Top EP rugby teams Gardens and Harlequins will collide with two Bloemfontein juggernauts when the opening round of the Pick n Pay Gold Cup national club championship kicks off at venues throughout SA on September 26.
Grand Challenge champions Gardens will host Bloemfontein Collegians at the Derrick Ferreira Stadium in Kariega and in-form Harlequins travel to the City of Roses to face Bloemfontein Police.
Border’s flag at the tournament will be flown by East London Police and Young Leopards.
Three-time defending champions the Naka Bulls will resume a growing rivalry with Cape Town’s Kloof Walmers in their opening game.
SA Rugby have confirmed the final line-up of 32 clubs, with SK Walmers, based in the Bo-Kaap of Cape Town and playing out of the historic Green Point Track, grabbing the final spot as tournament wildcards after enjoying an outstanding domestic season.
SK, as they are known, finished in the top five in the Western Province Super League A behind three former national club champions in Villager, Durbanville-Bellville and Hamilton. They are on a 12-match unbeaten streak and have not lost a match since April.
During this time, head coach Sentle Lohoko, who also did duty as assistant coach to the DHL Stormers XXIII in the Carling Currie Cup, has guided Walmers to victories over Varsity Cup champion sides Maties and UCT, as well as two former Gold Cup champions in Hamiltons and False Bay.
Intriguingly, SK’s golden ticket will take them all the way from the shadow of Table Mountain to Pretoria, where they will take the field against champions Naka Bulls for a second time this year.
The two sides met in the Saldanha Super 8 Easter tournament on the West Coast in April in a pulsating match that Naka hung on to win 28-24 on their way to winning the Cup, with Walmers going on to claim the Plate title.
This year’s 32-team line-up is arguably one of the strongest in years, with no less than six current or former national club champions in the draw, including 2025 finalists Villager and 2015 champions Durbanville-Bellville (both WP), College Rovers and Crusaders (both KZN) and Johannesburg’s Pirates (Lions).
“The 2025 Gold Cup was a tremendous success,” SA Rugby chief executive Rian Oberholzer said.
“Fans across the country bought into the vibe, our social media pages had almost two million views, and we intend to build on that foundation this year.
“We have already resumed our highly popular Gold Cup Trophy Tour roadshow, with the first stop of 2026 being a visit to the Cape Winelands where the public were able to see the iconic Gold Cup up close in Wellington and thereafter at Gold Cup side Roses United Rugby Club.”
Besides a host of former champions, the final line-up for this year includes a potentially thrilling mix of old and new — perennial SWD championship contenders Pacaltsdorp Evergreens of George, who reached the last eight of the inaugural Gold Cup in 2013, will make a welcome return, alongside another Garden Route heavyweight, Groot-Brakrivier.
The same can be said of the likes of 2025 semifinalists and perennial title contenders Northam Platinum Rhinos (Limpopo), fellow miners Sishen (Griquas), Lowveld top dogs White River (Pumas), Eastern Cape kings East London Police (Border) and quarterfinalists from last year, Gardens of Kariega (EP).
Participating teams by geographical province and provincial union:
Gauteng (three unions), Blue Bulls: Naka Bulls (as defending champions), Grizzlies, Centurion. Golden Lions: Randfontein, Pirates. Valke: Vereeniging, Brakpan
Limpopo (one union), Limpopo: Northam Platinum Rhinos, Louis Trichardt
North West (one union), Leopards: Northam Platinum Wolves, Sibanye Stillwater Warriors
Mpumalanga (one union), Pumas: White River, Nelspruit
Free State (two unions), Free State: Red Oak Bloemfontein Police, Corp Group Bloemfontein Collegians. Griffons: Welkom, Bethlehem Oud-Skoliere
Northern Cape (one union), Griquas: Sishen, Kimberley
KwaZulu-Natal (one union), KZN: C. Steinweg College Rovers, Northwood Crusaders
Eastern Cape (two unions), Border: East London Police, Young Leopards. Eastern Province: Gardens, PE Harlequins
Western Cape (three unions), Boland: Saldanha, Roses United. SWD: Groot-Brakrivier, Pacaltsdorp Evergreens. WP: Villager, Durbanville-Bellville
Wildcard: Schotsche Kloof Walmers (WP).
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