Georgia, Kenya, Zimbabwe join South African Currie Cup

Georgia, Kenya and Zimbabwe will play in the second tier of the South African Currie Cup this year, SA Rugby announced on Monday.

They will join seven local teams in a single-round competition, which kicks off on 1 April with the final scheduled for 24 or 25 June.

The three national teams hope playing at least nine matches in South Africa can boost their chances of qualifying for the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France.

Kenya and Zimbabwe will field full-strength teams in the Currie Cup, but Georgia must rely on local-based stars as many first choices are unavailable due to club commitments in France.

Georgia lead the 2021-2022 Rugby European Championship by nine points from Romania and the top two finishers secure World Cup places.

Kenya and Zimbabwe are among eight countries playing in the 2022 Africa Cup in France from 1 July with the winners qualifying for the World Cup and the runners-up entering an inter-continent repêchage tournament.