan (Cork Constitution), 15. J Staunton (Garryowen). 1. J Naughton (Corinthians), 2. R C Scott (TCD), 3. M Lally (Rovers), 4. P Joyce (Galwegians), 5. J. Joyce (Galwegians), 6. M Holland (Corinthians), 7. DB O'Malley (Corinthians), 8. K O'Shaughnessy (UCG), 9. B Egan (Galwegians), 10. L. O'Brien (Ballinasloe), 11. M Quaid (UCG), 12. C McMorrow (Bective Rangers), 13. B Collins (Galwegians), 14. M O'Rourke (Galwegians), 15. J Ward (Corinthians). 1. Jimmy Corcoran (UCC), 2. J Donnelly (Sunday's Well), 3. B Hayes (Cork Constitution), 4. Ernie Keeffe (Sunday's Well), 5. J Twomey (Cork Constitution), 6. C Roche (Garryowen), 7. Chris Daly (London Irish), 8. Jim McCarthy (Dolphin), 9. E Murphy (Cork Constritution), 10. Paddy Reid (Garryowen), 11. Bertie O'Hanlon (Dolphin), 12. Mick Lane (UCC), 13. JJ Staunton (Garryowen), 14. T Riordan (Cork Constitutuion), 15. G Aherne (Dolphin). 1. Albert McConnell (Collegians), 2. EW Davis (CIYMS), 3. Matthew Neely (Collegians), 4. Bob Agar (Malone), 5. Gordon Dudgeon (Collegians), 6. Desmond McCourt (QUB), 7. Herbie Martin (Instonians), 8. Jimmy Nelson (Malone), 9. Ernie Strathdee (QUB), 10. Jack Kyle (QUB), 11. DS Hyndman (QUB), 12. John Harper (Instonians), 13. Deryck Monteith (QUB, c), 14. Des McKee (NIFC), 15. Dudley Higgins (Civil Service). 1. J Naughton (Corinthians), 2. B Scott (Corinthians), 3. N Lally (Rovers), 4. K Shaughnessy (Galwegians), 5. P Joyce (UCG), 6. O Goodbody (Corinthians), 7. J Joyce (Galwegians), 8. M Holland (Corinthians), 9. J Dillon (Ballinasloe), 10. L O'Brien (Ballinasloe), 11. M Quaid (UCG), 12. D McNally (Galwegians), 13. C McMorrow (Bective Rangers), 14. M O'Rorke (Galwegians), 15. B Egan (Galwegians). 1. M O'Neill (Old Belevdere), 2. Karl Mullen (Old Belvedere), 3. Leslie Griffin (Wanderers, 4. C Walsh (Monkstown), 5. Dick Wilkinson (Wanderers), 6. RE Coolican (Dublin University), 7. J Kehoe (Old Belevdere), 8. D. Kingerty (UCD), 9. B Nolan (Blackrock College), 10. EA Carry (Old Belvedere), 11. Barney Mullan (Clontarf), 12. Kevin Quinn (Old Belevdere, 13. A Creedon (BLackrock College), 14. Brendan Quinn (Old Belvedere), 15. C Murphy (Lansdowne). 1. Albert McConnell (Collegians), 2. T Cromey (Collegians), 3. Matthew Neely (Collegians), 4. Bob Agar (Malone), 5. Jimmy Nelson (Malone), 6. Desmond McCourt (QUB), 7. Gordon Dudgeon (Collegians), 8. Herbie Martin (Instonians), 9. Ernie Strathdee (QUB), 10. Jack Kyle (QUB), 11. FA Olver (Instonians), 12. John Harper (Instonians), 13. Deryck Monteith (QUB, c), 14. Des McKee (NIFC), 15. Dudley Higgins (Civil Service). 1. M O'Neill (Old Belevdere), 2. Karl Mullen (Old Belvedere), 3. Leslie Griffin (Wanderers, 4. C Walsh (Monkstown), 5. D Wilkinson (Wanderers), 6. RE Coolican (Dublin University), 7. J Kehoe (Old Belevdere), 8. T Kennedy (Old Belvedere), 9. B Nolan (Blackrock College), 10. EA Carry (Old Belevdere), 11. Barney Mullan (Clontarf), 12. Kevin Quinn (Old Belvedere, 13. A Creedon (BLackrock College), 14. Brendan Quinn (Old Belvedere), 15. C Murphy (Lansdowne, c). 1. Leslie Griffin (Wanderers), 2. Karl Mullen (Old Belvedere), 3. E Craven (Old Wesley), 4. Dick Wilkinson (Wanderers), 5. C. Callan (Lansdowne), 6. RE Coolican (Dublin University), 7. T Headon (Clontarf), 8. JJ Guiney (Clontarf), 9. B Nolan (Blackrock College), 10. Jack Notley (Wanderers), 11. Barney Mullan (Clontarf), 12. HB McDwyer (Monkstown), 13. Kevin Quinn (Old Belevdere, 14. Brendan Quinn (Old Belvedere), 15. C Murphy (Lansdowne). 1. Jimmy Corcoran (UCC), 2. P O'Doherty (Young Munster), 3. B Hayes (Cork Constitution), 4. Ernie Keeffe (Sunday's Well), 5. P Madden (Sunday's Well), 6. C Roche (Garryowen), 7. Chris Daly (London Irish), 8. Jim McCarthy (Dolphin), 9. H de Lacy (Garryowen/Harlequins), 10. Paddy Reid (Garryowen), 11. Bertie O'Hanlon (Dolphin), 12. Mick Lane (UCC), 13. J O'Sullivan (UCC), 14. T Riordan (Cork Constitutuion), 15. J Harvey (UCC). Replacement: M O'Dea (Garryowen). 