can someone explain leagues and championships? new watcher here

2016–17 English Premiership (rugby union)

The 2016–17 English Premiership was the 30th season of the top flight of English domestic rugby union competition, and the seventh to be sponsored by Aviva. The competition was broadcast by BT Sport for the fourth successive season. Highlights of each weekend's games were shown on ITV with extended highlights on BT Sport.

The reigning champions entering the season were Saracens, who claimed their 3rd title (and 2nd consecutively) after defeating Exeter Chiefs in the 2015–16 final.


2016–17 Pro12

The 2016–17 Pro12 (also known as the Guinness Pro12 for sponsorship reasons) was the sixteenth season of the professional rugby union competition originally known as the Celtic League, and the seventh with its current four-country format. It was the third season to be referred to as the Guinness Pro12.

The twelve competing teams were the four Irish teams: Connacht, Leinster, Munster and Ulster; two Italian teams: Treviso and Zebre; two Scottish teams: Edinburgh and Glasgow Warriors and four Welsh teams: Cardiff Blues, Newport Gwent Dragons, Ospreys and Scarlets. The first stage involved the 12 teams playing home and away in a league format with the top four sides qualifying for the semi-finals.


2016–17 Top 14 season

The 2016–17 Top 14 competition was the 118th French domestic rugby union club competition operated by the Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR). Two new teams from the 2015–16 Pro D2 season were promoted to Top 14 this year, Bayonne and Lyon in place of the two relegated teams, Agen and Oyonnax. It marked the first time that both promoted teams had returned on their first opportunity after relegation (Bayonne and Lyon were both relegated during the 2014–15 Top 14 season).


2016–17 European Rugby Champions Cup

The 2016–17 European Rugby Champions Cup was the third European Rugby Champions Cup championship, the annual rugby union club competition for teams from the top six nations in European rugby. The competition replaced the Heineken Cup, which was Europe's top-tier competition for rugby clubs for the first nineteen years of professional European rugby union. The opening round of the tournament took place on the weekend of 14/15/16 October 2016. The final took place on 13 May 2017 at Murrayfield in Edinburgh.


2017 Super Rugby season

The 2017 Super Rugby season was the 22nd season of Super Rugby, an annual rugby union competition organised by SANZAAR between teams from Argentina, Australia, Japan, New Zealand and South Africa. It was the second season featuring an expanded 18-team format, following the competition's expansion from 15 teams prior to the 2016 season.

After 17 rounds of matches between 23 February and 15 July – with Rounds 15 and 16 split due to the 2017 mid-year rugby union internationals and British and Irish Lions tour to New Zealand – four conference winners and four wildcard teams progressed to the finals series, which will consist of quarterfinals, semifinals and a final on 5 August.


2017 Six Nations Championship

The 2017 Six Nations Championship was the 18th series of the Six Nations Championship, the annual northern hemisphere rugby union championship. The tournament was also known as the 2017 RBS 6 Nations because of the tournament's sponsorship by The Royal Bank of Scotland.

It was contested by defending champions England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales. Including the competition's previous iterations as the Home Nations Championship and Five Nations Championship, it was the 123rd edition of the tournament.


2017 Rugby Championship

The 2017 Rugby Championship is the sixth edition of the expanded annual southern hemisphere Rugby Championship, featuring Argentina, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand. The competition is operated by SANZAAR, a joint venture of the four countries' national unions.

The tournament started on 19 August with Australia hosting reigning champions New Zealand and South Africa hosting Argentina. The tournament will run for eight weeks with two bye weeks, ending on 7 October when New Zealand visit South Africa and Australia visit Argentina.


2017 mid-year rugby union internationals

The 2017 mid-year rugby union internationals (also known as the Summer Internationals in the Northern Hemisphere) were international rugby union matches that were mostly played in the Southern Hemisphere during the June International Window.

The matches were part of World Rugby's Global rugby calendar (2012–19) that includes Test matches between the touring Northern Hemisphere nations and the home Southern Hemisphere nations. In addition to this, the global calendar gives Tier 2 nations the opportunity to play Tier 1 nations outside the November International Window, increasing competitiveness from the Tier 2 sides.

The international window coincided with the 2017 British and Irish Lions tour to New Zealand, consisting of a three-test series between the Lions and New Zealand, plus seven non-test matches.


2017 end-of-year rugby union internationals

The 2017 end-of-year rugby union internationals, also known as the 2017 Autumn Internationals in the Northern Hemisphere, will be a series of international rugby union matches predominantly played between the visiting Southern Hemisphere countries: Argentina, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa – and the European sides: England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales.


2017 British and Irish Lions tour to New Zealand

The British and Irish Lions toured New Zealand during June and July 2017. The British and Irish Lions played 10 rugby union matches: matches against all five New Zealand Super Rugby franchises, the NZ Provincial Barbarians, the Māori All Blacks and three test matches against New Zealand.

The test series was tied 1–1 – one victory to each side and a draw in the final match. Of the other tour matches, the Lions won four, lost two and drew one.


2019 Rugby World Cup

The 2019 Rugby World Cup will be the ninth Rugby World Cup, to be held in Japan from September 20 to November 2. This will be the first time the tournament is to be held in Asia, the first time consecutive tournaments have been staged in the same hemisphere, and also the first time that the event will take place outside the traditional heartland of the sport.

Hong Kong and Singapore had expressed interest in hosting some of the matches and were included as part of the JRFU's successful original hosting bid to World Rugby (known at the time of bidding as the International Rugby Board, or IRB) but were not amongst the fourteen locations announced by organisers Japan 2019 on 5 November 2014 that had formally bid for the right to host games.

The opening match of the 2019 Rugby World Cup will take place at Tokyo Stadium in Chōfu, and the final match will be held at International Stadium Yokohama in Kanagawa.


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