Naka Bulle beat Northam Rhinos by 22-19 (half-time 3-7) in Pretoria on Saturday to successfully defend their African Rainbow Community Gold Cup title, thanks to a successful fightback in the second stanza.

It took all of 29 minutes for the Pretoria club to register their first points, and almost 50 to cross the tryline, but in the end, they finished the stronger of the two teams, and earned the right to lift the trophy.

All the momentum was with the Rhinos in the early stages. The bigger, heavier pack won a series of scrum penalties, repelled the hosts’ maul, and competed fiercely at the breakdowns.

The visitors earned some reward for their efforts in the 13th minute, when inside centre Mira Bovu finished a sweeping attack in the left-hand corner. Fullback Darryn Fortuin slotted a difficult conversion to give the visitors a 7-0 lead.

While the Rhinos continued to trouble the Naka Bulle at the set pieces and gainline, they failed to add to their tally before the break, with Fortuin missing two penalty goal attempts.

The hosts had a mere two scoring opportunities in the first half. Fullback Hansie Graaf slotted a penalty goal in the 29th minute, but missed a long-range attempt on the stroke of half-time.

The Rhinos enjoyed a more clinical start to the second stanza, with a well-executed maul leading to a try for hooker Khwezi Mkhafu. Fortuin added the extras to steer his side into a commanding 11-point lead.

Just as the game appeared to be slipping away from them, Naka Bulle scored their first try through Ethan Williams. The forwards managed to set their maul and compromise the Rhinos defence, and the scrumhalf raced through a gap to score under the posts.

The momentum of the contest shifted, with the Naka Bulle winning the collisions and set pieces against a tiring Rhinos pack. Graaf crossed the tryline in the 64^th minute to give his team the lead for the first time in the game.

After being awarded a scrum penalty in the 72^nd minute, the Rhinos turned down a shot at goal in favour of another set piece. A well-worked move to the blindside culminated in a knock-on.

The contest was decided a moment later, when the hosts charged down an attempted clearance, and replacement Ruan Viviers swooped on the loose ball to score.

The Rhinos scored another try via their rolling maul in the dying moments, but the five-pointer had no bearing on the final result.

Scorers:

Naka Bulle 22 (3) – Tries: Ethan Williams, Hansie Graaf, Ruan Viviers. Conversions: Graaf (2). Penalty goal: Graaf.

Northam Rhinos 19 (7) – Tries: Mira Bovu, Khwezi Mkhafu (2). Conversions: Darryn Fortuin (2).

College Rovers and Naka Bulle claimed big victories this past weekend to secure home ground advantage for the African Rainbow Community Gold Cup semi-finals, while the Northam Rhinos and Helderberg recorded impressive wins to gather some momentum ahead of the penultimate round of the tournament.

The quarter-final matches staged in Pretoria, Strand, Setaria and Durban this past Saturday were high-scoring affairs. All four home sides won by comfortable margins, but it remains to be seen whether this trend will continue into the semi-finals.

Naka Bulle proved too strong for the Northam Wolves in Pretoria, scoring 10 tries in a 65-10 win. Winger Pule Molokome dotted down twice for the defending champions, while fullback Hansie Graaf slotted four conversions.

The playoff between Helderberg and Centurion in Strand was in the balance at half-time, with the hosts enjoying a slender 22-19 lead. Helderberg scored 27 points after the break to emerge with a 49-24 victory, with scrumhalf Michael Visser contributing 19 points from the boot.

Northam Rhinos continued their high-scoring run in this tournament, following up a 55-19 win over Pirates in the Round of 16 with a 60-12 victory against Groot-Brakrivier in Setaria on Saturday.

Replacement hooker Maliviwe Simanga scored two of his team’s 10 tries, and the margin of victory may have been greater if not for five missed conversions.

Down in Durban, Inny Radebe scored 14 points to guide College Rovers to a 70-6 win over Louis Trichardt. The Rovers have racked up 237 points over the course of their three fixtures, while conceding just five tries.

