The Best Rugby League in the World

Rugby union turned professional in 1996, and four South African provincial teams joined Super Rugby. The competition was called ‘Super 12’. The revised Southern Hemisphere tournament consisted of teams from Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. For two decades, the tournament was widely regarded as the best rugby competition. 

Super Rugby went through many guises, with franchises added from Argentina and Japan. South Africa had promotion and relegation because the country had too many teams. However, Super Rugby faded. The English Premiership Rugby became the best league in the world, while the Top 14 in France became the richest. SportsBoom believes the best rugby league in the world is not Super Rugby, the English, or the French leagues.

The Rise of the United Rugby Championship (URC)

The United Rugby Championship (URC) is a multinational rugby tournament, with clubs and franchises from the northern and southern hemispheres. The URC has sixteen teams from Ireland, Italy, Scotland, South Africa, and Wales. The competition started as the Welsh-Scottish League in 1999 before Irish clubs joined to form the Celtic League. 

In 2010/11, the league expanded from ten to twelve clubs to include two Italian clubs. Due to sponsorship changes and the inclusion of new teams, the tournament became known as the PRO12 in 2011. Two more franchises were added from South Africa for the 2017/18 season, and the tournament became known as the PRO14. 

The entry of the Southern Kings and Cheetahs were the two teams excluded from Super Rugby. The South African Rugby Union (SARU) needed to find a tournament for their ‘homeless’ franchises, who were dumped out of Super Rugby. By allowing two South African teams into the Northern Hemisphere competition, a dramatic shift in the rugby landscape took place. 

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SANZAAR (South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, and Argentina Rugby; previously known as SANZAR) was the governing body which oversaw Super Rugby and The Rugby Championship competitions in rugby union in the southern hemisphere. SARU and SANZAAR had been at loggerheads for years regarding Super Rugby. Covid-19 derailed the 2020 Super Rugby season, and the South African franchises did not participate in the new tournament.

The PRO14 had been a success with the South African sides, and after years of fall-outs and threats, SARU’s rugby franchises pulled out of Super Rugby and went north. In 2021/22, the United Rugby Championship was formed. The Cheetahs and Kings were (once again) dumped out of a tournament to make way for other teams. The URC expanded to sixteen sides, adding South Africa’s four strongest rugby unions: the Bulls, Stormers, Sharks, and Lions. 

The United Rugby Championship: The Best Rugby League in the World

The United Rugby Championship has been a resounding success, in quality and commercially, the competition is one of the best rugby leagues in the world. The addition of the South African teams has added strength and excitement. The quality of the rugby has increased, and the freshness of the tournament has revitalised franchise rugby. 

The URC has seen an increase in attendance because of South Africa’s large-capacity rugby stadiums. Television viewing figures have never been better. The South African derbies have seen an increase in stadium-going supporters after years of declining attendance in Super Rugby. The tournament has revitalised rugby union.

However, Super Rugby has taken a hit. Without the power of South Africa’s TV revenue, and quality of their teams, Super Rugby has deteriorated. The strength of the competition is weak and has transferred to the New Zealand and Australian national teams. Moreover, the Springboks are the dominant force in world rugby, and their franchises are flourishing. 

The URC has completed three seasons. South African teams have made all three finals, winning one title. The Stormers won the inaugural tournament in 2021/22, beating the Bulls in the final. The Stormers made the final the following season but lost to Munster. In the 2023/24 campaign, Glasgow Warriors beat the Bulls in the grand final to win a second championship. 

United Rugby Championship: Format

The United Rugby Championship runs from September to May. The format since the inaugural 2021/22 season is the same. Sixteen teams are divided into four Regional Shield pools: the Irish Shield, the Welsh Shield, the South African Shield, and the Scottish-Italian Shield. Because there are only two teams from Scotland and Italy, they share a Shield pool, which is called the “Azzurri-Blue Shield”

The sixteen teams play each of the other teams in their Shield pool twice (home and away, and each team from the other Shield pools once (either home or away). This format maximises the Irish, Welsh, and South African derbies. These nations’ teams play six derby matches against each other. Scotland and Italy’s teams play their own nations’ sides only twice. This Regional Shield format is a national championship, with the top team winning a trophy (shield). 

The URC has a twenty-one-round regular season league format, with play-offs in the post-season. An eighteen-match regular season before three playoff rounds to determine the champions. Teams get four points for a win, two for a draw, and zero for a loss. The maximum number of points gained from a game is six due to bonus points. Bonus points can be won if teams score four or more tries in a match or lose by seven points or fewer. Should a team do both, two bonus points are earned. 

The playoffs are made up of the top eight teams and consist of a one-game knockout tournament. Teams are seeded from first to eighth. The top four teams have a home advantage. This continues if a lower-ranked side knocks out a higher-seeded team. The Regional Shield pools have no direct link to the play-offs. Unlike the flawed Super Rugby (15 and 18) format, teams that win their Regional Shield can miss the playoffs. Welsh Shield winners failed to reach the 2022 and 2023 playoffs.