The top manager of the championship applauds the success of the end-of-year matches and hopes for a change of direction in international programming
URC, Martin Anayi after the derbies: “Now we need a truly global calendar”
The United Rugby Championship is enjoying the success of the festive season, with the end-of-year derbies attracting almost 100,000 spectators to the stadiums overall and confirming the growing appeal of the competition.
In the aftermath of the most anticipated rounds of the year, URC CEO Martin Anayi has sent a clear message: the time has come for club and international rugby to think bigger and align calendars on a global scale.
In a post on LinkedIn, Anayi underlined how the “derby rounds” around the Christmas holidays, with matches distributed between Wales, Ireland, South Africa, Scotland and Italy, showed the championship’s ability to catalyze the attention of fans by integrating clubs from five different countries.
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Martin Anayi: “Now we need a truly global calendar”
“The Derby Rounds in the United Rugby Championship over the Christmas holidays are working! Our clubs welcomed 98,743 fans and we have two games left to play (the South African derbies) – it’s really great to see rugby played in sold-out stadiums and fans wearing club colours. It’s OUR space in the calendar, it’s part of fans’ holiday plans and the rugby on the pitch has lived up to expectations! Bringing families together with a clear narrative we can build on makes a difference to rugby of clubs Now we need a truly global calendar: it’s at the top of the list of commitments for 2026!”, wrote the manager, speaking of the need for more coherent programming between the different world rugby competitions.
The crux remains the management of overlaps between club calendars and international windows. At the moment, the URC develops over a period from September to June, while the main international tournaments, such as the Six Nations or the Rugby Championship, are placed in different periods, often creating overlaps or forced breaks for many players. In the first part of the URC, for example, some of the main South African players involved with the national team in the southern tournament are regularly missing.
The not-so-hidden message is that an alignment between the main windows could improve the management of player workloads, reduce friction and offer fans a more linear schedule of appointments.
Meanwhile, the South African URC teams will return to the field on Saturday 3 January to complete the derby lineup: the Lions will travel to Durban to face the Sharks, while the Stormers will host the Bulls in Cape Town.
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