Top eight United Rugby Championship teams to qualify for Champions Cup

Shifting from a representative approach following the Covid-19 pandemic, the United Rugby Championship (URC), which starts this weekend, will introduce a full meritocracy this season to turn up the intrigue and competitiveness in European rugby.

The Lions host last season's runners-up, the Stormers (Saturday, 16:05), the Sharks are away to defending champions Munster (Saturday, 18:15), and the Bulls host Welsh outfit Scarlets (Sunday, 15:00).

The top eight teams in the URC will qualify for EPCR's Champions Cup, with the remaining teams in the league earning a place in the Challenge Cup.

?? @ChampionsCup Announcement ??

8?? Top eight in league table qualify
?? Shields no longer used for qualification
?? A URC Challenge Cup winner can still qualify
?? Shields now decided by games against regional rivals

Find out more here ??#BKTURC #URC | #InvestecChampionsCup

Winners of the Shields, which will be determined by the games played among teams within the same regional group, will no longer be awarded an automatic place in the Champions Cup.

If a team wins either the Champions Cup or the Challenge Cup, but has not finished among the top eight on the league table, they would earn a place in the Champions Cup, with the team that finishes eighth being placed in the Challenge Cup competition.