About
The SA Rugby Under-21 Cup is back after pandemic-related disruptions in the last few seasons. In 2022, the Vodacom Bulls, Toyota Cheetahs, Leopards, Lions, Hollywoodbets Sharks and DHL Western Province battled it out for the SA Rugby Under-21 Cup, and the same six teams are back in 2023. The Bulls will defend their title in the competition, which kicks off on the weekend of 25/26 August. The final is scheduled for middle October.
The history
In 2020, only five Under-21 teams took part in the SA Rugby Provincial U21 Championship, which was held at Emirates Airline Park in Johannesburg in October, after the resumption of the local season following the pause due to COVID-19. The champions from 2019, the Vodacom Bulls, successfully defended their title against the hosts, the Lions, as well as DHL Western Province, the Toyota Cheetahs and Hollywoodbets Sharks.
| Pos | Team | PL | W | L | D | PF | PA | DIFF | TF | TA | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
DHL Western Province U21
|
4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 182 | 64 | 118 | 28 | 8 | 20 |
| 2 |
Hollywoodbets Sharks U21
|
4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 112 | 52 | 60 | 17 | 9 | 15 |
| 3 |
Fidelity ADT Lions U21
|
4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 161 | 120 | 41 | 23 | 18 | 15 |
| 4 |
Leopards U21
|
4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 82 | 138 | -56 | 12 | 21 | 6 |
| 5 |
Toyota Cheetahs U21
|
4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 53 | 175 | -122 | 7 | 26 | 4 |
| 6 |
Vodacom Bulls U21
|
4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 81 | 122 | -41 | 12 | 17 | 4 |
Fidelity ADT Lions U21
29 Sep | Wits Rugby Stadium, Johannesburg
13:00
Hollywoodbets Sharks U21
Leopards U21
30 Sep | Olen Park, Potchefstroom
12:00
DHL Western Province U21
Toyota Cheetahs U21
30 Sep | Toyota Stadium, Bloemfontein
14:30
Vodacom Bulls U21
Preview
National selection on the line at U20 Women’s WeekJunior Springbok Women head coach Laurian Johannes-Haupt will be watching the forthcoming SA Rugby U20 Women’s Week in Mthatha with a keen eye to ensure the strongest possible SA U20 team will be named at the end of the tournament.
African Rainbow Community Gold Cup
North and South collide in Gold Cup quarter-finalsFormer champions False Bay from Cape Town and three clubs from upcountry, Northam Rhinos, Pretoria Harlequins and Raiders, will host African Rainbow Community Gold Cup quarter-finals after they claimed big victories this past weekend in the Round of 16.
Special feature
Get Into Rugby Festival in Cape Town a hit for allThe Get Into Rugby Festival in Cape Town held last week proved to be a success for headline sponsor Engen, who are also the proud fuel sponsor of the Springboks.
Tournament news
New U20 Women’s tournament headed for MthathaMthatha in the Eastern Cape will host the country’s best Under-20 women’s players later this month when 11 provincial unions and an invitational team from Zimbabwe compete in the inaugural SA Rugby U20 Women’s Tournament.
African Rainbow Community Gold Cup
Sixteen clubs left standing after cracking startNortham Rhinos and Sasol Secunda romped to big victories in the North section of the African Rainbow Community Gold Cup last weekend, while former champions False Bay, Progress and Crusaders were among the most prolific teams in the South in the Round of 32.
