Carling Currie Cup gets January kick off

The Carling Currie Cup will kick off next month with a seven-team Premier Division, following an online meeting of the General Council of the South African Rugby Union on Friday.

The Council rejected a proposal from Eastern Province that they be incorporated into the top-flight immediately. However, 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 14/15 January. 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 25 June, 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.

Carling Currie Cup Premier Division 2022(all fixtures are subject to change; venues and kick-off times to be confirmed)

Friday/Saturday 14/15 January

DHL Western Province vs Sigma Lions
Toyota Cheetahs vs Tafel Lager Griquas
New Nation Pumas vs Vodacom Bulls

Wednesday 19 January

DHL Western Province vs Vodacom Bulls
Cell C Sharks vs Tafel Lager Griquas
Sigma Lions vs New Nation Pumas

Wednesday 2 February

Cell C Sharks vs DHL Western Province
Vodacom Bulls vs Toyota Cheetahs
Tafel Lager Griquas vs New Nation Pumas

Friday/Saturday 18/19 February

Sigma Lions vs Cell C Sharks
Tafel Lager Griquas vs DHL Western Province
New Nation Pumas vs Toyota Cheetahs

Friday/Saturday 4/5 March

Toyota Cheetahs vs Sigma Lions
Tafel Lager Griquas vs Vodacom Bulls
New Nation Pumas vs Cell C Sharks

Wednesday 16 March

Vodacom Bulls vs Cell C Sharks
Toyota Cheetahs vs DHL Western Province
Tafel Lager Griquas vs Sigma Lions

Wednesday 23 March

DHL Western Province vs New Nation Pumas
Cell C Sharks vs Toyota Cheetahs
Sigma Lions vs Vodacom Bulls

Wednesday 6 April

Vodacom Bulls vs DHL Western Province
Tafel Lager Griquas vs Cell C Sharks
New Nation Pumas vs Sigma Lions

Friday/Saturday 15/16 April

DHL Western Province vs Toyota Cheetahs
Cell C Sharks vs Vodacom Bulls
Sigma Lions vs Tafel Lager Griquas

Friday/Saturday 6/7 May

Cell C Sharks vs New Nation Pumas
Sigma Lions vs Toyota Cheetahs
Vodacom Bulls vs Tafel Lager Griquas

Friday/Saturday 13/14 May

Vodacom Bulls vs Sigma Lions
Toyota Cheetahs vs Cell C Sharks
New Nation Pumas vs DHL Western Province

Friday/Saturday 27/28 May

Sigma Lions vs DHL Western Province
Vodacom Bulls vs New Nation Pumas
Tafel Lager Griquas vs Toyota Cheetahs

Friday/Saturday 3/4 June

DHL Western Province vs Tafel Lager Griquas
Cell C Sharks vs Sigma Lions
Toyota Cheetahs vs New Nation Pumas

Friday/Saturday 10/11 June

DHL Western Province vs Cell C Sharks
Toyota Cheetahs vs Vodacom Bulls
New Nation Pumas vs Tafel Lager Griquas

18 June

Carling Currie Cup Semi-Finals

25 June

Carling Currie Cup Final

2 July

Carling Champions Match

Carling Currie Cup

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