United Rugby Championship organisers confirm European clubs heading for SA shores

Tournament organisers have confirmed new dates and venues for the United Rugby Championship encounters that were postponed due to Covid-19 late last year.

The four South African franchises - Bulls, Lions, Sharks and Stormers - will host Scarlets, Munster, Cardiff and Zebre Parma next month in two rescheduled rounds.

The onset of the Omicron Covid-19 variant in November led to travel restrictions that wreaked havoc with the schedule, however with the pandemic seemingly taking a turn, the rescheduled matches from rounds six and seven will be played in March.

On the weekend of 11-13 March, the Sharks will host Welsh outfit Scarlets in Durban; the Bulls will take on Irish giants Munster in Pretoria; the Lions will battle it out with Welsh team Cardiff in Johannesburg; and the Stormers will line up against Italians Zebre Parma in Cape Town.

A week later, from 18-20 March, the round seven fixtures will see the Bulls meet Scarlets in Pretoria; the Lions tackle Munster in Johannesburg; the Sharks host Zebre Parma in Durban; and the Stormers square off against Cardiff in Cape Town.

"I would like to say special thanks to the teams, broadcasters and support staff involved in rescheduling these games. These fixtures hold a huge significance in South Africa who are eagerly awaiting the first visit of URC teams to their stadiums which have not hosted international opponents since early 2020," United Rugby Championship CEO Martin Anayi said in a statement.

"Having been on the ground alongside other members of the URC management team in December when these games were postponed, we were fully aware of the circumstances that isolation presented.

"Player welfare remains paramount to rugby's success and after much internal consultation we believe