College Rovers’ defence will be put to the test this Saturday when they host the Rhinos in Durban. The fixture is a replay of last season’s semi-final, which the KwaZulu-Natalians edged 21-19.

Naka Bulle, who beat Rovers 56-29 in the 2023 final, will host Helderberg in the playoff staged in Pretoria this Saturday.

The semi-finals are scheduled for Saturday afternoon and will be streamed live on the SuperSport Schools app and website.

Quarter-finalresults:

Naka Bulle 65 Northam Wolves 10

Helderberg 49 Centurion 24

Northam Rhinos 60 Groot-Brakrivier Rugby Club 12

College Rovers 70Louis Trichardt 6

Semi-finals (Saturday,12 October):

15h00: College Rovers v Northam Rhinos (Hollywoodbets Kings Park 3, Durban)

16h00: Naka Bulle v Helderberg (Naka Bulle Rugby Club, Pretoria)

Naka Bulle will start the defence of their African Rainbow Community Gold Cup crown against Sishen when the exciting club competition kicks off on Saturday, 21 September, with matches scheduled at 16 club grounds across South Africa and at venues as far afield as Louis Trichardt, Kimberley, Groot-Brakrivier and Strand.

The opening round will see 32 of the country’s best amateur rugby clubs fight it out for places in the second round in the straight knock-out competition.

Naka Bulle, who won the coveted Gold Cup last year when they outclassed College Rovers in the final in Pretoria, host Sishen from the Northern Cape on Saturday, while former national club champions Hamilton travel to Kariega to face Gardens.

The opening round will conclude when last year’s runners up, College Rovers, host Young Leopards in Durban on Sunday afternoon.

The second round is scheduled for the weekend of 29 September and will be followed by the quarter-finals and semi-finals on consecutive weekend, before the final on 19 October.

“We saw the excitement, anticipation and the importance of the tournament last year, when it was staged again for the first time since the pandemic,” said Rian Oberholzer, CEO of SA Rugby.

“It is a very important event on the calendar of our amateur rugby community, and we are delighted to again confirm the involvement of African Rainbow Capital as our major partner for the competition.

“We all know the challenges faced by the amateur game, but I am thrilled to see that despite these obvious difficulties our club rugby continues to flourish, drawing in passionate crowds not only at big city venues, but many club grounds across our vast platteland.

“Club rugby continues to be one of most important considerations on our agenda and we believe that the African Rainbow Gold Cup has already helped us to breathe new life into this level of the game.”

Dr Johan van Zyl, co-CEO and Executive Director of African Rainbow Capital, said: “We are very excited to have extended our participation at grassroots level rugby, this competition serves as a springboard for future stars and unearthing new talent from various communities across South Africa. The Gold Cup forms an important part of the local rugby ecosystem, bringing communities together for a great day out of some wonderful rugby.”

SuperSport Schools will live stream three matches this weekend: Saturday’s matches between Naka Bulle and Sishen; and Centurion vs Rovers, as well as Sunday’s clash between College Rovers and Young Leopards.

Competition rules: If scores are level after the scheduled time, the winner will be determined as follows:

• Extra time will be played, 10 minutes each way;
• If scores are still level after extra-time, then the sudden-death rule will apply – teams will continue to play in intervals of 10 minutes with a minute break in-between and the first team to score points will be declared the winner.

African Rainbow Community Gold Cup Round 1 fixtures:

Saturday, 21 September:

14h00: VR Cargo Barberton vs Pirates – Barberton Rugby Club, Barberton

15h00: Randfontein vs Sasol Rugby Club – Greenhills Stadium, Randfontein

15h30: Groot-Brakrivier RFC vs Robertson – Greenhaven Sport Sadium, Groot-Brakrivier

15h30: Helderberg RFC vs Kruisfontein – Charles Morkel Stadium, Strand

15h30: East London Police vs Capital Legacy Crusaders RC – Police Park, East London

15h30: Gardens RFC vs Hamiltons – Derrick Ferreira Stadium, Kariega

16h00: Centurion vs Rovers Rugby – Centurion Rugby Club, Pretoria

16h00: Northam Rhinos vs Bloemfontein Collegians – Setaria Recreation Club, Setaria