1. Leslie Griffin (Wanderers), 2. J Aherne (Monkstown), 3. Hugh Dolan (Blackrock College), 4. C Walsh (Monkstown), 5. W Linehan (UCD) 6. J Joy (Blackrock College), 7. J McAuliffe (UCD), 8. R Ball (UCD), 9. Tom Cullen (UCD), 10. Jack Notley (Wanderers), 11. B Mullan (Clontarf), 12. Kevin Quinn (Old Belvedere), 13. A Creedon (Blackrock College), 14. L Hoffman (Blackrock College), 15. George Norton (Bective Rangers). 1. R Blackburn (TCD), 2. R C Scott (Ballina), 3. J Naughton (Corinthians), 4. P Joyce (UCG) 5. J Joyce (Galwegians), 6. M Holland (Galwegians), 7. J Begley (Roscommon), 8. G Mitchell (Corinthians) 9. J Geoghegan (Galwegians) 10. J Horan (UCG), 11. B Devlin (Corinthians), 12. HO Anderson (Galwegians), 13. P Collins (Galwegians), 14. M Brennan (corinthians), 15. A Foley (UCG). 1. Des McKibbin (QUB), 2. TA Cromey (Collegians), 3. Albert McConnell (Collegians), 4. Jimmy Nelson (Malone), 5. R StG Gallaher (London Irish), 6. WDO Rollins (NIFC), 7. Herbie Martin (Instonians), 8. Desmond McCourt (QUB), 9. Ernie Strathdee (QUB), 10. Jack Kyle (QUB), 11. J Pigott (QUB), 12. HR Morrison (QUB), 13. Deryck Monteith (QUB, c), 14. Des McKee (NIFC), 15. Dudley Higgins (Civil Service). 1. Tom Clifford (Young Munster), 2. J Donnelly (Sunday's Well), 3. B Hayes (Cork Constitution), 4. P Keane (Young Munster), 5. P Madden (Sunday's Well), 6. C Roche (Garryowen), 7. Ernie Keeffe (Sunday's Well, c), 8. Jim McCarthy (Dolphin), 9. R O'Dea (Garryowen), 10. Paddy Reid (Garryowen), 11. Mick Lane (UCC), 12. J O'Sullivan (UCC), 13. G Ahern (Dublin), 14. Bertie O'Hanlon (Dolphin) 15. J Staunton (Garryowen). 1. R Blackburn (TCD), 2. R C Scott (Ballina), 3. J Naughton (Corinthians), 4. P Joyce (UCG) 5. J Joyce (Galwegians), 6. P Sweeney (Corinthians), 7. M Nolan (Galwegians), 8. M Holland (Galwegians), 9. B Egan (Galwegians), 10. J Horan (UCG), 11. B Devlin (Corinthians), 12. HO Anderson (Galwegians), 13. P Collins (Galwegians), 14. M Brennan (corinthians), 15. A Foley (UCG). 1. Des McKibbin (QUB), 2. EW Davis (CIYMS), 3. Albert McConnell (Collegians), 4. Jimmy Nelson (Malone), 5. Bob Agar (Malone), 6. Herbie Martin (Instonians), 7. Gordon Dudgeon (Collegians) 8. Desmond McCourt (QUB), 9. Ernie Strathdee (QUB), 10. WD Evans (Collegians, 11. J Pigott (QUB), 12. FA Olver (Instonians), 13. Des McKee (NIFC), 14. WA Hill (Collegians), 15. Dudley Higgins (Civil Service). 1. Leslie Griffin (Wanderers), 2. Karl Mullen (Old Belvedere), 3. Hugh Dolan (Blackrock College), 4. Dick Wilkinson (Wanderers), 5. Des O'Brien (London Irish), 6. T Halpenny (Lansdowne), 7. K Keenan (Blackrock College), 8. R Ball (UCD), 9. Tom Cullen (UCD), 10. Jack Notley (Wanderers), 11. L Hoffman (Blackrock College), 12. Kevin Quinn (Old Belvedere), 13. A Creedon (Blackrock College), 14. Kevin O'Flanaghan (London Irish), 15. Jack Mattson (Wanderers). 1. H StG Gallaher (London Irish), 2. TA Cromey (Collegians), 3. Albert McConnell (Collegians), 4. Jimmy Nelson (Malone), 5. Bob Agar (Malone), 6. Herbie Martin (Instonians), 7. Gordon Dudgeon (Collegians) 8. Desmond McCourt (QUB), 9. Ernie Strathdee (QUB), 10. Jack Kyle (QUB), 11. WA Hill (Collegians), 12. John Harper (Instonians) 13. FA Olver (Instonians), 14. Des McKee (NIFC), 15. Dudley Higgins (Civil Service). 1. R Blackburn (TCD), 2. RC Scott (Ballina), 3. J Naughton (Corinthians), 4. N Lally (Rovers), 5. J Langan (Corinthians), 6. M Holland (Galwegians), 7. M Nolan (Galwegians), 8. P O'Flaherty (Corinthians), 9. J Geoghegan (Galwegians) 10. J Horan (UCG), 11. P Murphy (UCG), 12. HO Anderson (Galwegians, c), 13. P Collins (Galwegians), 14. M Brennan (corinthians), 15. A Foley (UCG). 