THE Guinness PRO12 was launched at the Diageo headquarters in Park Royal, London, today with all 12 clubs’ captains and coaches in attendance.

The season will kick off next Friday, September 5, with Munster v Edinburgh Rugby and Ospreys v Treviso, while Glasgow Warriors will host last year's champions Leinster at Scotstoun in a replay of the 2014 final on Saturday, September 6.

Newport Gwent Dragons start against Connacht in Galway on Saturday, September 6, and the other fixtures on the first weekend are Scarlets v Ulster and Zebre v Cardiff.

This year's PRO12 promises to have added spice with the new European competition qualification system.

And 227 international players from 14 countries will also be looking to secure a place in their national squads ahead of next year's Rugby World Cup.

The PRO12 experienced year on year growth for the fifth consecutive year for both match attendance and TV audiences in 2013/2014.

This season, the first 13 rounds will see at least 91 per cent of matches broadcast live in the UK and Ireland and 50 per cent of these matches will also be broadcast in more than one territory.

The PRO12 social media platforms and website have grown exponentially over recent years and will continue to keep supporters and media fully up to date throughout the season.

Some of the key features include live text commentary for 135 matches, news, imagery, videos.

In addition a new Guinness PRO12 app will be available on all platforms and downloadable in the coming days.

As ever, the South Wales Argus will provide fans with unparalleled coverage of the Dragons in print, online at southwalesargus.co.uk and via twitter at @argusondragons.