16h00: Welkom Rugbyklub vs Tuine Rugby Club – Down Touch Investments Stadium B-field, Welkom

16h00: Louis Trichardt vs Bloemfontein Police – Louis Trichardt Rugby Club, Louis Trichardt

16h00: Springs vs Sibanye Stillwater – Olympia Park Stadium, Springs

16h00: Naka Bulle vs Sishen – Naka Bulle Rugby Club, Pretoria

16h00: Kimberley Rugby Club vs Swallows – Kimberley Rugby Club Verwoerdpark, Kimberley

16h00: Safcol United RFC vs Heidelberg RFC – Grabouw Sportsground, Grabouw

19h00: Northam Wolves vs NWU Rugby Millstream – River Estate, Hartebeespoort

Sunday, 22 September:

15h00: College Rovers vs Young Leopards – Hollywoodbets Kings Park 3, Durban

Naka Bulle scored eight tries in their 56-29 victory (half-time 35-10) over Heineken College Rovers in Pretoria on Saturday to clinch the African Rainbow Community Gold Cup title for the first time.

The Gold Cup tournament resumed last month, following a long COVID-enforced hiatus. After four action-packed rounds featuring 32 of South Africa’s top clubs, the best of the best progressed to the decider at the Naka Bulle Rugby Club in Pretoria.

The hosts went into the final as favourites, having lost only twice in their previous 50 matches at home. Meanwhile, Rovers travelled to Pretoria on the back of big wins against two other northern clubs, namely Centurion and the Northam Rhinos.

On the day, the Rovers showed flashes of attacking brilliance, but were unable to live with the hosts’ physicality. Their discipline also let them down, with two players receiving yellow cards in the final stages of the first half.

Like their namesake, Naka Bulle relied on their strengths at the set pieces and collisions to lay an attacking platform. The maul proved a terrific source of momentum and earned the hosts a penalty try as the contest approached half-time.

Centre Martin Austen touched down for his team’s fifth try thereafter, and the Bulle went to the break with a commanding 35-10 lead. At that stage, a winning margin of 50 points or more was on the cards.

Rovers fought hard to stay in the game. Having rebounded from a 14-point deficit to win the recent semi-final against the Northam Rhinos, they had every reason to believe that a comeback was achievable.

The visitors started to lift the tempo in spite of the heat, and began to find more space against their tiring opponents. They hit back through winger Charles Mayeza right after half-time, and then through centre Alwayno Visagie in the 55th minute.

However, another offence by Rovers at the ensuing kickoff stalled the visitors’ momentum. The Bulls kicked the penalty to touch and set their maul, before taking the ball through several phases to score through replacement Ian Oosthuizen.

A further mistake by Rovers in the 70th minute provided Naka Bulle with a chance to close out the game. Austen booted the loose ball ahead, regathered it and scored his second try of the afternoon.

Replacement Ruben Beytell joined the try-scoring party after he collected a bouncing ball and sprinted 70m to score. Flyhalf Hansie Graaf slotted his seventh conversion, and Naka Bulle went on to claim an emphatic victory.

Scorers:

Naka Bulle 56 (35) –Tries: Frans Botha, Xavier Human, Stephan Vermeulen, Penalty try, Martin Austen (2), Ian Oosthuizen, Ruben Beytell. Conversions: Hansie Graaf (7).

Heineken College Rovers 29 (10) – Tries: Sergio Torrens, Charles Mayeza, Alwayno Visagie, Allistar Mumba. Conversions: Inny Radebe (3). Penalty goal: Radebe.

The tenacious Heineken College Rovers and Naka Bulle fought back from half-time deficits to win their respective semi-finals and qualify for the African Rainbow Community Gold Cup final, which will be staged in Pretoria on Saturday afternoon.

Northam Rhinos travelled to Durban for their semi-final with a fearsome attacking reputation, having scored 50 or more points in each of their previous fixtures. The Limpopo-based club put two early tries past College Rovers, and with a 14-0 lead at half-time, they looked to be on course for yet another emphatic victory.

