Defending Vodacom Cup champions, DHL Western Province, will kick-off their 2013 campaign with an away clash against neighbours, the Regent Boland Kavaliers, in early March.
Having won the Vodacom Cup title last year for the first time in the tournament’s history, DHL WP – under the coaching of John Dobson once again – will be hoping to make it two in a row in 2013.
DHL Western Province will play in the South Section of the Vodacom Cup, along with the Border Bulldogs, the Regent Boland Kavaliers, the Eastern Province Kings, the Toyota Free State XV, the Sharks XV, the South Western Districts and the Pampas XV (from Argentina).
They will start against Boland on the weekend of March 8/9, before taking on the Sharks, the EP Kings, Border, the Pampas, SWD and, finally, Free State in the league phase of the competition. The play-offs then get underway in May.
Meanwhile, Limpopo will play in the Vodacom Cup as a separate team for the first time when this 16-team competition kicks off on the second weekend of March.
The region, which is a sub-union of the Blue Bulls Rugby Union, has been granted a place in the tournament in its own rights to help foster rugby in South Africa’s far north. They join the 14 provincial unions as well as the returning Pampas XV from Argentina in the tournament, which concludes in mid-May.
The Polokwane-based Limpopo team will play in the North Section of the Vodacom Cup, along with the Vodacom Blue Bulls, MTN Golden Lions, Griffons, Leopards, Ford Pumas, Valke and GWK Griquas, runners-up in 2012. They are scheduled to play their mother body Vodacom Blue Bulls in Polokwane on Saturday, April 20.
Teams will each play seven group matches within their own section.
Thereafter the top four teams from each section will progress to the quarterfinal round, which will be contested across the two sections.
2013 Vodacom Cup fixtures:
Round One – March 8/9:
MTN Golden Lions v Leopards
Ford Pumas v Valke
GWK Griquas v Vodacom Blue Bulls
Limpopo v Griffons
SWD v Toyota Free State XV
Regent Boland Kavaliers v DHL Western Province
Sharks XV v Border Bulldogs
EP Kings v Pampas XV
Round Two – March 15/16:
Vodacom Blue Bulls v Ford Pumas
Valke v MTN Golden Lions
Leopards v Limpopo
Griffons v GWK Griquas
DHL WP v Sharks XV
Toyota Free State XV v Regent Boland Kavaliers
Pampas XV v SWD
Border Bulldogs v EP Kings
Round Three – March 22/23:
Leopards v Valke
MTN Golden Lions v Vodacom Blue Bulls
Ford Pumas v Griffons
Limpopo v GWK Griquas
EP Kings v DHL WP
Sharks XV v Toyota Free State XV
Regent Boland Kavaliers v SWD
Pampas XV v Border Bulldogs
Round Four – April 5/6:
Vodacom Blue Bulls v Leopards
GWK Griquas v Ford Pumas
Griffons v MTN Golden Lions
Limpopo v Valke
DHL WP v Border Bulldogs
Toyota Free State XV v EP Kings
SWD v Sharks XV
Regent Boland Kavaliers v Pampas XV
Round Five – April 12/13:
Valke v Vodacom Blue Bulls
Leopards v Griffons
MTN Golden Lions v GWK Griquas
Ford Pumas v Limpopo
Pampas XV v DHL WP
Border Bulldogs v Toyota Free State XV
EP KINGS v SWD
Sharks XV v Regent Boland Kavaliers
Round Six – April 19/20:
Ford Pumas v MTN Golden Lions
GWK Griquas v Leopards
Griffons v Valke
Limpopo v Vodacom Blue Bulls
DHL WP v SWD
Pampas XV v Toyota Free State XV
Border Bulldogs v Regent Boland Kavaliers
EP Kings v Sharks XV
Round Seven – April 26/27:
Vodacom Blue Bulls v Griffons
Valke v GWK Griquas
Leopards v Ford Pumas
MTN Golden Lions v Limpopo
Toyota Free State XV v DHL WP
SWD v Border Bulldogs
Sharks XV v Pampas XV
Regent Boland Kavaliers v EP Kings
Quarterfinals: – May 3/4:
North 1 v South 4
South 1 v North 4
North 2 v South 3
South 2 v North 3
Semifinals:
May 10/11
Final:
May 17/18
Note: Home teams named first, kick-off times and venues to be confirmed. All fixtures subject to change.
