Defending champions GAP Despatch will square up to archrivals Spring Rose while a daunting cross-country journey of almost 3,000km awaits 2013 bronze-medallists Brakpan on the opening weekend of the 2014 Cell C Community Cup.
The Community Cup kicks off on Saturday, March 8 (2014) with eight matches at club venues spread across the length and breadth of the country, from Wellington in the south to Polokwane in the north, and Mossel Bay in the east to Rustenburg in the north-west.
Western Province representatives, Hamilton’s, have a first-round bye, before playing
their four Pool D games on successive Saturdays – starting at home on Saturday, March 15 against Sishen and finishing on April 5 against Rustenburg Impala (away).
Meanwhile, the tournament opener between Gap Management Despatch and wildcards Spring Rose in Pool A will be televised live on SuperSport from what is expected to be a jam-packed WJ de Wet Stadium in the Eastern Cape town.
In Pool C, title contenders Brakpan, the Valke champions, travel from the East Rand to the West Coast to play Boland champions Roses United at Pelican Park in Wellington. Another capacity crowd is expected at the D’Almeida Stadium in Mossel Bay where Barbarians, another of the tournament’s five wildcards, will host Bridgton in an all-SWD affair.
Adding spice to this Southern Cape derby is the fact that Barbarians lost 25-24 to Bridgton in the SWD Premier League Final at the neutral venue of George, thanks to a try after the hooter. Barbarians will be hoping that their formidable home-ground advantage will help them to reverse that heartbreaking loss.
“The countdown to the second edition of the Cell C Community Cup is now well and truly underway and with just over 100 days to go till kick-off the interest is already building,” said SARU CEO Jurie Roux.
“It’s an incredibly demanding tournament and doubly so if you think that none of the 600-odd players who will take part are professional rugby players.
“Teams will be travelling a combined distance of almost 24,000 kilometres during the pool stages, which is an average return trip of 600km for each of the 40 matches that will be played. No other tournament we run covers as much ground or has the potential to leave its mark on so many geographically and culturally diverse communities in such a short period of time.
“For the players it will be an unforgettable experience and a perfect platform to showcase their skills, not only to the crowds that will turn out to watch them, but also to the provincial coaches who will be watching the matches with interest.”
The two highest-placed clubs in each of the four Pools will qualify for the Easter Championship play-offs, to be played once again at Outeniqua Park in George from April 17-21.
THE 2014 CELL C COMMUNITY CUP FIXTURES:
Round One – Saturday, March 8:
(All kick-off times TBC)
Match 1 (Pool A) – Gap Management Despatch v Spring Rose (WJ de Wet Stadium, Despatch)
Match 2 (Pool A) – Mossel Bay Barbarians v Bridgton (D’Almeida Stadium, Mossel Bay)
Match 3 (Pool B) – Roodepoort v Bloemfontein Crusaders (Rand Leases Sports Ground, Roodepoort)
Match 4 (Pool B) – Jonsson College Rovers v Welkom Club (KP3, Kings Park, Durban)
Match 5 (Pool C) – BB Truck Noordelikes v Boksburg (BB Truck Noordelikes Rugby Club, Polokwane)
Match 6 (Pool C) – Roses United v Brakpan (Pelican Park, Wellington)
Match 7 (Pool D) – Shumba Ferros v Wesbank (Puma Stadium, Emalahleni/Witbank)
Match 8 (Pool D) – Rustenburg Impala v Sishen (Rustenburg Impala Rugby Club, Rustenburg)
Byes: Kempston Old Selbornians, Welkom Rovers, Centurion, Hamilton’s.
Round Two – Saturday, March 15:
(All kick-off times TBC)
Match 9 (Pool A) – Bridgton v Gap Management Despatch (Bridgton Sports Grounds, Oudtshoorn)
Match 10 (Pool A) – Spring Rose v Kempston Old Selbornians (New Brighton Oval, Epakeni, Port Elizabeth)
Match 11 (Pool B) – Welkom Club v Roodepoort (Griffons Rugby Stadium ‘B’ field, Welkom)
Match 12 (Pool B) – Bloemfontein Crusaders v Welkom Rovers (Clive Solomon Stadium, Heidedal)
Match 13 (Pool C) – Boksburg v Roses United (Prince George Park, Boksburg)
Match 14 (Pool C) – Centurion v BB Truck Noordelikes (Centurion Rugby Club, Centurion)
Match 15 (Pool D) – Hamilton’s v Sishen (Stephan Oval, Green Point, Cape Town)
Match 16 (Pool D) – Shumba Ferros v Rustenburg Impala (Puma Stadium, Emalahleni/Witbank)
Byes: Mossel Bay Barbarians, Jonsson College Rovers, Brakpan, Wesbank.
