Guinness PRO14 fixtures released for the 2019/20 season

South Africa will raise the curtain on the new Guinness PRO14 campaign when the Cheetahs host 2015 champions Glasgow Warriors in Bloemfontein on September 27.

All five unions within the PRO14 will host a game in round one with Ulster facing Ospreys in Belfast also on opening night. 

Munster v Dragons, Kings v Cardiff, Benetton v Leinster, Scarlets v Connacht and Edinburgh v Zebre complete the slate of opening-round fixtures on Saturday.

For the first time ever, fans can plan their weekends right up until round 20 with all kick-off times and dates laid out right to the penultimate weekend of the regular season.

The Cheetahs-Glasgow fixture kicks off a mammoth 152 games schedule that will culminate in a run-in where rivals will set their sights on lifting the PRO14 trophy won by Leinster last May.

Presenting to you the #GuinnessPRO14 Season Fixtures for 2019/20https://t.co/OtmxXW5sW2 pic.twitter.com/suvaZH4Ak9

— BKT United Rugby Championship (URC) (@URCOfficial) July 17, 2019

The derby games that sit at the heart of PRO14’s rivalries are spread across eight rounds. This season, the calendar has allowed for the Welsh derby games to return to their traditional Boxing Day slot with Cardiff facing Dragons and Scarlets hosting Ospreys.

Kick-off times for round 21 will be set in early 2020 with a full round of derby matches providing added intrigue to the final day of the regular season. 

The first five rounds of the campaign will take place during the World Cup to help avoid a clash with the Guinness Six Nations which has led to only one weekend in a direct overlap with Test matches throughout the season (round 12).

Confirmed! ?

The 2019/20 #GuinnessPRO14 schedule has been announced: https://t.co/AO3ZKcsvuy

The title defence starts now. ??#LeinsterRugby #JoinTheRoar pic.twitter.com/fiUHf9pr2P

— Leinster Rugby (@leinsterrugby) July 17, 2019

The number of traditional 15:00 kick-off times in the UK and Ireland has increased by 75 per cent from the 2018/19 season and sees 30 games scheduled for that time slot in the new campaign.

The location, date and kick-off time of the 2020 Guinness PRO14 final will also be confirmed in the near future.

Tournament director David Jordan said: “After two years the Cheetahs and Southern Kings have begun to establish themselves in the Guinness PRO14 and with each side starting with three home games there is a real opportunity for both of them to become a greater threat.

They’ve landed! Here are our Guinness @PRO14Official 2019/20 fixtures. We host our first home game on Saturday 12th October against @BenettonRugby and will close out the regular season against old rivals @scarlets_rugby at the Liberty Stadium at the end of May. pic.twitter.com/CYgl0AFJFi

— Ospreys (@ospreys) July 17, 2019

“We’re also pleased to have increased the number of 3pm kick-off times on Saturdays which works well for fans with families and for the broadcast audience. 

“It’s also going to be one of the toughest schedules we have put together and thanks to the new global season we have a run-in that barely pauses for breath over the final nine weeks of the regular season.”

WATCH: RugbyPass goes behind the scenes at the 2018 Guinness PRO14 final between Leinster and Scarlets in Dublin