1. B Hayes (Cork Constitution), 2. J Donnelly (Sunday's Well), 3. Tom Clifford (Young Munster), 4. P Keane (Young Munster), 5. P Madden (Sunday's Well), 6. F Dineen (Bohemians), 7. Ernie Keeffe (Sunday's Well, c), 8. Jim McCarthy (Dolphin), 9. R O'Dea (Garryowen), 10. A McElhinney (Dolphin), 11. Mick Lane (UCC), 12. Paddy Reid (Garryowen), 13. J Mackessy (Cork Constitution), 14. JJ O'Sullivan (UCC), 15. J Staunton (Garryowen). 1. B Hayes (Cork Constitution), 2. J Donnelly (Sunday's Well), 3. J Corcoran (UCC), 4. P O'Kane (Young Munster), 5. Ernie Keeffe (Sunday's Well, c), 6. Jim McCarthy (Dolphin), 7. P Madden (Sunday's Well), 8. T Reid (Garryowen), 9. H de Lacy (Harlequins/Garryowen), 10. A McElhinney (Dolphin), 11. JJ O'Sullivan (UCC), 12. J Mackessy (Cork Constitution), 13. Paddy Reid (Garryowen), 14. Bertie O'Hanlon (Dolphin), 15. J Staunton (Garryowen). 1. Leslie Griffin (Wanderers), 2. Karl Mullen (Old Belvedere), 3. Hugh Dolan (Blackrock College), 4. Dick Wilkinson (Wanderers), 5. C Walsh (Monkstown), 6. T Halpenny (Lansdowne), 7. KJ Keenan (Blackrock College), 8. C O'Doherty (Blackrock College), 9. Tom Cullen (UCD), 10. Jack Notley (Wanderers), 11. L Hoffman (Blackrock College), 12. T Burke (Blackrock College), 13. D Orr (TCD), 14. A Gill (Wanderers), 15. Jack Mattson (Wanderers). 1. Albert McConnell (Collegians), 2. TA Cromey (Collegians), 3. Gordon Dudgeon (Collegians), 4. J. B. Stevenson (Instonians), 5. Jimmy Nelson (c, Malone), 6. Ewart Bell (Collegians), 7. D Ingram (Instonians), 8. Herbie Martin (Instonians), 9. Eric Kyle (NIFC), 10. Jack Kyle (QUB), 11. B Warke (Instonians), 12. Noel Henderson (QUB), 13. John Harper (Instonians), 14. Des McKee (NIFC), 15. JG Murphy (Dublin University). 1. M Kennedy (Corinthians), 2. R Scott (Ballina), 3. R Blackburn (c, Dublin University), 4. D Flynn (Galwegians), 5. G Langan (Corinthians), 6. M O'Flaherty (Corinthians), 7. C Clancy (St Mary's), 8. J Heffernan (Ballina_, 9. M Cox (Bective Rangers), 10. B Collins (Galwegians), 11. S Sweeney (Ballinasloe), 12. V Lane (Corinthians), 13. P Ryan (Westport), 14. M Brennan (Corinthians), 15. A Foley (UCG). 1. P. O'Kane (Young Munster), 2. D. Healy (Dolphin), 3. Tom Clifford (Young Munster), 4. P. Madden (Sunday's Well), 5. Archie O'Leary (Cork Constitution), 6. C. Roche (Garryowen), 7. Tom Reid (Lansdowne/Garryowen), 8. Jim McCarthy (Dolphin), 9. Hugh de Lacy (Harlequins, c), 10. W. O'Regan (UCC), 11. A. Nicholson (Dolphin), 12. Bertie O'Hanlon (Dolphin), 13. R. Dennehy (Dolphin), 14. Mick Lane (UCC), 15. G. Aherne (Dolphin). 1. Gordon Dudgeon (Collegians), 2. TA Cromey (Collegians), 3. Albert McConnell (Collegians), 4. Jimmy Nelson (Malone), 5. Bob Agar (Malone), 6. Bill McKay (QUB), 7. Ewart Bell (Collegians), 8. Desmond McCourt (QUB), 9. Eric Kyle (NIFC), 10. Jack Kyle (QUB), 11. JSY Matthewson (QUB), 12. Deryck Monteith (Malone), 13. John Harper (Instonians), 14. WA Hill (Collegians), 15. Dudley Higgins (Civil Service). 1. D Flynn (Galwegians), 2. R Scott (Ballina), 3. R Blackburn (c, Dublin University), 4. G Langan (Corinthians), 5. J Holland (Galwegians) 6. M O'Flaherty (Corinthians), 7. C Clancy (St Mary's), 8. M Kennedy (Corinthians), 9. S Dillon (Ballinasloe), 10. B Collins (Galwegians), 11. S Sweeney (Ballinasloe), 12. M Cog (Bective Rangers), 13. V Lane (Corinthians), 14. M Brennan (Corinthians), 15. A Foley (UCG). con2 = Mullan 1. Des McKibbin (QUB), 2. TA Cromey (Collegians), 3. Albert McConnell (Collegians), 4. Jimmy Nelson (Malone), 5. Bob Agar (Malone), 6. Herbie Martin (Instonians), 7. Ewart Bell (Collegians), 8. Desmond McCourt (QUB), 9. Ernie Strathdee (QUB), 10. Jack Kyle (QUB), 11. JS Mathewson (QUB), 12. Deryck Monteith (Malone), 13. John Harper (Instonians), 14. WHJ Miller (QUB), 15. Dudley Higgins (Civil Service). 