The Ospreys are to offer free tickets to compensate for the loss of a home match in the new expanded Guinness Pro14.

Members who bought season tickets for the new campaign on the basis of 11 Pro12 home games as usual in the old format, will now only have 10 home games this season in the two conference set-up.

To make up for the loss of a fixture they have already paid for, fans will be offered two complimentary tickets to bring friends and family to a home match of their choice.

The offer, though, does not extend to Welsh derby games against the other regions.

The Scarlets are the other region who have lost a home game this season. They are yet to reveal their compensation plans.

In the new campaign, both the Ospreys and the Scarlets – who have been placed in different conferences – will play 10 games at home and 11 away.

The Cardiff Blues and the Dragons will have the reverse – 11 matches at home and 10 away from home.

Next season, the fixture list will be flipped so that it will be the Ospreys and the Scarlets with the extra home game.

Champions Scarlets will kick off the defence of their title against newcomers Southern Kings on Saturday, September 2 at 5:30pm, while the Ospreys and Dragons will entertain Zebre and Leinster respectively earlier in the day.

Cardiff Blues will be the first Welsh team in action – at home to Edinburgh to the Arms Park on the evening of Friday, September 1.

Blues coach Danny Wilson has said the Welsh regions will be going into the “unknown” when they journey to South Africa this season.

The coach – whose team will have to wait until April before they visit the Cheetahs and Southern Kings – believes the introduction of the two new sides into the expanded Guinness Pro14 will add a new intrigue to the tournament.

The Blues host the Cheetahs at Cardiff Arms Park on February 10 and Wilson said: “Now the fixtures have been released the excitement will really begin to build ahead of the big kick-off.

“The addition of the two South African teams brings a new, exciting and slightly unknown dimension to the competition. Going over there in April will be a real challenge but it is one we are looking forward to.

“It all begins with Edinburgh at home, which is a great fixture and I’m sure Richard Cockerill has already had a big impact there.

“We started last season well, winning our first four games, and we need to do that again, while maintaining consistency through the season.

“The home crowd at Cardiff Arms Park is vital towards our success and we hope to see a large crowd both at the Edinburgh game on September 1, and throughout the season.”

 

“It will make for some interesting games and hopefully bring a crowd to see South African teams at Cardiff Arms Park.

“We will start to build a bank of knowledge of the two South African teams in terms of what’s gone before and the style they play. But the detail will be done two weeks out from the game, with the coaches and analysists, and then the players in the early part of the week before.”
Scarlets coach Wayne Pivac said: “I think it’ll be great for the fans. We’ve come off a very successful season and we’ve been working very hard during the off-season to make sure we start a little bit better than we did last season.

“To have the Kings at home I think there’ll be a lot of interest and I’ll be surprised if we don’t get a good crowd for that. It’s a good kick off time on a Saturday afternoon; let’s just hope the weather’s good so that we can see some running rugby!

“The South Africans will be somewhat of an unknown quantity early on. With us, we’re going to be concentrating on what we’re doing ahead of that first match and hopefully replicating some of the form from last season.”

 

ROUND 1

Friday, September 1

Cardiff Blues v Edinburgh (7.35pm, BBC Wales)

Munster v Treviso (7.35pm, TG4)

Ulster v Toyota Cheetahs (7.35pm, BBC NI)

Saturday, September 2

Dragons v Leinster (3.15pm, S4C & Sky)

Scarlets v Southern Kings (5.30pm, Sky)

Connacht v Glasgow (7.35pm, TG4)

Ospreys v Zebre (2.30pm)

ROUND 2

Friday, September 8

Edinburgh v Dragons (7.35pm, BBC Alba)

Leinster v Cardiff Blues (7.35pm, BBC Wales & TG4 )

Saturday, Sept 9

Glasgow v Ospreys (3.15pm, Sky)

Treviso v Ulster (5.05pm, BBC NI)

Munster v Toyota Cheetahs (5.15pm, TG4)

Zebre v Scarlets (7.35pm, S4C)

Connacht v Southern Kings (7.35pm, TG4)

ROUND 3

Friday, September 15

Ulster v Scarlets (7.35pm, BBC Wales & NI)

Dragons v Connacht

Edinburgh v Treviso

Saturday, September 15

Southern Kings v Leinster (1.15pm)

Ospreys v Munster (3.15pm, Sky)

Cardiff Blues v Glasgow (7.35pm, S4C)

Sunday, September 16

Toyota Cheetahs v Zebre (1.30-pm)

ROUND 4

Friday, September 22

Toyota Cheetahs v Leinster (7pm)

Glasgow v Munster (7.35pm, BBC Scotland)

Ulster v Dragons (7.35pm, BBC NI)

Treviso v Ospreys (7.35pm, BBC Wales)

Saturday, September 23

Connacht v Cardiff Blues (3.15pm, Sky)

Southern Kings v Zebre (6.30pm)

Scarlets v Edinburgh (7.35pm, S4C)

ROUND 5

Friday, September 29

Leinster v Edinburgh (7.35pm, TG4)

Scarlets v Connacht (7.35pm, BBC Wales)

Glasgow v Treviso (TBC)

Saturday, September 30

Toyota Cheetahs v Ospreys (1pm)

Munster v Cardiff Blues (1.30pm, Sky)

Zebre v Ulster (2.35pm)

Dragons v Southern Kings (7.35pm, S4C)

ROUND 6

Friday, Oct 6

Edinburgh v Zebre (TBC)

