Brace to referee the Grand Final in Cape Town

The match official appointments for the Vodacom United Rugby Championship Grand Final have been confirmed, with Ireland’s Andrew Brace appointed as the referee for this weekend’s eagerly-awaited showdown between the DHL Stormers and the Vodacom Bulls in Cape Town.

Brace will be assisted by Jaco Peyper and AJ Jacobs from South Africa, while Marius van der Westhuizen is the TMO.

It is the second time Brace has been handed the responsibility for the league decider having held the whistle for the 2021 PRO14 Final between Leinster and Ulster in Dublin.

Brace made his league debut in September 2015 when he took charge of the match between Cardiff and Zebre, and since then has gone to referee knock-out matches in the PRO14, EPCR Challenge Cup and the Heineken Champions Cup.

In 2018, the Irish official refereed his first Tier One Test (Argentina v Wales), he was then appointed as an assistant referee for the 2019 Rugby World Cup and shortly afterwards he made his Six Nations debut in 2020 (France v Italy).

Vodacom United Rugby Championship Grand Final – DHL Stormers v Vodacom Bulls
Venue: DHL Stadium, Cape Town
SA time: 19h30
Referee: Andy Brace (Ireland, 80th league game)
Assistant referees: Jaco Peyper (SA), AJ Jacobs (SA)
TMO: Marius van der Westhuizen (SA)
TV: SuperSport, Premier Sports, RTÉ & URC TV

Vodacom United Rugby Championship Andrew Brace Jaco Peyper AJ Jacobs Marius van der Westhuizen DHL Stormers Vodacom Bulls

Rescheduled Vodacom URC derbies confirmed...

The new dates for the two opening round Vodacom United Rugby Championship derbies involving the four South African teams...

Bulls and Sharks shine for SA in Vodacom URC...

The Vodacom Bulls and Hollywoodbets Sharks provided a ray of light for South Africa’s teams in the Vodacom United Rugby ...

SA sides gear up for important round before break...

Another gripping round of Vodacom United Rugby Championship action awaits this weekend as the Emirates Lions face their ...

Coastal sides bounce back as Lions remain unbeaten...

The Emirates Lions, Hollywoodbets Sharks, and DHL Stormers made it a Super Saturday for the South African franchises in ...

Late flourish sees WP defend their U21 crown...

DHL Western Province scored two tries in as many minutes at the death of an absorbing SA Rugby Under-21 final as they be...

Roos voted Vodacom Fans' Player of the Season

DHL Stormers No 8 Evan Roos has added a third prize of the inaugural Vodacom United Rugby Championship Awards to his personal haul after being voted Vodacom Fans’ Player of the Season.

Carling Currie Cup semi-finals locked in

The four semi-finals in the Carling Currie Cup Premier and First Divisions will be played in Welkom, Pretoria, Bloemfontein and Nelson Mandela Bay on Friday and Saturday.

EPCR tournament formats and qualifiers confirmed

Following the landmark announcement of the inclusion of the leading South African teams in its tournaments, EPCR is pleased to confirm the formats and qualifiers for next season’s expanded Heineken Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup.

Vodacom URC has delivered for SA on several fronts

When the final whistle sounded on the DHL Stormers’ exciting win over Ulster, it ended a phase of the Vodacom United Rugby Championship that was vastly more competitive than semi-finals involving teams from different continents tended to be in South Africa’s Super Rugby era.

Stormers and Bulls book all-South African final

The DHL Stormers and Vodacom Bulls ensured that the opening season of the Vodacom United Rugby Championship would finish with a South African champion after they edged Irish teams Ulster and Leinster by small margins in their respective semi-finals over the weekend, setting up an all-SA final in Cape Town on Saturday.

De Villiers inspires Junior Boks in Stellenbosch

Former Springbok captain Jean de Villiers shared some special words of inspiration and encouragement with the Junior Springbok squad at their capping ceremony in Stellenbosch on Tuesday afternoon, where parents, friends and family of the players and management staff, as well as members of the media, braved the Cape winter weather to wish the team well for the forthcoming U20 Summer Series in Italy.

SA Rugby confirms return of four Youth Weeks

Four of the SA Rugby Youth Weeks return this winter in Cape Town, Kimberley and Welkom after it was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to the challenges and uncertainties around the COVID-19 pandemic.

Raubenheimer all smiles as Bok Women run riot

Springbok Women’s coach Stanley Raubenheimer praised his charges for not dropping their intensity on attack as South Africa opened their Pool A Rugby Africa Women’s Cup campaign with a commanding 108-0 win over Zimbabwe at City Park in Cape Town on Wednesday.

Roos collects Players’ Player of the Season Award

DHL Stormers No 8 Evan Roos has completed a hat-trick of Vodacom United Rugby Championship Awards by collecting the accolade for the Players’ Player of the Season.

The 2022 Carling Currie Cup Bulletin #27

Defending Carling Currie Cup champions, the Vodacom Bulls, host a tricky visitor in Windhoek Draught Griquas at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on Friday evening in the first of the two Premier Division semi-finals, as the holders continue their hunt for third consecutive title win.

Roos voted Vodacom Fans' Player of the Season

DHL Stormers No 8 Evan Roos has added a third prize of the inaugural Vodacom United Rugby Championship Awards to his personal haul after being voted Vodacom Fans’ Player of the Season.