The Carling Currie Cup will kick off in January 2022 with a seven-team Premier Division, following a meeting of the general council of the South African Rugby Union.
The council rejected a proposal from the Eastern Province that they be incorporated into the top-flight immediately.
However, the council approved a motion that the top South African team in the First Division be automatically promoted to the Premier Division at the end of the 2022 Carling Currie Cup season, creating an eight-team Premier Division.
In addition, the promoted team will be entrenched for two seasons (until the end of the 2024 Carling Currie Cup season) when the bottom team in the Premier Division will be automatically relegated in favour of the top South African team in the First Division, which will also be entrenched for two seasons before promotion/relegation at the end of the 2026 season.
The 2022 competition will kick off on the weekend of January 14 and 15. The unusual kick-off has been prompted by the realignment of the South African domestic rugby calendar to dovetail with the northern hemisphere season following the expanded entry of four teams into the Vodacom United Rugby Championship.
The change means that the Carling Currie Cup final will be played on June 25, which will mark the end of the season for senior professional players appearing in the Carling Currie Cup and the Vodacom United Rugby Championship.
The Carling Currie Cup First Division fixtures will be confirmed in the New Year.
