The top level of competition in the Welsh rugby union system is the
United Rugby Championship
The United Rugby Championship (URC) is an annual rugby union competition involving professional teams from Ireland, Italy, Scotland, South Africa, and Wales. The current name was adopted in 2021 when the league expanded to include four South Afr ...
(formerly the Celtic League, PRO12 and PRO14) which is a league of professional teams from Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Italy and South Africa. Wales currently has four entries in the URC:
Cardiff Rugby,
Dragons
A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...
,
Ospreys and
Scarlets
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 the European Rugby Champions Cup (which ...
.
United Rugby Championship
This is a closed league with no promotion or relegation; teams are effectively franchises. The teams also compete in the European Rugby Champions Cup (known as the Heineken Champions Cup for sponsorship reasons) and the European Rugby Challenge Cup.
2021-22 league system
2013-14 league system
See also
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Rugby union in Wales
Rugby union in Wales ( cy, undeb rygbi) is considered a large part of Welsh national culture. Rugby union is thought to have reached Wales in the 1850s, with the national body, the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) being formed in 1881. Wales are considere ...
{{League systems
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Sports league systems