Defending champions Griquas will have to qualify for the Currie Cup via the SA Cup this year.
Image: Danie van der Lith
The third installment of the SA Cup kicks off this weekend as South Africa’s second-tier provincial teams hunt for places in this year’s Currie Cup Premier Division.
The top four teams will step up into the main division of the Currie Cup, to be held later this year, while the remaining six unions will contest the First Division.
Griquas lifted the inaugural SA Cup in 2024, but their reign was cut short as the Pumas dethroned them in a pulsating final in Nelspruit last year.
Last season, Griquas, the Pumas, Cheetahs and Boland won through to the Premier Division of the Currie Cup. All four teams were competitive against the four URC teams, with Griquas, in fact, beating the Lions in a dramatic final at Ellis Park.
Controversially, despite being the reigning Currie Cup champions, Griquas have to qualify for the Premier League once more, via the SA Cup.
This year, the spotlight will also fall on the resurgent Boland Kavaliers, as well as the revitalised SWD Eagles, now under the guidance of former Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer, who is back at Outeniqua Park to reshape the union’s trajectory.
Eastern Province and the Valke will open the 2026 season at 5pm in Gqeberha on Friday night. EP — coached by former Springbok head coach Allister Coetzee – will look to build on a 2025 campaign that saw them win four of their nine matches in an improved campaign.
JP Immelman’s Valke, meanwhile, will be targeting an improved finish after ending fifth in last year’s SA Cup, two points shy of Boland in fourth and just missing out on a place in the Currie Cup Premier Division.
The defending champions, the Pumas, begin their title defence in George, where they face the Eagles at Outeniqua Park.
Although the Pumas have once again lost several regulars to other unions, their recruitment remains sharp, and several seasoned campaigners still anchor their squad. The clash sets up an intriguing coaching duel between the experienced Jimmy Stonehouse and Meyer.
Last year’s opening‑round encounter ended 75–7 in favour of the Pumas, but with Meyer now steering the Eagles with an influx of fresh talent, a far tighter contest is expected.
Elsewhere on Friday, the Cheetahs – now under former Springbok utility back Frans Steyn host the Kavaliers in Bloemfontein.
The sides finished second and third respectively last season, and this fixture is a reverse of their 2025 opener, where Boland – again under the coaching of Hawies Fourie – stunned the Cheetahs 45–29 in Wellington. Both teams are again considered strong contenders for semi-final places.
Saturday’s fixtures see Griquas welcome the Leopards to Kimberley, while at the same time the Griffons host the Border Bulldogs in Welkom.
Griquas dominated the corresponding fixture last year with a 66–7 triumph in Potchefstroom, where Riaan van Straten will take the Leopards’ reins this year, and as reigning Currie Cup champions, Pieter Bergh’s side will be aiming for another strong start.
Border, with Dumisani Mhani as head coach, travel up to the Northern Free State looking to improve on their 2025 opening‑round defeat to Jacques Juries’s Griffons (55–32). The Bulldogs struggled to gain traction last season, losing all nine games, and will be desperate to set a new tone in 2026.
SA CUP FIXTURES
Friday, March 6
Eastern Province vs Valke in Gqeberha at 5pm.
SWD Eagles vs Pumas in George at 6pm.
Cheetahs vs Boland Kavaliers in Bloemfontein at 6pm (live on SuperSport).
Saturday, 7 March
Griquas vs Leopards in Kimberley at 3pm (live on SuperSport).
Griffons vs Border Bulldogs in Welkom at 3pm.
* Mike Greenaway is a senior rugby reporter at Independent Media and contributor on our Last World on Rugby podcast on our YouTube channel, The Clutch