Everything you need to know about the SA Cup
The SA Cup kicks off this weekend and here is everything you will need to know about this new provincial rugby tournament.
With the dawn of a brand new provincial rugby competition this week, here’s all you need to know about the format, teams and the broadcasting information of the SA Cup.
LOCAL RUGBY GETS HOT NEW TOURNAMENT
What is the SA Cup?
It is a new competition under the SA Rugby umbrella, which will mark the official launch of the local provincial season for 2024. One of the interesting features of this competition is the inclusion of five Sunday afternoon fixtures staged across the country.
The SA Cup serves as an important bridge between pre-season and the beginning of the Currie Cup Premier and First Division competitions, effectively replacing the Mzansi Challenge from 2023.
Who are the participating teams?
The new competition will involve 10 provincial teams (excluding those with a United Rugby Championship franchise team) who will compete against each other over a span of nine consecutive weeks in a total of 46 matches.
The teams are: the Griffons, Griquas, Leopards, SWD Eagles, Pumas, Cheetahs, Boland Kavaliers, Eastern Province, Valke and Border Bulldogs.
In 2025, the top four teams from the SA Cup will join the four Vodacom URC franchises in the Currie Cup Premier Division, with the remaining six teams contesting the First Division.
How will the competition work?
All 10 teams will face each other once in the regular season. When the league phase of this single-round competition is eventually completed, the top two rugby sides on the standings will battle it out for honours when the SA Cup Final will be staged on the weekend of 25 May.
Wondering where to watch the games?
Two rugby games per round will be showcased on SuperSport’s linear channels, while the remaining three will be broadcast live on the SuperSport Schools streaming platform.
SA CUP ROUND ONE FIXTURES:
Griquas vs Leopards
Date: Thursday, 21 March
Venue: Suzuki Stadium, Kimberley
Referee: Paul Mente
SA Time: 15h00
Streaming: SS Schools
SWD Eagles vs Pumas
Date: Friday, 22 March
Venue: Outeniqua Park, George
Referee: AJ Jacobs
SA Time: 15h30
Streaming: SS Schools
Cheetahs vs Boland Kavaliers
Date: Friday, 22 March
Venue: Toyota Stadium, Bloemfontein
Referee: Christopher Allison
SA Time: 18h00
TV: SS Rugby
Eastern Province vs Valke
Date: Saturday, 23 March
Venue: Wolfson Stadium, Gqeberha
Referee: Stephan Geldenhuys
SA Time: 15h00
Streaming: SS Schools
Griffons vs Border Bulldogs
Date: Sunday, 24 March
Venue: Down Touch Investment Stadium, Welkom
Referee: Paul Mente
SA Time: 15h00
TV: SS Rugby