SA
CUP
OVERVIEW
ABOUT
The SA Cup was established in 2024, replacing the Mzansi Challenge to fill an important gap between pre-season and the start of the Carling Currie Cup Premier and First Division competitions. After Suzuki Griquas were crowned the first champions of the SA Cup, the Airlink Pumas dethroned them in the 2025 final in Nelspruit. The two finalists, as well as the Toyota Cheetahs and Sanlam Boland Kavaliers qualified for the Carling Currie Cup Premier Division along with the four Vodacom URC franchises, while the Valke, Griffons, Leopards, SWD Eagles, Eastern Province and Border Bulldogs will play in the Carling Currie Cup First Division.
THE HISTORY
Early-season competitions in South Africa have taken on various shapes and forms since the game turned professional in 1996. The Vodacom Cup featured from 1998 to 2015, and that was followed by the SuperSport Rugby Challenge from 2016 until it was halted by COVID in 2020. The competition was resurrected as the Mzansi Challenge in 2023, and revamped to the SA Cup from 2024.
SA CUP TABLE
SA CUP TOP PLAYER STATS
