Former Cardiff and Wales centre Tom Shanklin believes the United Rugby Championship’s star power will serve as an inspiration to young fans.
The beginning of the URC is now only a month away as 12 northern hemisphere sides prepare to test themselves against the best South Africa has to offer.
When the inaugural season gets under way, supporters will be able to see Springboks such as Siya Kolisi, Makazole Mapimpi and Steven Kitshoff going up against the competition’s existing big names on a regular basis.
Former British and Irish Lion Shanklin says the new format’s allowance for fewer clashes with international fixtures means supporters can look forward to a season of high-quality rugby being played by some of the most exciting talents in the sport.
“It’s huge,” said Shanklin, who will be part of Premier Sports’ team of experts covering the URC every weekend.
“You’re seeing some of the best players in the world turn up at your ground, being able to see them regularly against your favourite team or your home team as well.
“It’s brilliant to see and that’s what we want. We want to see the best players from your countries playing in this league as much as possible.
“That’s what people get excited about. That’s what young kids want to aspire to. They want to see their heroes playing for their clubs, not just internationally but playing for their home team in a domestic league.”
Shanklin concedes he would have relished the opportunity to play club matches in South Africa during his playing career.
“I think it’s great for teams to be able to tour,” he said. “Part of playing rugby is experiencing different cultures, different countries, and you get that in this league.
“If I was playing and part of the league structure was to go to South Africa, I would be so excited about that, so thrilled.
“It’s all good for the league. You know from past experience that the South African teams will be quality and I’m hoping and I think that teams playing against them will up their game.
“To improve the league you need good teams in there. You need to play against some of the best teams to actually work out where you’re going wrong, what you need to do. I think it’s a positive move.”
Leinster won the last four editions of the PRO14 and will be regarded as favourites by many to be crowned the URC’s first champions.
Shanklin would like to see an early meeting between the dominant Dubliners and one of the South African sides looking to knock them off their perch when the fixtures are announced.
“You’d probably like to see an early one and you’d also like to see one later down the line when teams get a little bit more comfortable playing rugby, partnerships start to form and you hit a bit of form as well,” he added.
“The ultimate one is seeing Leinster and how they fare against the South African teams. Yes, they had a couple of upsets last year, but that’s not regular. Consistently, every year, they’re right up there.
“Seeing the Bulls versus Leinster would be a great fixture to see where we are in the northern hemisphere compared to where South Africa are.”
Premier Sports will show all of URC’s 151 games live across Ireland, Italy, Wales, Scotland and South Africa – hosting more than 100 exclusive rugby fixtures on its channels throughout the new season.
Premier Sports has one of the most respected TV talent teams in the business, with a huge depth of knowledge and expertise respected by coaches, players and partners throughout the game and leading figures such as Stephen Ferris, Andrew Trimble, John Barclay, Jim Hamilton, Shane Williams and Tom Shanklin (with 399 international caps between them) all involved in the new URC showcase.
Premier Sports will be the only place to see the entire URC tournament from opening weekend (September 24th) to the Grand Final in June 2022, showing up to eight live games every weekend, plus live coverage of all the top-eight knock-out drama and Grand Final – for as little as £1.20 a game. Visit www.premiersports.com for more details of how to subscribe.
