URC fixtures: Stormers face early tour hurdle

The DHL Stormers’ hopes of internet hosting a third-successive Vodacom United Rugby Championship last face an impediment within the type of a tricky tour together with a re-match towards defending champions Munster in Limerick.

MORE: Fresh twist for SA teams in 2023-24 URC

As a part of a contemporary twist within the URC format for 2023-24, South African groups will will tour the northern hemisphere twice relatively than 3 times. That is aimed at decreasing long-haul journey throughout the league and means one four-week within the early a part of the season adopted by a two-game tour after the Six Nations in 2024.

The Stormers have a tricky set of fixtures for his or her first tour, which features a re-match towards Munster at Thomond Park and a conflict with Franco Smith’s Glasgow Warriors, who went unbeaten at dwelling in final season’s round-robin stage.

After getting back from tour, the Stormers have final season’s winless wood spoonists Zebre in Cape City, however then go into one other blockbuster summer season schedule with the primary two rounds of the Champions Cup (where they have been placed in a challenging pool) adopted by dwelling derbies towards the Sharks and Vodacom Bulls on both facet of Christmas.

When it comes to their run-in, the Stormers host 4 successive video games towards Edinburgh, Ulster, Ospreys and Leinster, have a two-week tour the place the face Dragons and Connacht, earlier than bringing the curtain down on the round-robin stage towards the Lions in Cape City.

R1 –Sat, 21 October. 16:05
v Lions (a)

R2 – Sat, 28 October. 16:00
v Scarlets (h)

R3 – Fri, Nov 3 21:35
v Glasgow Warriors (a)

R4 – Sat, 11 Nov. 17:00
v Benetton (a)

R5 – Sat, 18 Nov. 19:15
v Munster (a)

R6 – Fri, Nov 24 21:35
v Cardiff (a)

R7 – Sat, 2 Dec. 19:15
in Zebra (h)

*Champions Cup R1 –8/9/10 Dec
*Champions Cup R2 – 15/16/16 Dec

R8 – Sat, 23 Dec. 19:15
v Vodacom Bulls (h)

R9 – Sat, 30 Dec. 19:00
v Sharks (h)

*Champions Cup R3 – 12/13/14 Jan
*Champions Cup R4 – 19/20/21 Jan

R10 – Sat, 17 Feb. 17:05
v Sharks (a)

R11 – Sat, 2 Mar. 17:05
in Vodacom Bulls (a)

R12 – Sat, 23 Mar. 17:05
v Edinburgh (h)

R13 – Sat, 30 Mar. 19:15
v Ulster (h)

R14 – Solar, 21 Apr. 19:15
in Ospreys (h)

R15 – Sat, 27 Apr. 19:05
v Leinster (h)

R16 – Fri, 10 Might. 20:35
v Dragons (a)

R17 – Sat, 28 Might. 18:05
v Connacht (a)

R18 – Sat, 1 Jun. 14:00
v Lions (h)

Picture: Picture: Shaun Roy/BackpagePix