South Africa’s two oldest non-university clubs will form part of a bold new era for community rugby after securing the final pair of automatic slots for the Pick n Pay Gold Cup, which kicks off on Saturday, 27 September.
SA Rugby on Monday confirmed the 32 participating teams and first round fixtures for the country’s knockout championship for non-university clubs, which will be sponsored by the national retail chain for the first time as part of a four-year agreement that includes becoming Tier 1 sponsors of the world champion Springboks.
The 2025 Pick n Pay Gold Cup also marks the 50th anniversary of the inaugural national club championship, when FNB Maties beat Durban Collegians 28-20 in the 1975 final.
Hamilton-Sea Point, who celebrate their 150th anniversary this year, and Villager, who reach the same milestone in 2026, booked their place in the “FA Cup” of South African club rugby when they reached the grand final of the Western Province Super League A on Saturday with semi-final wins over Durbanville-Bellville and SK Walmers respectively in front of a capacity crowd at City Park in Cape Town.
Hamilton (2009) and Villager (1980) will form part of arguably one of the strongest line-ups in the history of the tournament, with no fewer than seven current or former national club champions aiming to lift the coveted nine-carat golden trophy on 27 October.
Two-time defending champions Naka Bulls (2023 & 2024), who will be aiming for a hat-trick of titles this year, will face the stiffest test of their credentials with the likes of fellow Bulls club Pretoria Harlequins (1992), Durban powerhouses Crusaders (1993 & 1994) and College Rovers (2010 & 2012), and Jozi heavyweight Pirates (2001) looking to add another star to their jerseys.
The 32 teams are divided geographically into North and South sections of 16 sides each, with the last team standing from each section contesting the grand final next month.
“Knockout rugby is baked into South African rugby players’ DNA and it is something that also resonates deeply with fans at all levels,” said SA Rugby CEO, Rian Oberholzer.
“You only need to look at our four Rugby World Cup titles to know that South African teams are at their very best in do-or-die matches and the Pick n Pay Gold Cup is set to deliver that in spades, with 31 matches to be played over five weekends without any safety nets or second chances.
“We are also thrilled to have Pick n Pay on board as naming-rights sponsors at this exciting juncture, when community rugby is showing unprecedented growth on the back of the success of the Springbok men’s and women’s teams, and we hope to make further important announcements in this regard in the near future that will elevate the grassroots game even further,” Oberholzer added.
Naka Bulls will need to be at their very best when they host tournament wildcard Safcol United of Boland in Pretoria on the opening day, with 15 other do-or-die matches set to take place across the length and breadth of the country as clubs look to advance to the last 16.
Confirmed teams by provincial union:
North section:
Defending champions: Naka Bulls
Tournament wildcard: Safcol United
Bulls: Pretoria Harlequins, Centurion
Limpopo: Northam Rhinos, Louis Trichardt
Leopards: Northam Wolves, Sibanye
Lions: Raiders, Pirates
Valke: Vereeniging, Brakpan
Pumas: White River, Nelspruit
Griffons: Welkom Rugby Club, Welkom Rovers
South section:
KZN: College Rovers, Crusaders
WP: Villager, Hamilton
SWD: Groot Brakrivier, Heidelberg
Boland: Robertson, Villagers Worcester
Griquas: Sishen, Kimberley
EP: Kruisfontein Utd, Gardens
Border: East London Police, Swallows
Free State: Bloemfontein Police, Bloemfontein Collegians
Round of 32 Fixtures – Saturday 27 September (home teams named first, kick-off times TBC, seedings in brackets):
North section:
Naka Bulls (1) v Safcol Utd (16)
Northam Rhinos (2) v Welkom Rovers (15)
Pretoria Harlequins (3) v Nelspruit (14)
Raiders (4) v Brakpan (13)
Northam Wolves (5) v Sibanye (12)
Vereeniging (6) v Pirates (11)
White River (7) v Centurion (10)
Welkom Rugby Club (8) v Louis Trichardt (9)
South section:
College Rovers (1) v Bloemfontein Collegians (16)
Villager (2) v Swallows (15)
Groot Brakrivier (3) v Gardens (14)
Robertson (4) v Kimberley (13)
Sishen (5) v Villagers Worcester (12)
Kruisfontein Utd (6) v Heidelberg (11)
East London Police (7) v Hamilton (10)
Bloemfontein Police (8) v Durban Crusaders (9)
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Sunil Gavaskar was out off the first ball of a Test match thrice in his career – Sunil Gavaskar was the first batsman to reach 10,000 Test runs and he ended his career scoring 34 Test centuries. But did you know he was out three times off the first ball of a Test? The bowlers to dismiss him were: Geoff Arnold (Edgbaston, 1974), Malcolm Marshall (Kolkata, 1984) and Imran Khan (Jaipur, 1987).