The Zurich A League, which all 12 Zurich Premiership clubs will participate in, has been split into two conferences – north and south.
Teams will play home and away for the remainder of the regular season with a play off at the end of the season to determine the premiership's champion A team. The Zurich A League will be played by the club's second teams but first team players who have appeared on the bench but not played will be allowed to play in the A League, which will be played on Monday nights.
Phil Winstanley, Premier Rugby's Rugby Manager, explained, "The Zurich A League gives clubs a chance to expose their academy players to a higher standard of rugby while also allowing the chance for bench players to get some game time. The geographical split helps clubs manage travel costs and should create some great local rivalry."
