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JOHANNESBURG. — Zimbabwe and Kenya will play in South Africa’s Currie Cup this season as the two countries prepare for 2023 Rugby World Cup qualifiers later this year.
In fact, Zimbabwe, Kenya and Georgia will play in the second tier of the South African Currie Cup this year, SA Rugby announced on Monday.
They will join seven local teams in a single-round competition, which kicks off on April 1 with the final scheduled for June 24 or 25.
The three national teams hope playing at least nine matches in South Africa can boost their chances of qualifying for the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France.
Zimbabwe’s Sables and Kenya’ Simbas will be part of an eight-team African qualifying tournament which will be held in France in July, with the winners being guaranteed a spot at next year’s finals.
Before that the pair will participate in the Currie Cup First Division, the second tier of the local competition in South Africa, which is due to commence in April and culminate in June.
The two African nations will be joined by Rugby Europe Championship side Georgia and seven local provincial teams; defending champions the Leopards, Griffons, South Western Districts, Boland, Eastern Province, Border and the Valke over a single round of action, with the final scheduled for the final weekend of June.
Zimbabwe and Kenya will field full-strength teams in the Currie Cup, but Georgia must rely on local-based stars as many first choices are unavailable due to club commitments in France.
Georgia lead the 2021-2022 Rugby European Championship by nine points from Romania and the top two finishers secure World Cup places.
Kenya are looking for their first ever appearance at the World Cup, having narrowly missed out on a place in Japan in 2019.
Meanwhile, Zimbabwe will aim to qualify for a third time, having been present at the first two editions of the tournament in 1987 and 1991. Should either nation qualify for the World Cup, they will be in Pool A alongside hosts France, three-time winners New Zealand, Italy and Uruguay.
The runners-up at the African qualifier in July will have another chance to reach the World Cup via a final four-team tournament in November.
Last December, the General Council of the South African Rugby Union approved a motion that the top South African team in the First Division be automatically promoted to the Premier Division at the end of the 2022 Currie Cup season, creating an eight-team Premier Division.
Plans on a competition for the First Division sides in the last quarter of the year are also underway and will be confirmed in due course.
On the women’s front, the Golden Lions Women will join the six teams from the 2021 Women’s Premier Division – defending champions, the Border Ladies, as well as Western Province, EP Queens, Boland Dames, Blue Bulls Women and Sharks Women — in a new-look competition played over a single round from 23 April, with the final scheduled for 30 July.
The Women’s First Division, featuring eight teams — Leopards, Valke, Limpopo, Pumas, Free State, Griffons, Griquas and SWD — commences on 11 June, with the structure of the competition to be confirmed in due course. First up though will be the provincial Under-20 sides. The SA Rugby U20 Cup competition will be contested over a single round by the Vodacom Bulls, Toyota Cheetahs, Eastern Province, Leopards, Lions, Cell C Sharks and DHL Western Province, with the first round of fixtures on February 25/26 and the final on April 16. Six teams will contest the Under-20 Shield, from April 9. The teams will be split in two groups, North (Limpopo, Pumas and Valke) and South (Boland, Border and SWD), with the group winners squaring off in the final on May 28.
The newly introduced Under-21 Cup and Shield competitions start simultaneously on August 20 and after a single round fixtures, the two top sides will battle it out for the title on October 15. The Under-21 Cup will see the Bulls, Free State, Eastern Province, Leopards, Lions, Sharks and Western Province battle it out, while the U21 Shield will be contested by Boland, Border, Griffons, Griquas, Limpopo, Pumas and Valke.
All fixtures will be confirmed in due
course on the SA Rugby website.
2022 SA Rugby Competition structure
Currie Cup Premier Division
Participating teams: Bulls (defending champions), Sharks, Griquas, Western Province, Pumas, Cheetahs, Sigma Lions
Opening round: January 14/15 (double round of matches)
Final: June 25
Currie Cup First Division
Participating teams: Leopards (defending champions), Griffons, Valke, Boland Kavaliers, Eastern Province, Border Bulldogs, SWD Eagles, Georgia, Kenya, Zimbabwe
Opening round: April 1/2 (single round of matches)
Final: June 24/25
Women’s Premier Division
Participating teams: Border Ladies (defending champions), Western Province, EP Queens, Boland Dames, Blue Bulls Women, Sharks Women, Golden Lions Women
Opening round: April 22/23 (single round of matches)
Final: July 30
Women’s First Division
Participating teams: Leopards, Valke, Limpopo, Pumas, Free State, Griffons, Griquas, SWD
Opening round: June 10/11 (competition structure to be confirmed)
Final: July 16: SA Rugby Under-20 Cup
Participating teams: Lions (defending champions), Western Province, Vodacom Bulls, Sharks, Leopards, Free State, Eastern Province
Opening round: February 25/26 (single round of matches)
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dyton mupawaenda