1. L Griffen (Wanderers), 2. K Mullen (Old Belvedere), 3. L Warke (Dublin University), 4. MP Corrigan (St. Mary's), 5. R Fitzgerald (Palmerston), 6. T O'Brien (Bective Rangers), 7. D O'Brien (London Irish), 8. TG Davis (Dublin University), 9. T. Cullen (UCD), 10. JD Jackett (UCD), 11. B. Mullan (Clontarf), 12. K. Quinn (London Irish), 13. M. O'Flanagan (Lansdowne), 14. A. Gill (Wanderers), 15. G Norton (Bective Rangers). 1. Des McKibbin (Instonians, 2. FE Anderson (QUB), 3. Gordon Dudgeon (Collegians), 4. Jimmy Nelson (Malone), 5. Bob Agar (Malone), 6. JW McKay (QUB), 7. GRP Ross (CIYMS), 8. Ewart Bell (Collegians), 9. Ernie Strathdee (QUB), 10. Jack Kyle (QUB), 11. JSY Matthewson (QUB), 12. FA Olver (Instonians), 13, Noel Henderson (QUB), 14. Des McKee (NIFC), 15. Dudley Higgins (Civil Service). 1. T Clifford (Young Munster), 2. J Corcoran (Sunday's Well), 3. P O'Kane (Young Munster), 4. A O'Leary (Cork Constitution), 5. J Keyes (Garryowen), 6. M Madden (Sunday's Well), 7. E Keeffe (Sunday's Well), 8. JS McCarthy (Dolphin, c), 9. D Barry (Cork Constitution), 10. W O'Regan (UCC), 11. B O'Hanlon (Dolphin), 12. G Aherne (Lansdowne/Dolphin), 13. J O'Sullivan (Cork Constitution), 14. MF Lane (UCC), 15. D. Daly (Sunday's Well). 1. I. Johnston (Collegians), 2. Steve Smith (Ballymena), 3. D. Wallace (Ballymena), 4. John Rogers (Bangor) 5. C. Morrison (CIYMS), 6. Phillip Matthews (QUB), 7. Nigel Carr (QUB), 8. Willie Anderson (Dungannon), 9. Rab Brady (QUB), 10. Adrian Goodrich (Ballymena), 11. Kenny Hooks (QUB), 12. Roy Palmer (Collegians), 13. David Irwin (Instonians), 14. Trevor Ringland (Ballymena), 15. Paul O'Donnell (London Irish). 1. T. Healy (Shannon), 2. C. Fitzgerald (St Mary's), 3. H. McGuire (St. Mary's), 4. Mick Moylett (Manchester), 5. D. Grennan (Clontarf), 6. N. Hogan (Ballinasloe), 7. M. Smyth (London Irish), 8. P. Finn (Ballinasloe), 9. R. McGrath (Wanderers), 10. H. Condon (London Irish), 11. C. Hitchcock (UCG), 12. J. O'Connell (Corinthians), 13. D. Howard (St Mary's), 14. Eoin Lysaght (Blackrock), 15. Brendan Moran (Waterpark). Replacement: E. O'Flynn (Corinthians, for O'Connell 60') 1. D. Wallace (Ballymena), 2. Steve Smith (Ballymena), 3. I. Johnston (Collegians), 4. Brian McCall (London Irish), 5. John Rogers (Bangor), 6. Phillip Matthews (QUB), 7. Nigel Carr (QUB), 8. Willie Anderson (Dungannon), 9. R. Stewart (Collegians), 10. Adrian Goodrich (Ballymena, c), 11. Kenny Hooks (QUB), 12. Roy Palmer (Collegians), 13. David Irwin (Instonians), 14. Trevor Ringland (Ballymena), 15. Paul O'Donnell (London Irish). Replacement: John Hewitt (NIFC, for O'Donnell 22') 1. Philip Orr (Old Wesley), 2. J. Cantrell (Blackrock), 3. M. Fitzpatrick (Wanderers), 4. George Wallace (Old Wesley), 5. Jim Glennon (Skerries), 6. Fergus Slattery (Blackrock), 7. Ronan Kearney (Wanderers), 8. Declan Fanning (St Mary's), 9. Sammy Lyons (Old Belvedere), 10. Ollie Campbell (Old Belvedere), 11. S. Doyle (Greystones), 12. Paul Dean (St Mary's), 13. I. Finnegan (Bective Rangers), 14. Paul Haycock (Terenure), 15. Hugo MacNeill (Oxford University). 1. N. Ryan (Shannon), 2. P. Derham (Cork Constitution), 3. G. McLoughlin (Shannon), 4. Donal Lenihan (Cork Constitution), 5. Moss Keane (Lansdowne), 6. C. Cantillon (Cork Constitution), 7. Colm Tucker (Shannon), 8. Tony O'Leary (Cork Constitution, c), 9. Alex O'Regan (St Mary's), 10. Tony Ward (St Mary's), 11. Declan Aherne (Dolphin), 12. P. Cross (Young Munster), 13. Mike Kiernan (Dolphin), 14. Moss Finn (Cork Constitution), 15. John Barry (Bohemians). 