WATCH: URC unveils new trophy for inaugural season

The URC today unveiled its new trophy for the winners.

The United Rugby Championship (URC) virtually unveiled its new trophy ahead of the grand final for the inaugural winners of the competition. The trophy will be presented to the champions following the conclusion of the grand final on June 18th.

The trophy is named “the Array” and the league said ‘The incredibly unique piece of silverware is the result of a collaboration between the award-winning design agency, Matter (based in Bath), and the outstanding craftsmanship from the master silversmiths at Thomas Lyte, makers of the FA Cup, the William Webb Ellis Rugby World Cup and the Ryder Cup.’

Our trophy ‘The Array’ represents all nations & teams involved in the URC ☘️🇮🇹🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇿🇦🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

When the crown is removed it uncovers a cup which allows the champions to enjoy the taste of victory 🏆

Read more 👇#URC

— United Rugby Championship (URC) (@URCOfficial) April 21, 2022

The league during the unveiling said that there were stakeholders who were reached out to by the league for what they would like to see in the trophy. ‘Early in the process, the URC reached out to former coaches and players who had won the league to get their opinions about what makes a great trophy. The points of emphasis from those who had earn the silverware were: weight, size and the ability to drink from it.’

When speaking of the design the league says that “Etched on the arms are the logo designs created to represent the Irish, Welsh, South African and Scottish-Italian Shields while the word Champions is engraved in different languages. The Array is capped at the top by a crown which appears to levitate above the rim of the trophy and will have a bespoke design that changes each season.

Imaginative engineering also allows for coloured light to illuminate the centre of the U-shaped arms and up to the top of the trophy to produce a glowing effect around the crown.

Finally, when the crown is removed it uncovers a central cup which allows the URC champions to indulge in one of sport’s most cherished traditions and truly enjoy the taste of victory.”