SA Rugby has officially confirmed the structure of South Africa’s domestic season for 2023, which will see an expanded eight-team Currie Cup Premier Division begin in March.
SA Rugby has announced the exciting competition structure for the 2023 rugby season, which will see an expansion of the Currie Cup Premier Division, the addition of the Mzanzi Challenge comprising five international teams, as well as plenty of provincial women’s and age-group rugby.
Full season of local rugby action lined up, with international teams included along with SA unions' men's, women's and age-group sides – more here: https://t.co/idKvhsy57C ? pic.twitter.com/ydsFC1nXN0
— Springboks (@Springboks) January 30, 2023
Four South African franchise teams – the Vodacom Bulls, Sharks, DHL Stormers and Lions – are currently involved in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship, which culminates with the final on 27 May.
Four weeks later, on 24 June, the local season will reach its climax with the Currie Cup Premier Division final.
The addition of the Griffons, last year’s First Division champions, means the Pumas will have to defend their Currie Cup title against seven other teams, over a double round of matches.
Another new inclusion on the calendar is the introduction of the Mzanzi Challenge. This will involve the six First Division teams and five international teams: the Diables (Spain), Simbas (Kenya), Welwitschias (Namibia), Tel-Aviv Heat (Israel) and Goshawks (Zimbabwe).
The Currie Cup First Division will get underway on 10 February, before the new Mzanzi Challenge kicks off on 24 March.
All 11 teams will contest the Mzanzi Challenge in a single round format which includes a semi-final and a final match during the 14-week period, with the final set for mid-June.
At the same time, the six local teams will carry points earned against each other into the race for Currie Cup First Division honours and the team who finishes with the most log points (only matches involving the SA teams to be taken into account) will be crowned the winner.
In terms of youth rugby, seven teams – the Vodacom Bulls, Cheetahs, Leopards, Lions, Sharks, DHL Western Province and Valke – will contest the SA Rugby U20 Cup competition over a single round from 18 February.
The final U20 match will be staged on 6 April 2023, after which the best players will be invited to join the SA Rugby Academy programme, which will then feed into the Junior Springboks for the return of the World Rugby U20 Championship.
The other age-group provincial competitions are the SA Rugby U21 Cup (from 19 August to 14 October) and the SA Rugby U21 Shield (from 5 August to 14 October), while an U19 provincial series and various Youth Weeks are also in the planning phase.
All fixtures will be confirmed in due course on the SA Rugby website.
2023 SA Rugby competition structure
Currie Cup Premier Division
Participating teams: Pumas (defending champions), Vodacom Bulls, Griquas, Sharks, Western Province, Cheetahs, Lions, Griffons.
Opening round: 10/11 March (double round of matches)
Final: 24 June
Currie Cup First Division & Mzanzi Challenge
Participating teams: Leopards, Valke, Boland Kavaliers, Eastern Province, Border Bulldogs, SWD Eagles [Currie Cup First Division]; Diables (Spain), Simbas (Kenya), Welwitschias (Namibia), Tel-Aviv Heat (Israel) and Goshawks (Zimbabwe) [Mzanzi Challenge].
The highest-placed SA team will be crowned Currie Cup First Division league winners.
Opening round: 10/11 February
Mzansi Challenge Final: 17 June
Women’s Premier Division
Participating teams: Border Ladies (defending champions), DHL Western Province, EP Queens, Boland Dames, Blue Bulls Women, Sharks Women, Golden Lions Women
Opening round and final: TBC
Women’s First Division
Participating teams: Leopards, Valke, Limpopo, Pumas, Free State, Griffons, Griquas, SWD
Opening round and final: TBC
SA Rugby Under-20 Cup
Participating teams: Lions, Western Province, Vodacom Bulls (defending champions), Sharks, Leopards Cheetahs, Valke
Opening round: 17/18 February (single round of matches)
Final: 6 April
SA Rugby Under-21 Cup
Participating teams: Vodacom Bulls, Cheetahs, Leopards, Lions, Sharks, Western Province
Opening round: 18/19 August (single round of matches)
Final: 14 October
SA Rugby Under-21 Shield
Participating teams: Boland, Border, Eastern Province, Griffons, Griquas, Limpopo, Pumas, SWD, Valke
Opening round: 4/5 August (single round of matches)
Final: 14 October
Photo: Gallo Images