1. D. Wallace (Ballymena), 2. Steve Smith (Ballymena), 3. J.J. McCoy (Dungannon), 4. Brian McCall (London Irish), 5. John Rogers (Bangor), 6. Phillip Matthews (QUB), 7. Nigel Carr (QUB), 8. Willie Anderson (Dungannon), 9. Willie Oakes (Instonians), 10. Adrian Goodrich (Ballymena, c), 11. Keith Crossan (Instonians), 12. John Hewitt (NIFC), 13. David Irwin (Instonians), 14. Trevor Ringland (Ballymena), 15. Roy Palmer (Collegians). 1. David Elliott (Bangor), 2. Steve Smith (Ballymena), 3. J. J. McCoy (Bangor), 4. Paddy Johns (Trinity), 5. Davy Tweed (Ballymena) 6. Phillip Matthews (Wanderers), 7. Gordon Hamilton (North), 8. Brian Robinson (Ballymena), 9. Andrew Matchett (Portadown), 10. Peter Russell (Instonians), 11. Terry McMaster (Bangor), 12. David Irwin (Instonians), 13. John Hewitt (London Irish), 14. Kenny Hooks (Bangor), 15. Colin Wilkinson (Malone). Replacements: Willie Anderson (Dungannon, for Tweed), Derek McAleese (Ballymena, for Russell). 1. Nick Popplewell (Greystones), 2. P. Kenny (Blackrock), 3. Gary Halpin (Wanderers), 4. K. Potts (St. Mary's), 5. Neil Francis (Blackrock), 6. G. Pim (Old Wesley), 7. Kelvin Leahy (c, Wanderers), 8. Philip Lawlor (Bective), 9. Alain Rolland (Blackrock), 10. Brian Smith (Leicester), 11. R. Hennessy (Lansdowne), 12. P. Clinch (Lansdowne), 13. Vince Cunningham (St. Mary's), 14. Brian Glennon (Lansdowne), 15. Niall Farren (Old Wesley). 1. John Fitzgerald (Young Munster), 2. Terry Kingston (Dolphin), 3. Peter Clohessy (Young Munster), 4. Mick Galwey (Shannon), 5. P. O'Grady (Shannon), 6. P. Collins (London Irish), 7. P. Hogan (Garryowen), 8. K. O'Connell (Sundays Well) 9. Michael Bradley (Constitution), 10. Ralph Keyes (Constitution), 11. Jack Clarke (Dolphin), 12. Mike Kiernan (Dolphin), 13. Phil Danaher (Garryowen), 14. Richard Wallace (Garryowen), 15. Kenny Murphy (Constitution). Replacement: Pat Murray (Shannon, for Danaher). 1. Brian McKibbin (Instonians), 2. Steve Smith (Ballymena), 3. J. J. McCoy (Bangor), 4. Paddy Johns (Trinity), 5. Willie Anderson (Dungannon), 6. Phillip Matthews (Wanderers), 7. Gordon Hamilton (North), 8. Brian Robinson (Ballymena), 9. Andrew Matchett (Portadown), 10. Derek McAleese (Ballymena), 11. Terry McMaster (Bangor), 12. David Irwin (Instonians), 13. John Hewitt (London Irish), 14. Kenny Hooks (Bangor), 15. Colin Wilkinson (Malone). Replacement: John Rogers (Bangor, for Johns). 1. Brian McKibbin (Instonians), 2. Steve Smith (Ballymena), 3. J. J. McCoy (Bangor), 4. Colin Morrison (Malone), 5. Willie Anderson (Dungannon), 6. Phillip Matthews (Wanderers), 7. Gordon Hamilton (North), 8. Brian Robinson (Ballymena), 9. Andrew Matchett (Portadown), 10. Derek McAleese (Ballymena), 11. Terry McMaster (Bangor), 12. David Irwin (Instonians), 13. John Hewitt (London Irish), 14. Kenny Hooks (Bangor), 15. Colin Wilkinson (Malone). Replacements: Maurice Field (Malone, for Hewitt). Coach: George Hook . 1. Tom Clancy (Lansdowne), 2. J. O'Riordan (Cork Constitution), 3. C. Shanley (DLSP), 4. Aidan Higgins (London Irish), 5. Steve Jameson (St Marys), 6. N. McCarthy (St. Mary's), 7. M. Fitzgibbon (Shannon) 8. Noel Mannion (Lansdowne), 9. Ken Lawless (Clontarf), 10. Eric Elwood (Galwegians), 11. Simon Geoghegan (London Irish), 12. Derek Holland (Galwegians), 13. Michael Cosgrave (St Marys), 14. Aidan White (St Marys), 15. Jim Staples (London Irish]]. Replacement: Enda Guerin (Galwegians, for Staples) 1. N. O'Donoghue (Terenure), 2. J. Murphy (Greystones), 3. D. Dowling (St Mary's), 4. K. Potts (St Mary's), 5. R. Boyd (Greystones), 6. K. Leahy (Wanderers), 7. Philip Lawlor (Bective), 8. K. Devlin (Old Belvendere), 9. Alain Rolland (Blackrock), 10. P. Hnnbry (Terenure), 11. Niall Woods (Blackrock), 12. Martin Ridge (Blackrock), 13. Vince Cunningham (St Mary's), 14. David Beggy (Currie), 15. Ciaran Clarke (Terenure). Replacements: M. Wyse (for Hennebry) United Rugby Championship The United Rugby Championship ( URC )

