Start date for next season's United Rugby Championship revealed as Rugby World Cup impacts on scheduling

This season’s competition kicked off on September 16, with the final round of regular fixtures being played on April 21-22. The 2023-24 campaign has been pencilled in to start on the weekend of October 21-22, which coincides with the World Cup quarter-finals. “We agreed to end the season earlier than we planned, by about three weeks, which is why this run-in is very tight,” said Martin Anayi, the URC’s chief executive. “We did that to make sure the international players could get away and Premiership Rugby agreed the same. And then we agreed to start next season’s competition towards the end of October.”