Round Three – Saturday, March 22:
(All kick-off times TBC)
Match 17 (Pool A) – Kempston Old Selbornians v Bridgton (Kempston Park, East London)
Match 18 (Pool A) – Gap Management Despatch v Mossel Bay Barbarians (WJ de Wet Stadium, Despatch)
Match 19 (Pool B) – Bloemfontein Crusaders v Jonsson College Rovers (Clive Solomon Stadium, Heidedal)
Match 20 (Pool B) – Welkom Rovers v Roodepoort (Rovers Rugby Club, Welkom)
Match 21 (Pool C) – Roses United v Centurion (Pelican Park, Wellington)
Match 22 (Pool C) – Brakpan v Boksburg (Bosman Stadium, Brakpan)
Match 23 (Pool D) – Sishen v Shumba Ferros (Sivos Rugby Stadium, Kathu)
Match 24 (Pool D) – Wesbank v Hamilton’s (Wesbank Sports Grounds, Malmesbury)
Byes: Spring Rose, Welkom Club, BB Truck Noordelikes, Rustenburg Impala.
Round 4 – Saturday, March 29:
(All kick-off times TBC)
Match 25 (Pool A) – Mossel Bay Barbarians v Kempston Old Selbornians (D’Almeida Stadium, Mossel Bay)
Match 26 (Pool A) – Bridgton v Spring Rose (Bridgton Sports Grounds, Oudtshoorn)
Match 27 (Pool B) – Welkom Rovers v Welkom Club (Rovers Rugby Club, Welkom)
Match 28 (Pool B) – Roodepoort v Jonsson College Rovers (Rand Leases Sports Ground, Roodepoort)
Match 29 (Pool C) – Brakpan v BB Truck Noordelikes (Bosman Stadium, Brakpan)
Match 30 (Pool C) – Boksburg v Centurion (Prince George Park, Boksburg)
Match 31 (Pool D) – Wesbank v Rustenburg Impala (Wesbank Sports Grounds, Malmesbury)
Match 32 (Pool D) – Hamilton’s v Shumba Ferros (Stephan Oval, Green Point, Cape Town)
Byes: Gap Management Despatch, Bloemfontein Crusaders, Roses United, Sishen.
Round 5 – Saturday, April 5:
(All kick-off times TBC)
Match 33 (Pool A) – Spring Rose v Mossel Bay Barbarians (New Brighton Oval, Epakeni, Port Elizabeth)
Match 34 (Pool A) – Kempston Old Selbornians v Gap Management Despatch (Kempston Park, East London)
Match 35 (Pool B) – Jonsson College Rovers v Welkom Rovers (KP3, Kings Park, Durban)
Match 36 (Pool B) – Welkom Club v Bloemfontein Crusaders (Griffons Rugby Stadium ‘B’ field, Welkom)
Match 37 (Pool C) – Centurion v Brakpan (Centurion Rugby Club, Centurion)
Match 38 (Pool C) – BB Truck Noordelikes v Roses United (BB Truck Noordelikes Rugby Club, Polokwane)
Match 39 (Pool D) – Rustenburg Impala v Hamilton’s (Rustenburg Impala Rugby Club, Rustenburg)
Match 40 (Pool D) – Sishen v Wesbank (Sivos Rugby Stadium, Kathu)
Byes: Bridgton, Roodepoort, Boksburg, Shumba Ferros.
Easter Championship Play-offs – Outeniqua Park, George:
(All matches live on SuperSport – kick-off times TBC)
Day One – Thursday, April 17:
Match 41 (Cup QF1) – Winner Pool C v Runner-up Pool D
Match 42 (Cup QF2) – Winner Pool B v Runner-up Pool A
Match 43 (Cup QF3) – Winner Pool D v Runner-up Pool C
Match 44 (Cup QF4) – Winner Pool A v Runner-up Pool B
Day Two – Saturday, April 19:
Match 45 (Losers’ match 1) – Loser Match 41 (QF1) v Loser Match 42 (QF2)
Match 46 (Losers’ match 2) – Loser Match 43 (QF3) v Loser Match 44 (QF4)
Match 47 (Cup SF1) – Winner Match 41 (QF1) v Winner Match 42 (QF2)
Match 48 (Cup SF2) – Winner Match 43 (QF3) v Winner Match 44 (QF4)
Day Three – Easter Monday, April 21:
Match 49 (7th/8th Place Play-off) – Loser Match 45 v Loser Match 46
Match 50 (5h/6th Place Play-off) – Winner Match 45 v Winner Match 46
Match 51 (3rd/4th Place Play-off) – Loser Match 47 (SF1) v Loser Match 48 (SF2)
Match 52 (Cup Final) – Winner Match 47 (SF1) v Winner Match 48 (SF2)