SECTION 20

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1100-649: The South African Rugby Football Union, due to shared time zones and reduced travelling, and the four major Super Rugby franchises - Stormers , Sharks , Bulls and Lions joined the renamed United Rugby Championship the following year, firstly through the transitional Pro14 Rainbow Cup , held in a split tournament format across Europe and South Africa, and then the United Rugby Championship, this time eligible for European competition. Ironically, Cheetahs, no longer in

1150-453: The UK for at least the next three years. The agreement, which came into effect for the 2018–19 season, also saw at least one match per round shown live free-to-air on FreeSports. The league is based on regionalised, provincial and franchise representation of the participating nations, except for Benetton which represents the city of Treviso itself. Benetton was selected for its long history after

1200-414: The URC, were invited to join the European competition as well, along with Georgian side, Black Lion . South African team, Stormers, won the first edition of URC in an all South African final, before being runner-up in the second season to Irish side, Munster. no sponsor (all other nations) BKT United Rugby Championship The legal name of the body running the competition is PRO Rugby Championship DAC ,

1250-526: The away team play the two matches back-to-back across two weeks, acting as a "mini-tour". On 24 September 2021, URC confirmed that the top side in each regional pool after the end of the 18-game regular season would be awarded a trophy, a regional Shield . In Ireland, Wales and South Africa, this shield (the URC Irish Shield , URC Welsh Shield and URC South African Shield respectively) functions as an informal national championship title for