Blues v Dragons (7.35pm BBC Wales)

Cheetahs v Glasgow (7.35pm)

Ulster v Connacht (7.35pm, BBC NI)

Saturday, Oct 7

Leinster v Munster (2pm, Sky)

Treviso v Kings (7pm)

Ospreys v Scarlets (7.35pm, S4C)

ROUND 7

Friday, Oct 27

Connacht v Munster (7.35pm)

Gasgow v Southern Kings (7.35pm)

Ospreys v Dragons (7,35pm, BBC Wales)

Sat, Oct 28

Treviso v Edinburgh (2pm)

Ulster v Leister (6.15pm, BBC NI & Sky)

Zebre v Cheetahs (7pm)

Scarlets v Blues (7.35pm, S4C)

ROUND 8

Friday, Nov 3

Munster v Dragons (TBC)

Glasgow v Leinster (7.35pm)

Scarlets v Treviso (7.35pm, BBC Wales)

Sat, Nov 4

Kings v Ulster (4pm)

Edinburgh v Ospreys (5.30pm, Sky)

Blues v Zebre (7.35pm, S4C)

Connacht v Cheetahs (7.35pm)

ROUND 9

Friday, Nov 24

Ulster v Treviso (7.05pm)

Leinster v Dragons (7.35pm)

Cardiff Blues v Connacht (7.35pm, BBC Wales)

Sat, Nov 25

Cheetahs v Edinburgh (7.30pm)

Sun, Nov 26

Southern Kings v Scarlets (2pm, S4C)

Zebre v Munster (1pm)

24-26: Ospreys v Glasgow

ROUND 10

Friday, Dec 1

Southern Kings v Edinburgh (6.15pm)

Glasgow v Cardiff Blues (7.35pm, BBC Alba)

Dragons v Ulster (7.35opm, BBC Wales)

Sat, Dec 2

Treviso v Ulster (3.30pm)

Zebre v Connacht (1.15pm)

Munster v Ospreys (5.30pm, Sky)

Cheetahs v Scarlets (6.35pm, S4C)

ROUND 11

Sat, Dec 23

Treviso v Zebre (2pm)

Edinburgh v Glasgow (5.10pm)

Connacht v Ulster (7.35pm)

Tuesday, Dec 26

Dragons v Blues (BBC Wales, 2pm)

Munster v Leinster (Sky, 3.15pm)

Scarlets v Ospreys (5.35pm, S4C)

Sat, Jan 13

Kings v Cheetahs (4pm)

ROUND 12

Sat, Dec 30

Zebre v Treviso 2pm

Glasgow v Edinburgh 3.15pm

Sunday, Dec 31

Cardiff Blues v Scarlets (3.15pm, BBC Wales & Sky)

Dragons v Ospreys (5.35pm, S4C)

Mon, Jan 1

Leinster v Connacht (3.15pm)

Ulster v Munster (5.35pm)

Sat Jan 20

Cheetahs v Kings

ROUND 13

Friday, Jan 5

Scarlets v Dragons (BBC Wales, 7.35pm)

Edinburgh v Southern Kings (7.35pm)

Sat, Jan 6

Treviso v Cheetahs (1.15pm)

Zebre v Glasgow (3.30pm)

Leinster v Ulster (5.35pm)

Munster v Connacht (7.45pm)

Jan 5-7

Ospreys v Cardiff Blues

ROUND 14

Feb 9-11

Munster v Zebre

Connacht v Ospreys

Cardiff Blues v Cheetahs

Ulster v Southern Kings

Dragons v Glasgow

Edinburgh v Leinster

Treviso v Scarlets

ROUND 15

Feb 16-18

Connacht v Zebre

Ospreys v Southern Kings

Cardiff Blues v Munster

Glasgow v Cheetahs

Leinster v Scarlets

Ulster v Edinburgh

Dragons v Treviso

ROUND 16

Feb 23-25

Munster v Glasgow

Ospreys v Cheetahs

Zebre v Cardiff Blues

Leinster v Southern Kings

Scarlets v Ulster

Dragons v Edinburgh

Treviso v Connacht

ROUND 17

March 2-4

Cardiff Blues v Treviso

Zebre v Ospreys

Cheetahs v Connacht

Ulster v Glasgow

Scarlets v Leinster

Edinburgh v Munster

Southern Kings v Dragons

ROUND 18

March 23-25

Munster v Scarlets

Connacht v Edinburgh

Ospreys v Leinster

Cardiff Blues v Ulster

Glasgow v Zebre

Dragons v Cheetahs

Southern Kings v Treviso

ROUND 19

April 6-8

Ospreys v Connacht

Cheetahs v Cardiff Blues

Leinster v Zebre

Scarlets v Glasgow

Edinburgh v Ulster

Benetton v Dragons

Southern Kings v Munster

ROUND 20

April 13-15

Glasgow v Connacht

Zebre v Dragons

Cheetahs v Munster

Leinster v Treviso

Ulster v Ospreys

Edinburgh v Scarlets

Southern Kings v Cardiff Blues

ROUND 21

April 27-29

Munster v Ulster

Connacht v Leinster

Cardiff Blues v Ospreys

Edinburgh v Glasgow

Dragons v Scarlets

Treviso v Zebre

Southern Kings v Cheetahs

PLAY OFFS

Quarter-finals

May 4-6

Semi-finals

May 18 -20

Final

Sat, May 26