The Naka Bulle will start the defence of their African Rainbow Community Gold Cup crown against Sishen when the exciting club competition kicks off on Saturday, 21 September, with matches scheduled at 16 club grounds across South Africa and at venues as far afield as Louis Trichardt, Kimberley, Groot-Brakrivier and Strand.
The opening round will see 32 of the country’s best amateur rugby clubs fight it out for places in the second round in the straight knock-out competition.
Naka Bulle, who won the coveted Gold Cup last year when they outclassed College Rovers in the final in Pretoria, host Sishen from the Northern Cape on Saturday, while former national club champions Hamilton travel to Kariega to face Gardens.
The opening round will conclude when last year’s runners up, College Rovers, host Young Leopards in Durban on Sunday afternoon.
The second round is scheduled for the weekend of 29 September and will be followed by the quarter-finals and semi-finals on consecutive weekend, before the final on 19 October.
“We saw the excitement, anticipation and the importance of the tournament last year, when it was staged again for the first time since the pandemic,” said Rian Oberholzer, CEO of SA Rugby.
“It is a very important event on the calendar of our amateur rugby community, and we are delighted to again confirm the involvement of African Rainbow Capital as our major partner for the competition.
“We all know the challenges faced by the amateur game, but I am thrilled to see that despite these obvious difficulties our club rugby continues to flourish, drawing in passionate crowds not only at big city venues, but many club grounds across our vast platteland.
“Club rugby continues to be one of most important considerations on our agenda and we believe that the African Rainbow Gold Cup has already helped us to breathe new life into this level of the game.”
Dr Johan van Zyl, co-CEO and Executive Director of African Rainbow Capital, said: “We are very excited to have extended our participation at grassroots level rugby, this competition serves as a springboard for future stars and unearthing new talent from various communities across South Africa. The Gold Cup forms an important part of the local rugby ecosystem, bringing communities together for a great day out of some wonderful rugby.”
SuperSport Schools will live stream three matches this weekend: Saturday’s matches between Naka Bulle and Sishen; and Centurion vs Rovers, as well as Sunday’s clash between College Rovers and Young Leopards.
Competition rules: If scores are level after the scheduled time, the winner will be determined as follows:
Extra time will be played, 10 minutes each way;
If scores are still level after extra-time, then the sudden-death rule will apply – teams will continue to play in intervals of 10 minutes with a minute break in-between and the first team to score points will be declared the winner.
African Rainbow Community Gold Cup Round 1 fixtures:
Saturday, 21 September:
14h00: VR Cargo Barberton vs Pirates – Barberton Rugby Club, Barberton
15h00: Randfontein vs Sasol Rugby Club – Greenhills Stadium, Randfontein
15h30: Groot-Brakrivier RFC vs Robertson – Greenhaven Sport Sadium, Groot-Brakrivier
15h30: Helderberg RFC vs Kruisfontein – Charles Morkel Stadium, Strand
15h30: East London Police vs Capital Legacy Crusaders RC – Police Park, East London
15h30: Gardens RFC vs Hamiltons – Derrick Ferreira Stadium, Kariega
16h00: Centurion vs Rovers Rugby – Centurion Rugby Club, Pretoria
16h00: Northam Rhinos vs Bloemfontein Collegians – Setaria Recreation Club, Setaria
16h00: Welkom Rugbyklub vs Tuine Rugby Club – Down Touch Investments Stadium B-field, Welkom
16h00: Louis Trichardt vs Bloemfontein Police – Louis Trichardt Rugby Club, Louis Trichardt
16h00: Springs vs Sibanye Stillwater – Olympia Park Stadium, Springs
16h00: Naka Bulle vs Sishen – Naka Bulle Rugby Club, Pretoria
16h00: Kimberley Rugby Club vs Swallows – Kimberley Rugby Club Verwoerdpark, Kimberley
16h00: Safcol United RFC vs Heidelberg RFC – Grabouw Sportsground, Grabouw
19h00: Northam Wolves vs NWU Rugby Millstream – River Estate, Hartebeespoort
Sunday, 22 September:
15h00: College Rovers vs Young Leopards – Hollywoodbets Kings Park 3, Durban
Doz Killer
Although the New Zealand All Blacks are considered one of the best rugby teams in history, it is the USA that holds the title of reigning Olympic champions in rugby. The United States won the gold medal for rugby in the 1924 Olympics, and the sport has not been played in the Olympics since.
Predator
William Webb Ellis is said to have caught a soccer ball and ran towards the opposition’s goal, marking the beginning of rugby.