Currie Cup and Women's Super League headlines packed 2026 domestic schedule
NEWS: SA Rugby has announced a bumper domestic competition schedule for senior and junior teams for 2026, which kicks off with a rebranded Women’s Super League One in February, while dates for the Currie Cup, the SA Cup, and the Youth Weeks have been locked in.
The momentum in the women’s game gathers speed with the establishment of the Women’s Super Leagues One and Two competitions.
Plans are also on the cards for the creation of an elite competition, earmarked for local women’s franchise teams, while two SA Schools teams for girls will be named for the first time after the Under-18 Girls Week.
There is also alignment for boys’ and girls’ participation at the annual Youth Weeks, with U18 and Under-16 schoolboy and girls’ players participating in their national weeks at the same time at one venue.
The U18 Craven Week and U18 Girls Week are set to take place from July 6 to 11 at Grey High School in Gqeberha, while the U16 Grant Khomo Week and U16 Girls Week will be hosted by Kearsney College in Durban (June 29 to July 3).
Following the U18 weeks, the SA Schools team will face an ‘A’ team in Gqeberha on Thursday, July 16, with the top girls involved in this match for the first time, following on from the naming of the inaugural SA U18 Girls team for two matches late last year.
SA Rugby also confirmed that the status quo will remain for the 2026 edition of the SA Cup. This means the same 10 teams will return for another exciting instalment, with the format remaining unchanged.
This competition will kick off on March 7 with a single round of matches, and the Final will be staged on May 23.
The top four teams at the end of the SA Cup league phase will again qualify for the Currie Cup Premier Division, where they will be joined by the Bulls, Sharks, Lions and Western Province. The other six teams from the SA Cup will then contest the annual Currie Cup First Division.
SA Rugby and its member unions are exploring changes to the men’s age-group provincial competitions, following a thorough review of the current structure.
Details will be confirmed in due course, while the SA Rugby Under-20 Women’s Week for this year is also still in the planning phase.
Last year, the Sharks (SA Rugby U21 Cup), Border Bulldogs (SA Rugby U21 Shield), and Bulls (SA Rugby U19 Cup) won their respective age-group competitions, while Western Province will defend their title as top team at the SA Rugby U20 Women’s Week at Queens High School in Johannesburg during September.
For club players, the Women’s Club Championship is returning for a second season, from September to 26 September 26, while the hugely popular Gold Cup is due to start from September 26, with the Final on October 24.
Rian Oberholzer, CEO of SA Rugby, said the announcement of the confirmed competition structure for 2026 follows an intense period of planning by the governing body, provincial unions and key stakeholders.
“In a year when we will see the Springboks take on the All Blacks in Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry on home soil, as well as the new Nations Championship, we are once more extremely pleased to announce these confirmed local competitions,” said Oberholzer.
“I’d like to commend everyone involved in this exhaustive planning process, including the provincial union presidents, CEOs and coaches, for working so hard in collaboration with our High-Performance and Operations Departments to produce an incredibly detailed and workable schedule for the entire local season.
All fixtures, venues and kick-off times will be confirmed in due course on the SA Rugby website.
2026 SA Rugby competition schedule
Currie Cup Premier Division
Participating teams: Bulls, Sharks, Western Province, Lions and the top four qualifiers in the SA Cup
Defending champions: Griquas
Opening round: July 18 (single round of matches with two semifinals and a Final)
Final: September 12
Currie Cup First Division
Participating teams: The six teams that missed out on the Premier Division at the end of the SA Cup
Defending champions: Griffons
Opening round: June 13 (single round of matches with two semifinals and a Final)
Final: July 25
SA Cup
Participating teams: Pumas (defending champions), Boland Kavaliers, Border Bulldogs, Eastern Province, Cheetahs, Griquas, Griffons, Leopards, SWD Eagles, Falcons.
Opening round: March 7 (single round of matches with two semifinals and a Final)
Final: May 23
Women’s Super League One
Participating teams: Bulls (defending champions), Boland, Border, Eastern Province, Free State, Golden Lions, Sharks, Western Province
Opening round: February 15 (single round of matches with a Final)
Final: April 4
Women’s Super League Two
Participating teams: Pumas (defending champions), Griquas, Griffons, Leopards, Limpopo Blue Bulls, SWD, Falcons
Opening round: July 4 (single round of matches with a Final)
Final: August 22
Gold Cup
Participating teams: 32 clubs from the 15 provincial unions
Defending champions: Naka Bulls
Opening round: September 26 (knockout format)
Final: October 24
Women’s Club Championship
Participating teams: 16 clubs from the 15 provincial unions
Defending champions: Kwaru
When: September 19 to 26 (knockout format)
Youth Weeks
U18 Craven Week & U18 Girls Week
Venue: Grey High School, Gqeberha
When: 6 to 11 July
SA Schools matches (boys and girls): July 16
U16 Grant Khomo Week and & U16 Girls Week
Where: Kearsney College, Durban
When: June 29 to July 3
