2017 SARU Gold Cup
| 2017 SARU Gold Cup | |
|---|---|
| Countries |
South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe |
| Date | 9 September – 29 October 2017 |
|
← 2016 2018 → | |
The 2017 SARU Gold Cup will be the second season of the SARU Gold Cup competition since its name change, having previously been known as the Community Cup. The competition will be the top competition for non-university rugby union clubs in South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe.
The 2017 competition will retain the same timeslot as the 2016 edition, taking place in September and October of the calendar year. SARU announced preliminary dates of 9 September to 29 October for the competition.[1]
Competition rules and information
The format of the Gold Cup will be the same as the Rugby World Cup. The teams will be divided into four pools, each containing five teams. Each team will play four pool games, facing all the other teams in their pools once, with two of those matches being home games and two being away games.
The winner and runner-up of each pool will enter the play-off stage, which will consist of quarter finals, semi-finals and the final. The winner of each pool will meet the runner-up of a different pool in a quarter final, at the home venue of the pool winner. The winner of each quarter-final will progress to the semi-finals and the semi-final winners to the final, which will be held at the home venue of the finalist with the best record in the pool stages.
Qualification
Defending champions Rustenburg Impala qualified for the 2017 SARU Gold Cup competition. They will be joined by the highest-placed non-university clubs from the club leagues of South Africa's fourteen provincial unions, Limpopo, Namibia and Zimbabwe, plus two wildcard spots.
Teams
The following teams qualified for the 2017 SARU Gold Cup:
| Location of teams in the 2017 SARU Gold Cup | |
|---|---|
 South Africa | |
|
| |
| Gauteng | Western Cape |
 |
 |
 Namibia |
 Zimbabwe |
 |
 |
Teams in  Pool A,  Pool B,  Pool C and  Pool D | |
Team Listing
| Team | Sponsored Name | Union | Pool |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rustenburg Impala | Rustenburg Impala | Leopards | Pool A |
External links
- "SA Rugby Competition – 2016 Gold Cup". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
- Gold Cup on Twitter
References
- ↑ GoldCupRugby (14 November 2016). "The 2017 Gold Cup is provisionally scheduled for 9 Sep - 29 Oct. #LoveRugby" (Tweet). Retrieved 14 November 2016 – via Twitter.