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How rugby is organised in South Africa
Competition structureAfrica region · Guide updated 23 Sept 2026
SA Rugby's contact list names 14 provincial unions, each with a city. Suzuki Griquas beat the Airlink Pumas in the 2026 Currie Cup final in Kimberley and kept the title. A 2026 side is listed under a union when the schedule uses that union's name, or when SA Rugby places the side in that union's contact city. The Gold Cup is 32 clubs from the 15 provincial unions and the Women's Club Championship is 16, which is not a count of clubs and does not name a 15th union.
Permanent leagues, seasonal phases and parallel competitions stay separate so a cup or playoff is not mistaken for a league tier.
Provincial unions
Each city is the place printed on that union's contact entry. A 2026 side is listed under a union when the schedule uses that union's name, or when SA Rugby places the side in that city. The Gold Cup is 32 clubs from the 15 provincial unions, and the Women's Club Championship is 16 clubs from the 15 provincial unions. That is not a count of clubs, and the contact list does not name a 15th union.
Blue Bulls
Pretoria. SA Rugby has the Vodacom Bulls playing in Pretoria.
Boland
Wellington. 2026 SA Cup: Sanlam Boland Kavaliers. Women's Super League 1: Sanlam Boland Dames.
Border
East London. 2026 SA Cup: Border Bulldogs. Women's Super League 1: Border Ladies.
Eastern Province
Port Elizabeth. 2026 SA Cup: Eastern Province. Women's Super League 1: Eastern Province Queens.
Free State
Bloemfontein. Women's Super League 1: Free State Women. SA Rugby calls the Toyota Cheetahs the side from Bloemfontein.
Griffons
Welkom. 2026 SA Cup: NovaVit Griffons, the defending Currie Cup First Division champions. SA Rugby calls them the Cheetahs' Northern Free State neighbours. Women's Super League 2: Griffons Women.
Griqualand West
Kimberley. Suzuki Griquas host in Kimberley, and they won the 2026 Currie Cup final there against the Airlink Pumas. Women's Super League 2 lists Griquas Women.
KwaZulu-Natal
Durban. The contact address is Hollywoodbets Kings Park, where SA Rugby put the Hollywoodbets Sharks.
Leopards
Potchefstroom. 2026 SA Cup: Leopards. Women's Super League 2: Leopards Women.
Lions Rugby
Doornfontein. SA Rugby calls the Lions the Johannesburg side, and they reached the 2026 Currie Cup semi-finals.
Pumas
Nelspruit. 2026 SA Cup: Airlink Pumas, the defending champions. They lost the 2026 Currie Cup final to Suzuki Griquas. Women's Super League 2: Pumas Women, the defending champions.
South Western Districts
George. 2026 SA Cup: Dotsure SWD Eagles, whom SA Rugby called the George side. Women's Super League 2 lists SWD Eagirls.
Valke
Kempton Park. 2026 SA Cup: Valke. Women's Super League 2: Valke Women.
Western Province
Cape Town. Women's Super League 1: DHL Western Province. SA Rugby sent the DHL Stormers back to Cape Town, and the 2026 Premier Division names the DHL Stormers XXIII.
Senior men's provincial rugby
Suzuki Griquas beat the Airlink Pumas in the 2026 final in Kimberley and kept the title. In 2025, Suzuki Griquas beat Fidelity ADT Lions 27–25 in the final. That season was a single round, then semi-finals.
2026 Currie Cup Premier Division
Suzuki Griquas beat the Airlink Pumas in the final in Kimberley. Griquas, the Cheetahs, the Pumas and the Lions reached the semi-finals. The competition page also names the DHL Stormers XXIII, the Fidelity ADT Lions and the Sanlam Boland Kavaliers in that Premier Division.
2026 SA Cup
The Airlink Pumas defended their title in Kimberley in 2026. Suzuki Griquas, the Airlink Pumas, the Toyota Cheetahs and the Sanlam Boland Kavaliers qualified for the Premier Division, along with the four Vodacom URC franchises. Valke, Griffons, Leopards, SWD Eagles, Eastern Province and Border Bulldogs play in the First Division.
Season-specific entry
The 2025 SA Cup sent four qualifiers into the Premier Division alongside four franchise teams. This does not mean there is automatic promotion from the First Division.
Women's rugby
SA Rugby runs separate Women's Super League 1 and Women's Super League 2. They are not phases of the men's Currie Cup. Limpopo Blue Bulls Women play in Super League 2, and that name is not an extra union on the contact list.
2026 Women's Super League 1
Isuzu Bulls Daies (defending champions), Sanlam Boland Dames, Border Ladies, Eastern Province Queens, Free State Women, Golden Lions Women, Sharks Women and DHL Western Province.
2026 Women's Super League 2
Pumas Women (defending champions), Griquas Women, Griffons Women, Leopards Women, Limpopo Blue Bulls Women, SWD Eagirls and Valke Women. These are league sides, not a club list.
Youth rugby
SA Rugby runs national youth-week competitions separately from senior provincial competitions.
2026 youth weeks
The January announcement set the U18 Craven Week and U18 Girls Week at Grey High School in Gqeberha from 6 to 11 July, and the U16 Grant Khomo Week and U16 Girls Week at Kearsney College in Durban from 29 June to 3 July. Men's age-group provincial sides were still to be confirmed then. Those weeks are school competitions, not the senior provincial teams.
What Frostlete covers here
Scores and tables
Official website
This site does not show a Currie Cup table, fixture list or results feed. Use SA Rugby's official competition page.
SA Rugby's senior men's national provincial and franchise competition. This site explains the completed 2025 season without copying its table or treating sponsor-named teams as clubs.