Rovers rallied after the break, scoring three tries through scrumhalf Sino Nyoka, centre Alwayno Visagie and reserve hooker Byron van der Nest. Former Sharks flyhalf Inny Radebe nailed three conversions to clinch a remarkable 21-19 victory for the hosts.

The second semi-final in Pretoria was no less dramatic. Crusaders from SWD led 21-14 at half-time, before the Naka Bulle shifted through gears to score 38 points and six tries in the second stanza.

Scrumhalf Etienne Storm scored a brace for the hosts, while flyhalf Hansie Graaff slotted six conversions. Naka Bulle finished with eight tries, with the game producing 13 overall.

The Pretoria-based side will host the Rovers in the African Rainbow Community Gold Cup final at Naka Bulle Rugby Club on Saturday. SuperSport will broadcast the match live.

The last time these two sides met, was at the same venue at an Easter Festival in 2021, when Naka Bulle won. In fact, the Pretoria club’s home ground is somewhat of a fortress as they’ve lost only twice in their last 50 matches in Rietfontein.

However, Rovers will travel to Pretoria with confidence after already knocking over two Carlton Cup clubs in Centurion and Northam Rhinos. If they can achieve the hat-trick against Naka Bulle, it will cap off a perfect Gold Cup campaign.

Semi-final results:

Heineken College Rovers 21 Northam Rhinos 19

Naka Bulle 52 Crusaders 33

African Rainbow Community Gold Cup final

Naka Bulle vs Heineken College Rovers

Venue: Naka Bulle Rugby Club, Pretoria

Date: Saturday, 7 October

Time: 16h00

Broadcast: Live on SuperSport

College Rovers and Naka Bulle powered their way to impressive victories over the weekend to secure home ground advantage in the African Rainbow Community Gold Cup semi-finals.

Meanwhile, the Northam Rhinos continued their high-scoring run, and Crusaders claimed a win away from home to advance to the penultimate round.

The Rhinos have been the most prolific team on show in this year’s club tournament, scoring 50 or more points in each of their three matches.

The side from Limpopo scored nine tries in the 53-14 win against Progress from Eastern Province last Saturday. They will travel to Kings Park this Saturday to pit their skills another attack-minded outfit in College Rovers, who beat Raiders from the Lions by 60-17 in Johannesburg this past weekend.

Like the KwaZulu-Natalians, Naka Bulle and Crusaders have qualified for the penultimate round after winning their respective quarter-finals away from home.

Naka Bulle claimed a 24-10 win against former champions False Bay in Cape Town, while Crusaders from SWD edged Harlequins 54-51 in Pretoria, in a game that produced 12 tries.

Crusaders will head back to the Jacaranda City this weekend to tackle the Naka Bulle on their home patch. The final of the competition will be staged on 7 October.

Quarter-final results:

Harlequins (Blue Bulls) 51 Crusaders (SWD) 54

Northam Rhinos (Limpopo) 53 Progress (EP) 14

False Bay (WP) 10 Naka Bulle (Blue Bulls) 24

Raiders (Lions) 17 College Rovers (Sharks) 60

Semi-final fixtures:

College Rovers v Northam Rhinos

Venue: Kings Park 3, Durban

Date: Saturday, 30 September

Time: 15h30

Naka Bulle vs Crusaders

Venue: Naka Bulle Rugby Club, Pretoria

Date: Saturday, 30 September

Time: 16h00

The African Rainbow Gold Cup kicks off on Saturday with matches scheduled at 16 club grounds around South Africa, at venues as far afield as Kathu, Saldanha, Hartbeespoort and Uitenhage.

The opening round will see 32 clubs play for places in the Round of 16 in the straight knock-out competition.

Rustenburg Impala – champions in 2019, the last time the competition took place – face a tricky trip to Secunda, while False Bay, the only other former winners in action this year, welcome Heidelberg to their home ground in Cape Town.

