There is good news for fans of the Pretoria Police Rugby Club who want to support the club this year at the play-offs of the Community Cup tournament if they reach the top eight stage of the tournament. 

Defending Cell C Community Cup champions Rustenburg Impala will host the tournament’s 2015 Easter weekend play-offs, the South African Rugby Union confirmed on Monday.  Rustenburg replaces George, which hosted the 2013 and 2014 Community Cup Easter weekends previously. 

This means that many more supporters of the Pretoria Police, the Blue Bulls’ representative in the competition, will be able to support their team at the tournament. Rustenburg is about an hour and a half’s drive from Pretoria and is also easily accessible via the N4 Platinum highway.

Two years ago, Police reached the final of the plate competition of the tournament in George, but lost against the Cape club Durbanville-Bellville. 

Impala Rugby Club will host the tournament’s 12 play-off matches on 2, 4 and 6 April, with the Cup final to be played on Easter Monday. All Easter matches will be televised live on SuperSport.

“Club rugby’s vibe is unique mainly because club venues around the country are intimate and cater for the whole family,” said South African Rugby Union (SARU) CEO, Jurie Roux.

“Watching club rugby is a unique experience. It’s different to watching a provincial game at a stadium and we wanted to tap into that uniqueness. The Community Cup’s pool stage, which sees clubs host all 40 matches, is a winning formula and we would like to carry that into the Easter play-offs. Impala Rugby Club were the outstanding candidate to bid to host the event. Their facilities are second to none for a South African club, while the clubhouse serves as an important social hub for the town and its residents.”

Pretoria Police’s campaign in the Community Cup Series starts on 21 February, when they play against Noordelikes of Limpopo at their new home in Groenkloof.