Competition structureAfrica region · Guide updated 23 Sept 2026
SA Rugby's contact list names 14 provincial unions, each with a city. Suzuki Griquas beat the Airlink Pumas in the 2026 Currie Cup final in Kimberley and kept the title. A 2026 side is listed under a union when the schedule uses that union's name, or when SA Rugby places the side in that union's contact city. The Gold Cup is 32 clubs from the 15 provincial unions and the Women's Club Championship is 16, which is not a count of clubs and does not name a 15th union.
Permanent leagues, seasonal phases and parallel competitions stay separate so a cup or playoff is not mistaken for a league tier.
Provincial unions
Each city is the place printed on that union's contact entry. A 2026 side is listed under a union when the schedule uses that union's name, or when SA Rugby places the side in that city. The Gold Cup is 32 clubs from the 15 provincial unions, and the Women's Club Championship is 16 clubs from the 15 provincial unions. That is not a count of clubs, and the contact list does not name a 15th union.
Blue Bulls
Pretoria. SA Rugby has the Vodacom Bulls playing in Pretoria.
Boland
Wellington. 2026 SA Cup: Sanlam Boland Kavaliers. Women's Super League 1: Sanlam Boland Dames.
Border
East London. 2026 SA Cup: Border Bulldogs. Women's Super League 1: Border Ladies.
Eastern Province
Port Elizabeth. 2026 SA Cup: Eastern Province. Women's Super League 1: Eastern Province Queens.
Free State
Bloemfontein. Women's Super League 1: Free State Women. SA Rugby calls the Toyota Cheetahs the side from Bloemfontein.
Griffons
Welkom. 2026 SA Cup: NovaVit Griffons, the defending Currie Cup First Division champions. SA Rugby calls them the Cheetahs' Northern Free State neighbours. Women's Super League 2: Griffons Women.
Griqualand West
Kimberley. Suzuki Griquas host in Kimberley, and they won the 2026 Currie Cup final there against the Airlink Pumas. Women's Super League 2 lists Griquas Women.
KwaZulu-Natal
Durban. The contact address is Hollywoodbets Kings Park, where SA Rugby put the Hollywoodbets Sharks.
Leopards
Potchefstroom. 2026 SA Cup: Leopards. Women's Super League 2: Leopards Women.
Lions Rugby
Doornfontein. SA Rugby calls the Lions the Johannesburg side, and they reached the 2026 Currie Cup semi-finals.
Pumas
Nelspruit. 2026 SA Cup: Airlink Pumas, the defending champions. They lost the 2026 Currie Cup final to Suzuki Griquas. Women's Super League 2: Pumas Women, the defending champions.
South Western Districts
George. 2026 SA Cup: Dotsure SWD Eagles, whom SA Rugby called the George side. Women's Super League 2 lists SWD Eagirls.
Valke
Kempton Park. 2026 SA Cup: Valke. Women's Super League 2: Valke Women.
Western Province
Cape Town. Women's Super League 1: DHL Western Province. SA Rugby sent the DHL Stormers back to Cape Town, and the 2026 Premier Division names the DHL Stormers XXIII.
Senior men's provincial rugby
Suzuki Griquas beat the Airlink Pumas in the 2026 final in Kimberley and kept the title. In 2025, Suzuki Griquas beat Fidelity ADT Lions 27–25 in the final. That season was a single round, then semi-finals.
2026 Currie Cup Premier Division
Suzuki Griquas beat the Airlink Pumas in the final in Kimberley. Griquas, the Cheetahs, the Pumas and the Lions reached the semi-finals. The competition page also names the DHL Stormers XXIII, the Fidelity ADT Lions and the Sanlam Boland Kavaliers in that Premier Division.
2026 SA Cup
The Airlink Pumas defended their title in Kimberley in 2026. Suzuki Griquas, the Airlink Pumas, the Toyota Cheetahs and the Sanlam Boland Kavaliers qualified for the Premier Division, along with the four Vodacom URC franchises. Valke, Griffons, Leopards, SWD Eagles, Eastern Province and Border Bulldogs play in the First Division.
Season-specific entry
The 2025 SA Cup sent four qualifiers into the Premier Division alongside four franchise teams. This does not mean there is automatic promotion from the First Division.
Women's rugby
SA Rugby runs separate Women's Super League 1 and Women's Super League 2. They are not phases of the men's Currie Cup. Limpopo Blue Bulls Women play in Super League 2, and that name is not an extra union on the contact list.
2026 Women's Super League 1
Isuzu Bulls Daies (defending champions), Sanlam Boland Dames, Border Ladies, Eastern Province Queens, Free State Women, Golden Lions Women, Sharks Women and DHL Western Province.
2026 Women's Super League 2
Pumas Women (defending champions), Griquas Women, Griffons Women, Leopards Women, Limpopo Blue Bulls Women, SWD Eagirls and Valke Women. These are league sides, not a club list.
Youth rugby
SA Rugby runs national youth-week competitions separately from senior provincial competitions.
2026 youth weeks
The January announcement set the U18 Craven Week and U18 Girls Week at Grey High School in Gqeberha from 6 to 11 July, and the U16 Grant Khomo Week and U16 Girls Week at Kearsney College in Durban from 29 June to 3 July. Men's age-group provincial sides were still to be confirmed then. Those weeks are school competitions, not the senior provincial teams.
What Frostlete covers here
Scores and tables
Official website
This site does not show a Currie Cup table, fixture list or results feed. Use SA Rugby's official competition page.
SA Rugby's senior men's national provincial and franchise competition. This site explains the completed 2025 season without copying its table or treating sponsor-named teams as clubs.
