Two South African sides – the Southern Kings from Port Elizabeth and Toyota Cheetahs from Bloemfontein are joining, while the league itself will be split into two conferences of seven.
The top 3 teams from each conference will reach the knockout stages while the teams who top their conference will go straight into a home semi final.
While Munster and Leinster are in different conferences they will play each other twice in the season as all derbies will remain.
The top 3 in each conference will qualify for the Champions cup although the South African sides are not eligible for the European competition.
