WRU announces new Super Rygbi Cymru tournament
It will see 10 teams move out of the community game to be aligned with the professional tier.
The WRU's announced a shake up in domestic rugby.
The Super Rygbi Cymru tournament will see 10 teams move out of the community game in Wales and be aligned with the professional tier.
The competition will kick-off on the second weekend of September (Saturday, 14 September) and will see the clubs play 18 home and away league fixtures in the regular season before progressing to three rounds of play-offs and a Grand Final.
Every team is guaranteed at least one Play-Off match and a further four games in the cup competition that will take place during the 6 Nations window, giving each team a minimum of 23 fixtures over the course of the season.
WRU Head of Player Development, John Alder said: “The buy in from all the clubs has been fantastic and we’ve had many good planning meetings in the build-up to this launch, which we deliberately delayed to allow the final season of the Indigo Premiership to reach its conclusion.
"Much has been said of the EDC to date, but now we’re excited to finally launch, Super Rygbi Cymru, as a fresh start. The competition’s new look and feel is designed to be dynamic and eye catching, but unique to us. It builds on our unique heritage and past, but captures our new ambitions for the future; the energy of the competition, the rising talent, and the working together,”
“We’ve tried to be creative in our thinking about the design of the competition while keeping it aligned to the professional game calendar. Each club will have at least 11 home games over the course of the season but we also wanted to ensure there is lots to play for, plenty of jeopardy, and there are exciting local derbies. The Regions are all on board and the new structure should raise standards all round.
“We’re excited to now see the start line of this new competition. Our goal has always been to provide better playing opportunities for current Academy and Wales Pathway players, as well as providing a vital alternative route into the professional game for players either released by the Regions, or those who develop later.
“We want Super Rygbi Cymru to be not only a breeding ground and finishing school for ambitious players to ultimately push them through into the Regions, the URC, and on to Wales but for it to be the optimal place for Wales’s best domestic players to play. Our ambition over the next few years is to transform the competition into a competitive, progressive, and sustainable domestic rugby competition.
“We believe we have created the framework for an exciting and intense competition for both young and experienced players, clubs, and fans alike, with a new, vibrant, and fresh brand reflective of where we’ve come from and where we want to go – and all though a new collaborative system between the Regions and their Affiliate clubs."