Sharks to begin their URC in Italy

The fixtures have been set out in weekend blocks, but the actual day of each fixture has not yet been finalised, however the Sharks know that they will begin their campaign with three away matches.

Zebre will provide their first test and will only get more difficult for the Sharks who travel to the Dragons for their second match of the season before they head across to Ireland to take on losing semi-finalists Leinster in their own backyard in their third outing of the campaign.

They then have two home matches against the Glasgow Warriors and Ulster before the competition breaks for the November international window.

On their return the Sharks welcome the Cardiff to Hollywoodbets Kings Park before they face the other Welsh outfit Ospreys.

The first of the local derbies will take place over the Christmas weekend when they take on the Lions and then the Sharks face the Bulls at home in a New Year’s clash.

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The Sharks then begin 2023 on the road again and specifically on the West Coast of Ireland where they face Connacht before a short break. It’s off to Scotland next where they face Edinburgh to round out the January fixtures.

February is the month of local derbies as the Sharks face the champion Stormers on first weekend of the month and then it’s a clash with the Bulls the following weekend.

The Lions welcome the Sharks to Johannesburg for the return derby before the Stormers in Cape Town. The Sharks then jet back to Europe to take on the Scarlets over the last weekend of March.

The final two fixtures of the round robin for the Sharks are consecutive home matches against Benneton and Munster.

Martin Anayi, Vodacom URC CEO understands the logistical issues with putting together a fixture list like this and is satisfied that they have done a good job.

“The diversity of our league we so proudly celebrate, is also a reason for the immense complexity of putting together our Season 2 fixtures,” Anayi said.

“This is a monumental task, and it takes many stakeholders many long hours dedicated to making this the best club rugby championship in the world.

“We have to consider a variety of factors across our 16 clubs and five territories, but we believe that our season schedule will give our fans the best rugby week in and week out. My heartfelt thanks go out to everyone who has worked tirelessly to put together a blockbuster fixture list right from Round 1.

 “We have seen the success of our tournament format culminating in the grandest of Grand Finals last season and we look forward to going on this journey with our fans and with our stakeholders to another successful year of world-class rugby in action.”

Check out the full schedule here