The road to qualification for the Carling Currie Cup Premier Division kicks off in Mpumalanga on Friday with the start of the second edition of the SA Cup, with 10 provincial sides battling it out for supremacy and the prestigious trophy, and four places at the top table of the oldest provincial competition in the world.

The first match is on Friday when Airlink Pumas host the Phangela SWD Eagles from 17h00 at the Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit. This match will be streamed live by SuperSport.

The remaining four fixtures take place on Saturday, 8 March, starting with the clash between the Valke and Eastern Province at 13h00 on the East Rand of Gauteng, before three matches at 15h00: the Leopards host defending champions, Suzuki Griquas, in Potchefstroom; Sanlam Boland Kavaliers are at home in Wellington against the Toyota Cheetahs (also streamed live on SuperSport); and Border take on the NovaVit Griffons in East London.

The men from Mpumalanga will be hoping for a good start to the competition as they will be keen to continue with their good form in recent seasons, which include winning the Carling Currie Cup in 2023 and finishing runners up in the SA Cup last year.

Valke and Eastern Province meet at the Barnard Stadium in Kempton Park and another competitive meeting is in the offering between these two rivals, especially after EP managed to pull off a last-gasp 31-27 victory in last year’s opening round.

The Leopards will be hoping to avoid last year’s whitewash in the corresponding fixture, which the men from Kimberley easily won 88-0 as they started their charge towards the title and a perfect season.

Arguably the toughest match of the opening round takes place in Wellington, where the Sanlam Boland Kavaliers face the Toyota Cheetahs at Boland Stadium. The Free Staters – now under a new coach in former Springbok star Frans Steyn -  won this fixture 38-7 in Bloemfontein last year, and they went on to clinch fourth place on the final league table, one place above the Kavaliers.

However, the Bolanders – who are coached by former Free State mentor Hawies Fourie – are an extremely difficult customer at home, which will present the Toyota Cheetahs with a tough away assignment.

Border Bulldogs host the NovaVit Griffons at the Sisa Dukashe Stadium in Mdantsane and the Eastern Cape side will be hoping for a better performance than last year’s 52-8 opening-round defeat in Welkom.

The SA Cup was established in 2024, replacing the Mzansi Challenge to fill an important gap between pre-season and the start of the Carling Currie Cup Premier and First Division competitions.

Suzuki Griquas were crowned the first champions of the SA Cup, capping off an unbeaten season with a 46-24 victory over the Airlink Pumas in the final in Kimberley.

This year, the top four teams on the log will not only book their spots in the SA Cup semi-finals on the weekend of 17 May, but they will also qualify for the Carling Currie Cup Premier Division along with the four Vodacom URC franchises. The rest of the teams will contest the Carling Currie Cup First Division.

The competition will conclude with the final on the weekend of 24 May.

Top performers from the 2024 SA Cup:

• Most points: George Whitehead (Suzuki Griquas) – 150 points
• Most tries: Darnell Osaugwu (Airlink Pumas) – 11 tries
• Most conversions: George Whitehead (Suzuki Griquas) – 55 conversions
• Most penalty goals: Clinton Swart (Airlink Pumas) – 6 penalty goals
• Most tackles: Tertius Kruger (Suzuki Griquas) – 85 tackles

Match information:

Airlink Pumas vs Phangela SWD Eagles

Date: Friday, 7 March

Venue: Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit

Kick-off: 17h00

Referee: Christopher Allen

TV: SuperSport Schools

Valke vs Eastern Province

Date: Saturday, 8 March

Venue: Barnard Stadium, Kempton Park

Kick-off: 13h00

Referee: Dylen November

Sanlam Boland Kavaliers vs Toyota Cheetahs

Date: Saturday, 8 March

Venue: Sanlam Boland Stadium, Wellington

Kick-off: 15h00

Referee: Cwengile Jadezweni

TV: SuperSport Schools

Leopards vs Suzuki Griquas

Date: Saturday, 8 March

Venue: Olën Park, Potchefstroom

Kick-off: 15h00

Referee: Paul Mente

Border Bulldogs vs NovaVit Griffons

Date: Saturday, 8 March

Venue: Sisa Dukashe Stadium, East London

Kick-off: 15h00

Referee: Hanru van Rooyen