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 Southern Kings were a South African professional rugby union team that competed in Super Rugby and Pro14. They were based in Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape province and played their home matches at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium. They were created in 2009, and had their first match against the British & Irish Lions during their 2009 tour. After competing in Super Rugby in 2013, 2016 and 2017, they joined Pro14 prior to the 2017–18 season, along with the Cheetahs.
David James Bulbring is a South African professional rugby union player, currently playing with Welsh Pro14 side Scarlets.
Andries Stephanus Ferreira is a South African rugby union player for the US Carcassonne in the Pro D2. His regular playing position is lock.
Derick Johannes Minnie is a South African rugby union player for Italian Pro14 side Zebre. He plays as a flanker.
Francois Brummer is a South African rugby union player for Zebre in the Pro14. His regular playing position is fly-half, although he has played fullback on occasion.
Matthew Healy is an Irish former professional rugby union player. His primary position was on the wing and he was also used as injury cover at fullback, while earlier in his career he played at scrum-half. Healy played his entire career for Irish provincial team Connacht Rugby in the Pro14 and represented Ireland at test level once. He is Connacht's all-time leading try scorer.
Douw Gerbrandt Grobler is a South African rugby union player, who plays for Sharks. His regular position is lock.
Kayle Deon van Zyl is a South African rugby union player, currently playing with Italian side Rugby Calvisano, competing in the Top10 and European Rugby Continental Shield. He has the ability to play in any position in the back-line but has thus far mostly featured as a fullback.
Leonardo Sarto is an Italian rugby union player who currently plays for Mogliano Veneto in Serie A Elite. His principal position is wing.
Jean Kleyn is a South African professional rugby union player who plays as a lock for Irish United Rugby Championship club Munster and the South Africa national team. He came on as a replacement during South Africa’s 2023 World Cup win vs New Zealand.
Johan Gert Meyer is a retired South African born rugby union player, who played with Italian side Zebre in the Pro14 and European Rugby Challenge Cup, and for the Italian national team after qualifying through residency. His regular position was flanker or number eight.
Jan-Frederik Uys is a South African rugby union player, currently playing with an Italian team, Zebre Parma. His regular position is lock.
Sidney McNeil Tobias is a South African rugby union player who plays for the Bulls in the United Rugby Championship and for the Blue Bulls in the Currie Cup. He also plays for Rugby ATL in Major League Rugby (MLR) in the U.S. His regular position is hooker.
Ockert Jacobus Jacques du Toit is a South African professional rugby union player for Zebre Parma in the United Rugby Championship, and previously for Bath in Premiership Rugby. His regular position is hooker.
Edoardo Padovani is an Italian professional rugby union player who primarily plays fullback for Mogliano Veneto of the Serie A Elite. He has also represented Italy at international level, having made his test debut against England during the 2016 Six Nations Championship. Padovani has previously played for clubs such as Benetton, Zebre Parma, and Toulon in the past.
The 2017–18 PRO14 was the seventeenth season of the professional rugby union competition originally known as the Celtic League. It is the first season to be referred to as the Guinness PRO14 Championship, with the addition of two South African teams.
The 2017–18 season was Irish provincial rugby union side Connacht Rugby's seventeenth season competing in the Pro14, and the team's twenty-second season as a professional side. It was Kieran Keane's first and only season in charge of the side.
The 2019–20 PRO14 was the nineteenth season of the professional rugby union competition originally known as the Celtic League. It was the third season to be referred to as the PRO14.
The 2020–21 PRO14 was the twentieth season of the professional rugby union competition originally known as the Celtic League. It was the fourth season to be referred to as the PRO14.
