Pick n Pay Gold Cup quarter-finals promise high drama

The Pick n Pay Gold Cup reaches its business end this weekend, with four quarter-finals — two of them televised live on SuperSport — set to determine which clubs reach the final four of the ‘FA Cup’ of South African club rugby.

With this year’s knockout championship for non-university clubs split into North and South sections — the respective winners meeting in the Grand Final on 25 October — this weekend’s matches are effectively semi-finals for the four teams remaining on either side of the draw.

In the North section, defending champions Naka Bulls, who have scored 154 points and conceded just 27 in their opening two matches, will host Northam Wolves in Pretoria on Saturday afternoon.

Wolves, one of two Northam Platinum mining clubs in the last eight, emerged as tournament dark horses after beating Raiders 53–50 in the Round of 16, and they will be looking to end the formidable Bulls’ quest for a historic hat-trick of Pick n Pay Gold Cup titles.

The winners of the Naka Bulls vs Northam Wolves clash will advance to face either 2024 runners-up Northam Rhinos or Pretoria Harlequins, whose quarter-final from Bushveld Park in Setaria will be televised live on SuperSport (channel 210) at 4:55pm.

For television viewers, the Rhinos vs Harlequins showdown will be preceded by a South section encounter from Brookside in Cape Town between Western Province champions Villager and Gardens of Kariega (formerly Uitenhage). Coverage begins live at 2:55pm on the same channel.

Villager, who are chasing their first national title since Morné du Plessis lifted the Cup in 1980, face a stern test from Gardens, who have established themselves as one of the pre-eminent clubs in the Eastern Cape in recent years.

The last quarter-final kicks off on Sunday at 1pm, when Robertson hosts College Rovers at the Van Zyl Sports Grounds in the Boland town.

The stakes couldn’t be higher for both sides: Robertson, buoyed by the Boland Cavaliers’ giant-killing Currie Cup campaign, will be aiming to become the first Boland team ever to reach the Gold Cup semi-finals.

Durban’s Rovers — the 2010 and 2012 national club champions — are chasing the only trophy to have eluded them in their 126-year history.

What’s at stake

The winners of the two North quarter-finals will meet in the first semi-final next weekend, while the victors from the South clashes will face off in the second semi-final.

Hosting rights for both matches will go to the team with the largest points differential recorded in their quarter-final game.

Quarter-final fixtures:

Saturday, 4 October

• North section: Naka Bulls vs Northam Wolves (Naka Bulls Rugby Club, Pretoria, 4pm)
• North section: Northam Rhinos vs Harlequins (Setaria Recreation Club, Setaria, 4:55pm – live on SS channel 210)
• South section: Villager vs Gardens (Brookside, Cape Town, 2:55pm – live on SS channel 210)

Sunday, 5 October

• South section: Robertson vs College Rovers (Van Zyl Street Sports Grounds, Robertson, 1pm)

Sharp end of the tournament

“We have now reached the sharp end of the tournament and, as any Springbok fan knows from our 2023 Rugby World Cup campaign, the quarter-final stage takes things to a whole new level of intensity and drama,” said SA Rugby CEO, Rian Oberholzer.

“We are now well and truly at the performance end of club rugby, where all eight clubs know just what it takes to lift trophies and win these types of do-or-die matches.

“The Gold Cup this year has been reinvigorated by Pick n Pay’s and Northam Platinum’s support, and the presence of two giant corporates, each leader in their respective industries, has elevated the status of the competition in the eyes of players, coaches and fans. This is only the first year of what we hope will be a long association with our partners, but already the buzz and excitement augur well for the future,” Oberholzer added.

“As I’ve previously mentioned, eight years ago, Grant Williams was playing for College Rovers in the Gold Cup. Now he’s a World Cup-winning Springbok superstar. I’m sure this will serve as inspiration to the 184 players preparing for action in this weekend’s quarter-finals. There is no reason why they too cannot reach their own potential via this wonderful platform.”

A bold new era for club rugby

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

Pick n Pay’s title partnership with the Gold Cup forms part of a four-year agreement that also includes Tier-1 sponsorship of the Springboks, the four-time world champions and back-to-back Castle Rugby Championship winners.