In future seasons when can fans expect to see fixtures released?
Prior to the pandemic the goal was to publish fixtures six to eight weeks ahead of the season starting. This will remain the ambition for each season of the United Rugby Championship once travel restrictions related to Covid-19 have less of an impact.
What impact did the travel restrictions cause to the planning for this season?
The URC’s Medical Advisory Group regularly updates our tournament team on the policies and requirements of each territory with regards to differing conditions on travel and any available dispensations. The fluid nature of the pandemic means that any fixture list published earlier than this point would have had to be completely entirely rewritten.
Why would a fixture list need to be rewritten?
Such is the complexity of the scheduling and all of the various fixture rules and TV requirements in place, no one fixture can be switched without a knock-on effect on multiple rounds.
Could you be more specific about fixture rules and TV requirements?
Rules related to fixtures include ensuring that tours to South Africa from teams visiting from the north play two games in succession – meaning they cannot be scheduled across breaks in calendar. For example, a team cannot be scheduled to play in South Africa in the final round before the November Internationals as it would require a second trip to complete their two-game tour a month later.
Likewise, the preference for South African teams is to play three-week tours in Europe (this season it will be in four-week blocks to begin) so that the need for long-haul travel is reduced.
With seven different broadcasters operating across our five territories mixed across Free to Air and Pay TV, it is a demanding process to schedule eight games per weekend that works with available time slots and the preferences of host broadcasters.
What other factors have an impact on scheduling of rounds or kick-off times?
Clubs may have restrictions around venue availability for a number of reasons at certain times of the year. Teams that share grounds with football or other sports teams may have to avoid certain weekends or may only have one day in a weekend with access to the stadium.
Additionally, broadcast agreements generally prevent more than two games being scheduled in any one time slot to allow for live coverage in multiple territories or because a broadcaster’s rights may extend to a specific time slot.
FTA broadcasters in Ireland and Wales cannot show games at the same time in territory, so if RTÉ show a game at 19:35 on a Friday then TG4 cannot show a game involving an Irish team in the same slot. That principal also applies to S4C and BBC Wales on games involving Welsh teams.
Turnaround times are also a big factor in ensuring teams have enough time to recover and prepare for their next fixture and six-day turnarounds are the shortest that generally occur. Five-day turnarounds on fixtures are avoided unless absolutely necessary and agreed by the clubs involved. This list is not exhaustive, but should provide some clarity on the various factors at play when it comes to scheduling.
Can you explain the process of how the fixtures are created in the first place?
Ahead of creating the first draft, the tournament team will have identified available weekends and assigned rounds that avoid conflicts with international weekends. Clubs submit information related to any particular restrictions and travel to and from South Africa is also considered in terms of identifying blocks where tours are possible.
All of this and the sequencing of derby games over the Christmas and New Year period or specific events such as Judgement Day are also taken into account. Additionally, due to broadcast agreements certain fixtures need to occur in separate rounds and when all factors have been considered they are formulated into rules.
These rules are used by a software system that may deliver multiple versions of the fixture list until it has met all of the necessary requirements. This fixture list is then presented to our Sports & Regulatory Committee and depending on the review it may have to be rewritten based upon feedback from clubs to create more balance. Once a final version of the fixtures are agreed they are shared with our broadcast partners to identify kick-off times.
A meeting takes place to juggle all of the preferences of host broadcasters and accommodate rights holders in other territories. Once this has been finalised, the schedule is shared with clubs so they may arrange their logistics for travel. Following that the fixtures are then made available to publish.
The kick-off times only go as far as Round 10, when will Rounds 11 to 18 be confirmed?
To ensure URC is operating to the latest guidance of our Medical Advisory Committee, a further scheduling meeting with broadcasters will occur in the next six to eight weeks to assign kick-off times for games being played in Rounds 11 to 18.
Will fixtures always be announced in two blocks in future?
The preference of URC and its clubs is to deliver a full schedule with kick-off times for all 18 rounds ahead of the season. This year it was felt prudent to be mindful of the travel restrictions and to plan ahead for the first 10 rounds initially.
The URC has promised to avoid international weekends, will that always be the case?
In the early stages of planning for the 2021/22 season, Round 6 was originally scheduled to take place the weekend of October 29, however, when international fixtures were then scheduled for this weekend Round 6 was moved to the final weekend in November.
