The United Rugby Championship returns for a festive feast of fixtures this weekend, with derbies taking centre stage in Round 8. Two fixtures scheduled for this week has already been postponed after several positive Covid19 cases were identified.
Zebre Parma and Benetton kick off the action with a Christmas Eve showdown at Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi before Wales and Ireland dominate the schedule on Sunday.
Cardiff and the Scarlets meet at the Arms Park as both sides return to URC action for the first time since October, while Ulster welcomes Connacht to the Kingspan Stadium.
The weekend's action concludes on Monday evening when Glasgow Warriors host Edinburgh at Scotstoun in the first leg of their 1872 Cup double-header ahead of a further helping of derby action over the New Year weekend.
24/12/2021 - Zebre Parma v Benetton - Stadio Sergio @ 15:00 SA time.
Zebre Parma sits bottom of the URC standings having registered only a solitary bonus point from their opening five matches.
They have won just seven of their 24 encounters with Benetton, losing the previous two, with their last victory over their rivals coming in Parma in January.
Benetton, the Rainbow Cup champions, have won just one of their last five URC matches - a last-gasp home success over Glasgow Warriors last month.
They have failed to post a victory on their travels since beating Zebre in May.
26/12/2021 - Cardiff v Scarlets - Cardiff Arms Park, Cardiff @ 17:00 SA time.
Cardiff is looking for a third successive URC triumph following back-to-back home wins over the Cell C Sharks and Dragons.
They have a good record at the Arms Park having been beaten just once in seven championship matches at home and have lost only three times against Welsh regions since August 2020.
The Scarlets bounced back from heavy defeats to Munster and Leinster with a thrilling home win over Benetton but have won just once on the road in the league in the calendar year.
They have lost their last three meetings with Cardiff but have triumphed in three of their previous four visits to the Arms Park.
26/12/2021 - Ulster v Connacht - Kingspan Stadium, Belfast @ 19:15 SA time.
Ulster has fallen four points behind Leinster after suffering defeats to Connacht and the Ospreys on either side of their stunning win over the defending champions.
The Ulstermen have won all three of their matches at this venue this season and have come out on top in 27 of their 38 encounters with Connacht.
Connacht has not won on the road since beating Munster in the Rainbow Cup in May but have won three of their previous four encounters with Ulster.
The Westerners went 58 years without winning in Belfast but have now prevailed on two of their last four visits.
26/12/2021 - Ospreys v Dragons *POSTPONED*
26/12/2021 - Munster v Leinster *POSTPONED*
27/12/2021 - Glasgow Warriors v Edinburgh - Scotstoun Stadium, Glasgow @ 21:00 SA time
Glasgow Warriors will hope home advantage can guide them to an 1872 Cup victory over their Scottish rivals having lost just one of their last eight fixtures at this venue.
The Warriors shade the head-to-head record by 22 wins to 19, with one draw, and have beaten Edinburgh in their previous three matches - their best run since 2014.
Edinburgh have made a stunning start to the URC season under new coach Mike Blair and sit second, just a point behind leaders Leinster, after five wins and a draw from seven games.
Their only loss was a one-point reversal at Benetton, but they are now seeking a third successive away win in the league for the first time since 2009.