1300-785: The championship season takes place between September and May, with teams split into four regional pools: The Irish Shield pool, the Welsh Shield pool, the South African Shield pool and the Scottish and Italian Shield pool for the purpose of fixture setting. Teams play each of the other teams in their pool twice (home and away) and each team from the other pools once (either home or away). This ensures that Irish, South African and Welsh teams each play six derby matches. For Italy and Scotland, their respective clubs play their own nations' sides only twice. All teams are sorted in

1350-459: The city of Reggio Emilia . On 2 October 2009, the FIR proposed Benetton Treviso in place of Praetorians Roma. On 28 January 2010, the FIR declared that they had withdrawn from negotiations with the Celtic League regarding two Italian teams joining the tournament, with the main issue being a €3 million warranty asked for by the league, but by 7 February, the Italian clubs had come up with

1400-514: The end of 2017–18 season. Also starting in the 2014–15 season, Italy's Nuvolari began broadcasting the games involving the two Italian clubs live on its digital free-to-view channel. Glasgow Warriors and Edinburgh matches were also broadcast live on BBC Radio Scotland . From the 2018–19 season, coverage of the tournament was taken over by Premier Sports in the UK, EirSport in Ireland, DAZN in Italy, and Supersport in South Africa. Coverage of

1450-515: The end of Magners' sponsorship, the league was sponsored by RaboDirect from 2011–12 through to 2013–14 . The Pro12 name was adopted in 2011 to reflect that the league now included teams from outside the Celtic nations . A further expansion to 14 teams (and the subsequent renaming to Pro14 ) took place from the 2017–18 season, with two South African teams joining the Championship until

1500-456: The fourteen, the nine Welsh clubs and Cheetahs continue to compete in other competitions. Notes: After the successful negotiations with Italy, talks were held intermittently with South Africa about the possible expansion of the Pro12. A 24-team Rainbow Cup involving 11 Celtic, 9 South African and 4 Italian teams was announced in 2005, but the idea was abandoned because of financial issues on

1550-686: The highest level of domestic club or franchise rugby in each of its constituent countries. The Championship is one of the three major professional leagues in Europe (along with the English Premiership and the French Top 14 ), the most successful teams from which go forward to compete in the highest-level continental club competitions, the European Rugby Champions Cup and Challenge Cup . Since 2022–23, despite

IRFU Interprovincial Championship - Misplaced Pages Continue

1600-406: The league table, but since the 2009–10 season, the league champion has been decided by a play-off series, in line with other rugby club competitions such as Super Rugby , Top 14 , and the English Premiership : at the conclusion of the regular season, the top four placed teams enter the semi-final stage, with the winner of the first vs fourth and second vs third play-offs entering the final (known as

1650-753: The main professional sides, while in Scotland and Italy's shared pool, it will be a joint regional trophy. The concept is comparable to the Divisional Championships in the NFL which are also loosely geographically based. For the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 seasons, the winners of each Shield were decided on the basis of all 18 regular season games played, and also guaranteed qualification for the European Rugby Champions Cup, regardless of their overall league position. However, since

1700-407: The media contract between SANZAR and News Corporation expires after the 2010 season; these rumours were immediately denied by SA Rugby, the commercial arm of SARU. In the end, nothing came of these rumours, and the competition remained a strictly European affair. In a 2016 interview with The Irish Times , IRFU CEO Philip Browne indicated that the Pro12 was seriously considering establishing

1750-502: The name, South African teams have been eligible to qualify for European competitions. The tournament has had a number of names as it has grown, both organisationally and because of sponsors. The current name for the tournament was adopted in 2021, when the league expanded to include four South African teams previously from the SANZAR Super Rugby competition and both sets of naming rights, BKT and Vodacom , were added in

1800-455: The only broadcasters of the competition in the Republic of Ireland. The semi-finals and finals are available to all broadcasters. On 31 August 2017, SuperSport announced that it had acquired the rights to broadcast matches within South Africa. On 30 April 2018, PRO14 Rugby signed a partnership with Premier Sports and FreeSports to broadcast every Pro14 game live in high definition across

1850-432: The others for matches in their home territory. While this meant that the league was now available free to air in the UK and Ireland, in Italy it was only available on a subscription basis in its first year. Commencing from the 2014–15 season, Sky Sports became one of the league's broadcast partners, broadcasting 33 live games on a Saturday and also showing both the semi-finals and the final live. Its contract concluded at

1900-535: The possibility of Italian participation; the chief executive of the Welsh Rugby Union , Roger Lewis, stated that the league was looking "favourably" on Italian participation. Following a 19 December 2008 board meeting of the Italian Rugby Federation (FIR) to discuss proposals to improve Italian rugby, FIR announced that it would submit a proposal to join the Celtic League. FIR had two possibilities – either entering four existing Italian clubs from

