While the Carlton Cup champion, Naka Bulls, will try to also win the national Gold Cup tournament for a third consecutive year this year, Centurion rugby club and Harlequins will also help carry the flag for Blue Bulls clubs from Pretoria.

Naka Bulls also held this prestigious trophy aloft in 2023 and 2024, but apart from Centurion and Harlequins, they can expect strong opposition from several clubs from other provinces.

South Africa’s two oldest non-university clubs will form part of a bold new era for community rugby after securing the final pair of automatic slots for the Pick n Pay Gold Cup, which kicks off this coming Saturday, 27 September.

SA Rugby confirmed the 32 participating teams and first round fixtures for the country’s knockout championship for non-university clubs, which will be sponsored by the national retail chain for the first time as part of a four-year agreement.

The 2025 Pick n Pay Gold Cup also marks the 50^th anniversary of the inaugural national club championship, when Maties beat Durban Collegians 28-20 in the 1975 final.

Hamilton-Sea Point, who celebrate their 150^th anniversary this year, and Villager, who reach the same milestone in 2026, booked their place in the tournament when they reached the grand final of the Western Province Super League.

These two clubs will form part of arguably one of the strongest line-ups in the history of the tournament, with no fewer than seven current or former national club champions aiming to lift the coveted nine-carat golden trophy on 27 October.

Naka Bulls will face the stiffest test of their credentials with the likes of Harlequins, Durban powerhouses Crusaders and College Rovers and Johannesburg heavyweight Pirates looking to add another star to their jerseys.

The tournament is decided on a knockout basis, which means that would-be champions cannot afford any defeats. The 32 teams are divided geographically into North and South sections of 16 sides each, with the last team standing from each section contesting the grand final next month.

Naka Bulls will need to be at their very best when they host tournament wildcard Safcol United of Boland in Pretoria on the opening day, with 15 other do-or-die matches set to take place across the length and breadth of the country as clubs look to advance to the last 16.

Harlequins will face Nelspruit from the Pumas at home in Groenkloof, Pretoria, in the first round, while Centurion will take on another pumas club, White River, in an away fixture.

Confirmed teams are:

North section: Naka Bulls; Safcol United (wildcard from Grabouw); Pretoria Harlequins; Centurion; Northam Rhinos; Louis Trichardt; Northam Wolves (Skeerpoort); Sibanye (Rustenburg); Raiders (Johannesburg), Pirates (Johannesburg); Vereeniging; Brakpan; White River; Nelspruit; Welkom Rugby Club and Welkom Rovers.

South section: College Rovers (Durban); Crusaders (Durban); Villager (Cape Town); Hamilton-Sea Point (Cape Town); Groot Brakrivier; Heidelberg (Western Cape); Robertson;  Villagers Worcester;  Sishen; Kimberley; Kruisfontein Utd (Humansdorp); Gardens (Uitenhage); East London Police, Swallows (Mdantsane); Bloemfontein Police and Bloemfontein Collegians.

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