THERE’S RARELY A dull moment in the URC these days. That trend continued even during the off-season.
The biggest drama came with the Welsh Rugby Union [WRU]‘s proposal to reduce the number of professional teams in Wales from its current four – Scarlets, Ospreys, Dragons, and Cardiff – to two.
Consultations are ongoing. A final decision is due at the end of October.
The idea of going to two teams is to ensure that the Welsh sides can be highly competitive, as well as more financially stable. As you can imagine, the proposal has caused ructions within the Welsh game.
The URC, of which the WRU is a member, is following things as closely as possible, of course. Two of its current teams dropping out of the competition in the near future would mean yet another change at a time when the URC has been working hard for consistency.
And the possibility of two URC sides dropping out has naturally caught the attention of clubs elsewhere.
The Georgian Rugby Union had been pushing hard for inclusion in the URC even before the WRU’s formal announcement, so their efforts will no doubt have been doubled.
It’s understood that London Irish, who were bought out of administration earlier this year, have expressed an interest in integrating into the URC as they look to relaunch, although there are believed to be a number of big obstacles.
The URC continues to be regularly linked with expanding into the US, all the more so given that teams like the Irish provinces are keen to bring one-off games to the States in the coming seasons.
Welsh rugby has a big decision to confirm. Andrew Dowling / INPHO
Andrew Dowling / INPHO / INPHO
For now, things appear to be up in the air but just as the URC seemed to be finding a pleasant stability and continuity, there could be a bit of upheaval ahead as the WRU gets set to make its final decision.
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On the other side of the coin, SA Rugby has now officially become the sixth shareholder in the URC, along with the IRFU, WRU, Scottish Rugby, Italian Rugby Federation, and private equity firm CVC.
Having shifted from associate membership to full shareholder status, SA Rugby now has a much louder voice when it comes to decisions about the URC.
Crucially, SA Rugby no longer has to pay the annual participation fees it was paying to be part of the URC and Champions Cup. That sum amounted to around €6 million in 2024 and contributed to SA Rugby reporting an overall deficit of around €4.5 million that year.
SA Rugby was back in the green in 2025, though, and the fact that the participation fees no longer apply means its four URC franchises – the Bulls, Sharks, Lions, and Stormers – should get a handy boost to their coffers too.
SA Rugby is also fully entitled to start throwing its weight around at the URC decision-making table, so it will be intriguing to hear what the South Africans believe is the right next step.
In the short term, another fun season of URC action kicks off next weekend.
Defending champions Leinster are involved in the opening game away to the Stormers in Cape Town on Friday [KO 6pm Irish time, TG4/Premier Sports].
This season is the start of the new TV cycle, with RTÉ dropping out of the mix and their games essentially being absorbed into the Premier Sports package. That means there will be fewer URC games on free-to-air TV this season.
TG4 are also showing Connacht’s first game under Stuart Lancaster at home against Benetton on Saturday, but Ulster’s clash with Dragons and Munster’s visit to Scarlets will be behind the paywall. Premier now have an expanded offering, while URC TV has been revamped and offers viewers another pay-to-view option.
RTÉ will no longer screen URC games from this season. Dan Sheridan / INPHO
Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO
TG4 has some other big fixtures in the opening weeks of the season, including Leinster’s clash with Munster at Croke Park on 18 October.
Leinster are the outright favourites to defend their URC title this season, with Leo Cullen’s side set to supplement their already stacked squad with All Blacks centre/wing Rieko Ioane after the November Tests.
The Bulls are fancied to be in the mix again, with Johan Ackermann having come in as head coach after the departure of Jake White following last season’s URC final defeat to Leinster.
There is optimism around Munster, where highly-regarded Kiwi coach Clayton McMillan has made a positive impression during pre-season, while the Sharks, Glasgow, and the Stormers will be backing themselves to compete too.
Speaking of optimism, Connacht have got a huge shot of that in the arm thanks to the arrival of Stuart Lancaster. Judging a team on their pre-season is dangerous, but Connacht have looked sharp in a couple of friendly wins. The vibes are strong.
Like Connacht, Ulster are hoping to bounce back from a fairly miserable campaign last season in which they finished 14th, just one place and one point behind Connacht.
Richie Murphy has welcomed powerful back row Juarno Augustus to Ulster, while Wallabies loosehead Angus Bell will add more punch when he arrives following the November Tests.
But as with Lancaster out west, Murphy’s task is to maximise the existing talent in his squad and turn lots of narrow, frustrating defeats last season into wins. Both Connacht and Ulster will be aiming to finish in the top eight, qualifying for the URC play-offs and earning a return to the Champions Cup.
One of the best things about the URC in recent seasons is that it has slowly become less and less parochial. There is still work to do on this front, but part of the fun is seeing new faces and emerging stars in the non-Irish teams.
Benetton have welcomed four players from the Queensland Reds – including the excellent, Wallabies-capped back Josh Flook – on loan for the early stages of the season in the first deal of a new partnership between the clubs.
Handré Pollard is back with the Bulls. Dan Sheridan / INPHO
Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO
The Bulls have brought Springboks out-half Handré Pollard back to South Africa for the start of their new chapter, while Jan Serfontein and Nico Janse van Rensburg are also among their signings.
Irish scrum-half Niall Armstrong has moved from Exeter to the Dragons, Glasgow have signed Stuart Lancaster’s son, Dan, from Racing 92, while thrilling wing Edwill van der Merwe has shifted from the Lions to an already star-studded Sharks squad.
