Naka Bulls aiming for ‘three-peat’ in Pick n Pay Gold Cup

Defending champions Naka Bulls will begin their quest to win an unprecedented third straight Pick n Pay Gold Cup title when the “FA Cup” of South African club rugby kicks off this weekend at 16 venues across the country.

This year’s tournament – which signals a bold new era for club rugby on the back of significant growth in the community game – is also supported by Northam Platinum, whose commitment to community aligns with the grassroots spirit of the Pick n Pay Gold Cup.

The build-up to the opening matches of the country’s knockout championship for non-university clubs gets underway on Saturday morning already, with the first stop of a Gold Cup Trophy Tour taking place at Pick n Pay Robertson, in the Western Cape.

Fans are invited to visit the store from 08h00 for Pick n Pay Gold Cup match-day specials and to take their picture with the iconic golden trophy. The trophy tour forms part of Pick n Pay’s partnership with the Gold Cup, as part of a four-year agreement that includes becoming Tier-1 sponsors of the four-time world champion Springboks.

The Gold Cup trophy will also be on display later on Saturday afternoon at the Van Zyl Sports Grounds in the picturesque town, where the reigning Boland champions, Robertson, run out against Kimberley.

The 2025 Pick n Pay Gold Cup will also celebrate the 150th anniversary of the birth of club rugby in South Africa with the inclusion of 2009 national champions, Cape Town-based Hamilton, founded in 1875 and the club responsible for producing the first-ever Springbok.

This year’s tournament also marks another historic milestone: the 50th anniversary of the inaugural national club championship, when FNB Maties beat Durban Collegians in the 1975 final.

No fewer than seven current or former champions will be among the 32-strong field this year, including Villager, who last weekend won the Western Province Grand Challenge Cup for the first time in 25 years.

The Claremont-based club, who turn 150 next year, will be looking for their first national title in almost half a century, when former Springbok captain and 1995 Rugby World Cup-winning team manager, Morné du Plessis, lifted the trophy in 1980.

Two-time defending champions Naka Bulls (2023 & 2024) will also face strong challenges from the likes of fellow Bulls club Pretoria Harlequins (1992 national champions), Durban powerhouses Crusaders (1993 & 1994) and College Rovers (2010 & 2012), and Johannesburg’s oldest club, Pirates (2001) who will all be looking to add another star to their famous jerseys.

The 32 teams are divided geographically into northern and southern sections of 16 sides each, with the last team standing from each section contesting the grand final on 25 October.

“A love of knockout rugby is an integral part of who we are as a rugby nation and I’m sure that do-or-die spirit will infuse the 16 matches taking place this weekend with an intensity on the field and an atmosphere of festivity in the stands,” said SA Rugby CEO, Rian Oberholzer.

“There are no second chances in Cup rugby but as our four Rugby World Cup titles proves, no one does knockouts quite like South Africans. We are a proud and resilient nation and are best when we have our backs to the wall and people from different backgrounds all pull in the same direction, knowing their destinies and legacies are intertwined.

“This golden thread of success runs all the way from the Springboks right down to community rugby, which is why Pick n Pay are the ideal naming-rights sponsors at this exciting juncture in our rugby history.”

Naka Bulls will need to be at their very best when they host tournament wildcard Safcol United of Boland in the nation’s capital on Saturday afternoon, with 15 other matches set to take place across the length and breadth of the land as clubs look to advance one step closer to the Final showdown.

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Pick n Pay Gold Cup – Round of 32 fixtures:

North section:

Saturday 27 September

Naka Bulls v Safcol United (Naka Bulls Rugby Club, Pretoria, 3pm)

Northam Rhinos v Welkom Rovers (Setaria Recreation Club, Setaria, 3pm)

Pretoria Harlequins v Nelspruit (Harlequins Rugby Club, Pretoria, 3pm)

Raiders v Brakpan (Bill Jardine Stadium, Johannesburg, 4pm)

Northam Wolves v Sibanye (Millstream River Estate, 3:30pm)

Vereeniging v Pirates (Vereeniging Rugby Club, 4pm)

White River v Centurion (White River Rugby Club, 3:30pm)

Welkom Club v Louis Trichardt (Griffons Rugby Stadium B Field, Welkom, 3pm)