The Round of 16 is scheduled for the weekend of 15/16/17 September, followed by the quarter-finals (22/23/24 September), semi-finals (29/30 September) and the final (7 October).

African Rainbow Gold Cup Round 1 Fixtures (Saturday, 9 September)

15h00: Raiders vs Vereeniging (Johannesburg)

15h00: Progress vs Kimberley (Uitenhage)

15h00: Crusaders vs Tygerberg (George)

15h00: East London Police vs Bella Vista (East London)

15h30: Sasol Secunda vs Rustenburg Impala (Secunda)

15h30: Welkom Rugby Club vs Harlequins (Welkom)

15h30: False Bay vs Heidelberg (Cape Town)

15h30: College Rovers vs Centurion (Durban)

16h00: Wolverines vs White River (Hartbeespoort)

16h00: Northam Rhinos vs Collegians (Setaria)

16h00: Bloemfontein Police vs Louis Trichardt (Bloemfontein)

16h00: Naka Bulle vs Union Milnerton (Pretoria)

16h00: Springs vs Pirates (Springs)

16h00: Sishen vs PE Harlequins (Kathu)

16h00: Saldanha Bay vs Ncera Leopards (Saldanha)

16h00: Wesbank vs Westville Old Boys (Malmesbury)

The African Rainbow Gold Cup – featuring 32 teams from around South Africa – kicks off in September following a four-year hiatus and will introduce a new and exciting knockout format, which has never been seen before in the nationwide club competition.

The competition for top non-university clubs is back after a four-year break due to the COVID-19 pandemic and other factors, with African Rainbow Capital coming on board as the title sponsor to provide the tournament with a new name and identity.

The African Rainbow Gold Cup will showcase 32 club teams from around the country. Fourteen provinces have nominated two clubs each, as well as one club from the Griffons, while three additional clubs have been invited as wildcard entries.

The provincial qualifiers on the North side of the draw include Naka Bulle and Harlequins from the Blue Bulls; Bloemfontein Police and Collegians from the Cheetahs; Welkom Rovers from the Griffons; Rustenburg Impala (national club champions in 2014, 2016 and 2019) and Wolverines from the Leopards; Louis Trichardt and Northam Rhinos from Limpopo; Pirates and Raiders from the Lions; Sasol Secunda and White River from the Pumas; and Springs and Vereeniging from the Valke.

Clubs in the Southern group include Bella Vista and Saldanha Bay from Boland; Ncera Leopards and Police from Border; PE Harlequins and Progress from Eastern Province; Kimberley and Sishen from Griquas; Crusaders and Heidelberg from South Western Districts; College Rovers and Westville Old Boys from the Sharks; and False Bay (winners in 2017) and Tygerberg from Western Province.

The wild card entries are Union Milnerton from WP, playing in the North section, as well as Wesbank from Boland and Centurion from the Blue Bulls, who will contest in the South.

The knockout-style tournament – based on the same format as the FA Cup in English soccer – will be staged over five weekends. The Round of 32 and Round of 16 will be contested within the respective North and South sections. From the quarter-finals onwards, the best of the North will face the best from the South. The final is scheduled for 7 October.

“This is an important tournament on our rugby calendar and we’re delighted to be able to confirm a major new partner for the competition,” said Rian Oberholzer, CEO of SA Rugby.

“A lack of exposure and sponsorship since the advent of professionalism have made things difficult for our clubs across the country, but despite these challenges the local leagues go from strength to strength as communities flock to grounds to see their sons, brothers, husbands, fathers and cousins in action.

“The new format is an ambitious new departure for open club rugby in South Africa and to have a company such as African Rainbow Capital as our partner is a coup for the tournament. It underlines our message that club rugby is an essential part of the rugby landscape in South Africa and we’re determined to see it flourish.

“Club rugby is one of most important considerations on our agenda and we believe that the African Rainbow Gold Cup will breathe new life into this level of the game.

“With the support of African Rainbow Capital, this tournament will give club players and coaches a competitive platform and an aspirational event through which they can reach their goals.”

