For the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 seasons, the winners of each Shield were decided on the idea of all 18 common season games played, and also guaranteed qualification for the European Rugby Champions Cup, no matter their general league place. Derby games have grow to be a tradition in all five member nations over this vacation interval, with most residence groups reaching bumper crowds for the matches. In addition, the winners of the each Shield could be decided by the games performed amongst the teams within their regional group, reaffirming its status as a specifically nationwide championship. In Scotland, the ‘national’ trophy is considered to be the 1872 Cup played exclusively between the 2 Scottish clubs, usually as a double header over the Christmas and New Year durations. However, since the start of the 2023-2024 season, this was no longer the case and the top eight groups in the league would qualify for Europe no matter Shield place.
Due to the travelling distance between Europe and South Africa, residence South African games are at all times played on a Saturday, allowing visiting teams to have a seven-day turnaround between fixtures, together with five “clear days” that do not involve any travel. Should the draw see European teams play both South African teams away, the schedule will see the away workforce play the 2 matches back-to-again throughout two weeks, performing as a “mini-tour”. In Ireland, Wales and South Africa, this shield (the URC Irish Shield, URC Welsh Shield and URC South African Shield respectively) functions as an informal national championship title for the primary skilled sides, whereas in Scotland and Italy’s shared Pool Service, it will be a joint regional trophy. The idea is comparable to the Divisional Championships in the NFL which are also loosely geographically primarily based. On 24 September 2021, URC confirmed that the top aspect in each regional Affordable Pool services California after the tip of the 18-game regular season could be awarded a trophy, a regional Shield.
URC clubs have gained the Champions Cup on seven occasions, Leinster four instances, Munster twice and Ulster as soon as. These matches comprised the annual Judgement Day double-header on the Millennium Stadium. The Challenge Cup has come back to the league 4 instances, once with Leinster, twice with Cardiff Rugby and as soon as with Sharks. Statistics do not include those from Celtic Cup or Rainbow Cup matches. Record match attendance in league history. Figures for 2001-02 are incomplete. Figures for 2002-03 are incomplete. The season was suspended in March 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The decline in average attendance following the 2009-10 season coincided with the entry of two Italian groups into the Pro12. The primary senior match to take place on the Aviva Stadium. The 2003-04 season was the primary that didn’t embrace a knockout stage so no showpiece remaining and hence a decline in common attendance. This was the ultimate rugby match at Lansdowne Road earlier than it was redeveloped as the Aviva Stadium.
This, combined with the continued uncertainty surrounding the future of the European Cup, meant that there have been issues over the future business viability of the tournament. The new system noticed a total of seven groups, with one place now being reserved for the Best Pool Maintenance in California-finishing Pro12 team from each of 4 taking part nations and three other qualifiers based solely on league position. Under the earlier format, the Pro12 supplied a minimal of 10 groups, with Scotland and Italy providing two teams every, and Ireland and Search Wales both providing three. Glasgow had a late surge to finish 2nd overtaking Munster and Ulster in the process. The RaboDirect title sponsor was replaced by Guinness. In the end Leinster topped the table, having led for most of the season. With the Heineken Cup being changed by the 20-staff European Rugby Champions Cup in the 2014-15 season, the Pro12 table had a higher impact on qualification. However, despite all off-subject issues it was a profitable season with a new excessive for each total attendance and for a single sport (51,seven hundred for Leinster v Munster).