The community game tournaments have been introduced to add variety to the season. The only tier of the National League pyramid not involved in the opening round of group matches will be the Admiral Championship.
They have a full league programme, while the Indigo Premiership and Divisions 1-6 take a break from their leagues to kick-off in the cup.
The prize at the end of the season will be a trip to the home of Welsh rugby in Cardiff for a showpiece final in the Road to Principality – which proved a massive success earlier this year.
“We wanted to find a way to keep as many clubs as possible involved in meaningful competitions across the season and the increase in cup competitions was one way of doing that,” said Geraint John, WRU Community Director.
“The players told us during the adult male competitions and pathway review in 2020-21 that their motivation to play was driven by competition that provided meaningful competition, variety and jeopardy. The competition will give clubs multiple opportunities in the new and exciting format.
“The teams all play at their respective levels and this weekend sees everything kick-off with the first round of group games. What we found last season was there was huge enthusiasm among the clubs to earn the right to potentially play at Principality Stadium and our aim is to provide that opportunity to as many teams as possible.”
Swansea will meet Llanelli in the pick of the games in the Premiership Cup. When the two teams met in the Premiership on the opening weekend of the season it was the Parc y Scarlets outfit who came out on top.
There will be 75 different Groups and sets of fixtures of 3-4 teams across all competitions. There will be pool matches to begin with and then a knock-out as the campaign gathers momentum:
Premiership Cup: 12 clubs / 4 Groups
Championship Cup: Knock-Out format
Division 1 Cup: 59 clubs / 15 Groups
Division 2 Cup: 48 clubs / 12 Groups
Division 3 Cup: 70 clubs / 18 Groups
Division 4 Cup: 35 clubs / 9 Groups
Division 5/6 Cup: 60 clubs / 17 Groups