Dr Johan van Zyl, co-CEO and Executive Director of African Rainbow Capital, said: “We are very excited to get involved at club rugby level in South Africa, as we see this as an opportunity to make a contribution to the development and transformation of grassroots rugby in South African communities.

“For African Rainbow Capital, the Gold Cup forms an important part of the local rugby ecosystem, and we believe this is an ideal platform to not only uplift the game in different communities, but also to develop new talent.”

Willem Strauss, President of the Blue Bulls Rugby Union who facilitated the sponsorship, said he is immensely grateful to Johan van Zyl and Patrice Motsepe of African Rainbow Capital for their support.

“Not only are they incredible investors in professional sport in South Africa, but this also shows their commitment to sport at a grassroots level, in this case in rugby, which is incredibly important to almost 1,200 rugby clubs in South Africa, this is incredibly important,” said Strauss.

Round of 32 fixtures (8/9/10 September):

North

Wolverines (Leopards) v White River (Pumas)

Northam Rhinos (Limpopo) v Collegians (Cheetahs)

Bloemfontein Police (Cheetahs) v Louis Trichardt (Limpopo)

Naka Bulle (Blue Bulls) v Union Milnerton (WP – wild card)

Springs (Valke) v Pirates (Lions)

Raiders (Lions) v Vereeniging (Valke)

Sasol Secunda (Pumas) v Rustenburg Impala (Leopards)

Welkom Rovers (Griffons) v Harlequins (Blue Bulls)

South

False Bay (WP) v Heidelberg (SWD)

College Rovers (Sharks) v Centurion (Blue Bulls – wild card)

Progress (EP) v Kimberley (Griquas)

Crusaders (SWD) v Tygerberg (WP)

Sishen (Griquas) v PE Harlequins (EP)

Police (Border) v Bella Vista (Boland)

Saldanha Bay (Boland) v Ncera Leopards (Border)

Wesbank (Boland – wild card) v Westville Old Boys (Sharks)

SA Rugby advised amateur clubs, universities, associate members and schools on Thursday that their COVID-19 Committee (CovCom) had approved a proposal to allow teams to return to training under certain strict conditions, although a return to play will not be permitted in 2020.

The resumption of amateur rugby training follows the gazetting of new regulations on sport by the Departments of Basic Education and of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC).

“In the past couple of weeks, the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture has permitted several sports to allow their amateur constituents to return to training and match play,” said Jurie Roux, CEO of SA Rugby.

“Earlier this month the DSAC released a statement to be read in conjunction with the gazetted regulations that said athletes, support staff and official involved in non-professional sport do not have to undergo COVID-19 testing before returning to train, but only had to ensure that a robust screening system was in place for training to commence.

“They do not have to submit their operational return to training plans to the Minister for approval. We decided to approve the resumption of training for the SA Rugby and the Provincial Union Elite Player Development programmes, rugby at amateur and community clubs and for associations affiliated to Provincial Unions and SA Rugby, but on certain strict conditions.”

The conditions include, among other things, financial considerations, control measures to curb the transmission of the virus, as well as adherence to requirements of the SA Rugby Return to Train and Play Guidelines for Amateur Rugby. The rules are required to be enforced by provincial unions.

All rugby bodies have been instructed to follow the “Integrated Return to Training” framework, as an injury mitigation strategy. It requires four weeks of fitness and strength training, followed by four weeks of gradual integration of contact rugby skills.

A set of guidelines will be circulated to all teams wishing to return to training through their provincial unions. These will include: signing indemnification and declaration of health forms; the appointment of a compliance officer; registration of all players, officials and staff on a club data base; screening and education of players, officials and staff; cleaning and sanitation of training venues, apparel and facilities; and to ensure no spectators are permitted at training or matches.

SA Rugby also advised that amateur rugby matches will not be permitted to take place for the remainder of 2020, and teams may only start competitive action with the commencement of the 2021 rugby season.

However, non-contact rugby, such as TAG or Touch Rugby, can resume once the four weeks of fitness and strength training have been concluded.

Advice on the resumption of competitive play at the community level will be confirmed in due course.