1950-548: The project of a second Italian regional team, Praetorians Roma, failed. South Africa and Ireland use explicitly provincial structures, the former operating on a franchise system. Wales employs a regional structure built on an original club foundation where regions originally represented a combination of local premiership clubs, while Scotland employs the opposite, a 'two city club' system which maps over previous regional teams. The Celtic League board met in November 2008 to explore

2000-604: The required funding. By 8 March 2010, a deal had been finalised for Aironi and Benetton Treviso to enter the Celtic League from the 2010–11 season, with each team guaranteed a place in the Heineken Cup. At the end of the 2011–12 season, however, Aironi were no longer available to compete in future competitions as a regional club, as, on 6 April 2012, they were refused a licence to continue on financial grounds. They were replaced by another Italian side, Zebre (now Zebre Parma). Thirty separate teams have taken part in

2050-485: The sole means of qualification for the successor to the Heineken Cup, the European Rugby Champions Cup . Two South African teams - Southern Kings and Cheetahs joined the competition in 2017 to create Pro14, while the four remaining professional franchises stayed in Super Rugby . The competition adopted a modified two-conference format rather than a full round-robin single table, with extra fixtures to maintain national derby matches. As weaker provinces, both struggled in

IRFU Interprovincial Championship - Misplaced Pages Continue

2100-402: The start of the 2023-2024 season, this was no longer the case and the top eight teams in the league would qualify for Europe regardless of Shield position. In addition, the winners of the each Shield would be determined by the games played amongst the teams within their regional group, reaffirming its status as a specifically national championship. The league has used a play-off structure since

2150-511: The three years in which they took part, and were ineligible for European competition. The terminal financial difficulties at Southern Kings, and the COVID-19 pandemic effectively ended their participation in 2020, and there was no South African participation in the 2020 season, although the competition retained the Pro14 name. Despite the difficulties, however, the competition proved attractive to

2200-563: The top eight teams qualify for the Champions Cup , with the remaining teams qualifying for the Challenge Cup . With three fewer regular season fixtures than in the Pro14, but with an extra round of playoffs, the season is truncated slightly to 21 match weeks and thus can still be scheduled to the same time period as previous models of the competition. Clashes between league matches and international weekends in November and during

2250-778: The tournament can be found in other territories – on beIN Sports in France, and on various Setanta Sports channels around the globe (including Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South East Asia and the Middle East), as well as EuroSport. Current broadcasters: Past broadcasters: From 2004 to 2009, the Scottish and Irish rights were owned by Setanta Sports . Setanta closed down in Scotland in 2009, but Setanta Ireland and Setanta Sports 1 remained available to Irish subscribers. In 2010, RTÉ Sport , BBC Northern Ireland , TG4 , BBC Wales , BBC Alba and SKY Italia came together to buy

2300-573: The unions of both Canada and the United States about expansion before the end of the decade, with interest in putting teams on the east coasts of both countries. In September 2016, it emerged that Vancouver and Houston may be target cities, primarily due to weather considerations, though the distance from the other teams may make that more of a challenge. While the North American plan remains active, media attention turned in 2017 toward

2350-456: The various versions of the Championship. Of the fourteen teams no longer involved, nine were Welsh premiership clubs, replaced by five new regions. One of those Welsh regions, two South African franchises, One Scottish region and one Italian franchise make up the rest of the historic teams. Only the four Irish provinces and the original Scottish regions have been ever present (Cardiff Rugby, Scarlets, Ospreys and Dragons have changed their names). Of

2400-476: Was an Irish rugby union international. Born in County Down , Mullen was a winger and played his rugby for Dublin club Clontarf . Mullen gained eight caps for Ireland , debuting against France at Lansdowne Road in the 1947 Five Nations . An important component of Ireland's successful 1948 Five Nations campaign, Mullen was the team's place kicker and scored tries in three of the four matches, including

2450-528: Was at Celtic Rugby's headquarters in Dublin to finalise the addition of the Cheetahs and Kings, with Reuters calling the expansion "the worst kept secret in rugby". The addition of the two South African teams was officially confirmed on 1 August 2017. The Southern Kings entered liquidation in September 2020 and therefore withdrew from the league. In September 2020, the league confirmed they were looking for

2500-678: Was broadcast live on BBC Two Wales , BBC Two Northern Ireland , RTÉ , the Irish language channel TG4 , the Scottish Gaelic channel BBC Alba , the Welsh language channel S4C . The BBC Two Wales matches were usually made available to the rest of the United Kingdom via BBC Red Button . Complete match replays were also available on the BBC iPlayer . Each broadcaster provided feeds to

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