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The United Rugby Championship (URC) is an annual rugby union competition involving professional teams from Ireland, Italy, Scotland, South Africa, and Wales. For sponsorship reasons the league is known as the Vodacom United Rugby Championship in South Africa, and the BKT United Rugby Championship in the competition's other territories, the split branding mirroring the format previously adopted in Super Rugby. The Championship represents the highest level of domestic club or franchise rugby in each of its constituent countries.
The Scarlets are one of the four professional Welsh rugby union teams and are based in Llanelli, Wales. Their home ground is the Parc y Scarlets stadium. They play in the United Rugby Championship and in European Professional Club Rugby competitions. The club was originally named the Llanelli Scarlets but was renamed at the start of the 2008–09 rugby season.
Gavin Michael Thomas is a Welsh former international rugby union player who played as a flanker. He played his club rugby for Tondu, Bridgend, Bath, the Ospreys, the Scarlets and the Newport Gwent Dragons, and was capped 24 times for Wales.
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Leon Michael Brown is a Welsh professional rugby union player who plays as a prop for United Rugby Championship club Dragons and the Wales national team.
Sam Costelow is a Welsh professional rugby union player who plays as a fly-half for United Rugby Championship club Scarlets and the Wales national team.
Taine Plumtree is a Welsh professional rugby union player who plays as a flanker for the Scarlets in the United Rugby Championship. Plumtree began his career with Wellington in the NPC, and played for the Blues in Super Rugby. Plumtree has represented Wales, making his debut on 5 August 2023.
The 2022–23 United Rugby Championship was the 22nd season of the professional rugby union competition United Rugby Championship. It began on 16 September 2022 and ended on 27 May 2023. For sponsorship reasons it was known in South Africa as Vodacom United Rugby Championship or Vodacom URC, while in the Northern Hemisphere it was known as the BKT United Rugby Championship or BKT URC.
The 2023–24 season is the 20th season in the history of the Scarlets, a Welsh regional rugby union side based in Llanelli, Carmarthenshire. In this season, they are competing in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Challenge Cup.
References
- ↑ "MICHAEL COLLINS – THANK YOU & FAREWELL". Otago Rugby Football Union. 25 June 2021. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
- ↑ "Scarlets sign Otago centre Michael Collins". BBC Sport. 26 October 2015. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
- ↑ "Super Rugby's Blues sign ex-Scarlets back Michael Collins". BBC Sport. 16 October 2022. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
- ↑ "Highlanders name Tongan hitman Zane Kapeli in 2020 Super Rugby squad". Stuff. 12 November 2019. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
- ↑ "Michael Collins: Ospreys sign Wales-qualified full-back from Super Rugby". BBC Sport. 10 May 2021. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
- ↑ "Michael Collins grabs two tries as Ospreys slay Dragons". United Rugby Championship. 26 September 2021. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
- ↑ "Versatile back Collins is latest Ospreys departure". BBC Sport. 23 June 2023. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
- ↑ "Welsh-qualified Highlanders star Michael Collins lifts the lid on his move to Ospreys". RugbyPass. 19 May 2021. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