Clarity from the WRU will follow, with knock-on effects for the URC, but this season should give us plenty to discuss.
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Welsh drama, South African power, and the new URC season
THERE’S RARELY A dull moment in the URC these days. That trend continued even during the off-season.
The biggest drama came with the Welsh Rugby Union [WRU]‘s proposal to reduce the number of professional teams in Wales from its current four – Scarlets, Ospreys, Dragons, and Cardiff – to two.
Consultations are ongoing. A final decision is due at the end of October.
The idea of going to two teams is to ensure that the Welsh sides can be highly competitive, as well as more financially stable. As you can imagine, the proposal has caused ructions within the Welsh game.
The URC, of which the WRU is a member, is following things as closely as possible, of course. Two of its current teams dropping out of the competition in the near future would mean yet another change at a time when the URC has been working hard for consistency.
And the possibility of two URC sides dropping out has naturally caught the attention of clubs elsewhere.
The Georgian Rugby Union had been pushing hard for inclusion in the URC even before the WRU’s formal announcement, so their efforts will no doubt have been doubled.
It’s understood that London Irish, who were bought out of administration earlier this year, have expressed an interest in integrating into the URC as they look to relaunch, although there are believed to be a number of big obstacles.
The URC continues to be regularly linked with expanding into the US, all the more so given that teams like the Irish provinces are keen to bring one-off games to the States in the coming seasons.
For now, things appear to be up in the air but just as the URC seemed to be finding a pleasant stability and continuity, there could be a bit of upheaval ahead as the WRU gets set to make its final decision.
On the other side of the coin, SA Rugby has now officially become the sixth shareholder in the URC, along with the IRFU, WRU, Scottish Rugby, Italian Rugby Federation, and private equity firm CVC.
Having shifted from associate membership to full shareholder status, SA Rugby now has a much louder voice when it comes to decisions about the URC.
Crucially, SA Rugby no longer has to pay the annual participation fees it was paying to be part of the URC and Champions Cup. That sum amounted to around €6 million in 2024 and contributed to SA Rugby reporting an overall deficit of around €4.5 million that year.
SA Rugby was back in the green in 2025, though, and the fact that the participation fees no longer apply means its four URC franchises – the Bulls, Sharks, Lions, and Stormers – should get a handy boost to their coffers too.
SA Rugby is also fully entitled to start throwing its weight around at the URC decision-making table, so it will be intriguing to hear what the South Africans believe is the right next step.
In the short term, another fun season of URC action kicks off next weekend.
Defending champions Leinster are involved in the opening game away to the Stormers in Cape Town on Friday [KO 6pm Irish time, TG4/Premier Sports].
This season is the start of the new TV cycle, with RTÉ dropping out of the mix and their games essentially being absorbed into the Premier Sports package. That means there will be fewer URC games on free-to-air TV this season.
TG4 are also showing Connacht’s first game under Stuart Lancaster at home against Benetton on Saturday, but Ulster’s clash with Dragons and Munster’s visit to Scarlets will be behind the paywall. Premier now have an expanded offering, while URC TV has been revamped and offers viewers another pay-to-view option.
TG4 has some other big fixtures in the opening weeks of the season, including Leinster’s clash with Munster at Croke Park on 18 October.
Leinster are the outright favourites to defend their URC title this season, with Leo Cullen’s side set to supplement their already stacked squad with All Blacks centre/wing Rieko Ioane after the November Tests.
The Bulls are fancied to be in the mix again, with Johan Ackermann having come in as head coach after the departure of Jake White following last season’s URC final defeat to Leinster.
There is optimism around Munster, where highly-regarded Kiwi coach Clayton McMillan has made a positive impression during pre-season, while the Sharks, Glasgow, and the Stormers will be backing themselves to compete too.
Speaking of optimism, Connacht have got a huge shot of that in the arm thanks to the arrival of Stuart Lancaster. Judging a team on their pre-season is dangerous, but Connacht have looked sharp in a couple of friendly wins. The vibes are strong.
Like Connacht, Ulster are hoping to bounce back from a fairly miserable campaign last season in which they finished 14th, just one place and one point behind Connacht.
Richie Murphy has welcomed powerful back row Juarno Augustus to Ulster, while Wallabies loosehead Angus Bell will add more punch when he arrives following the November Tests.
But as with Lancaster out west, Murphy’s task is to maximise the existing talent in his squad and turn lots of narrow, frustrating defeats last season into wins. Both Connacht and Ulster will be aiming to finish in the top eight, qualifying for the URC play-offs and earning a return to the Champions Cup.
One of the best things about the URC in recent seasons is that it has slowly become less and less parochial. There is still work to do on this front, but part of the fun is seeing new faces and emerging stars in the non-Irish teams.
Benetton have welcomed four players from the Queensland Reds – including the excellent, Wallabies-capped back Josh Flook – on loan for the early stages of the season in the first deal of a new partnership between the clubs.
The Bulls have brought Springboks out-half Handré Pollard back to South Africa for the start of their new chapter, while Jan Serfontein and Nico Janse van Rensburg are also among their signings.
Irish scrum-half Niall Armstrong has moved from Exeter to the Dragons, Glasgow have signed Stuart Lancaster’s son, Dan, from Racing 92, while thrilling wing Edwill van der Merwe has shifted from the Lions to an already star-studded Sharks squad.
Clarity from the WRU will follow, with knock-on effects for the URC, but this season should give us plenty to discuss.
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2025/26 Leinster Munster New Season South Africa URC Wales