All systems go for Pick n Pay Gold Cup Final in Durban

The 2026 Pick n Pay Gold Cup will crown a new champion on Sunday but irrespective of the result, the ‘FA Cup’ of South African rugby is set to be remembered as a watershed event in the annals of the community game.

The country’s pre-eminent knockout championship for non-university clubs – which is sponsored by the national retail chain for the second season – is also supported by Northam Platinum, whose commitment to community aligns with the grassroots spirit of the Pick n Pay Gold Cup.

This year’s tournament has also celebrated a special milestone: it will have been the 10th time that club players from across the country competed for the priceless, 97-year-old nine-carat Gold Cup trophy, following the decision in 2013 to repurpose the old national club championship, which historically had included university teams from 1975 to 2012, to serve as the pinnacle for non-tertiary club players.

Neither hosts C. Steinweg College Rovers (KZN) nor Northam Platinum Rhinos (Limpopo) have ever lifted the Cup.

Both sides have had their chances down the years – the Durbanites reached the 2013, 2017 and 2023 finals while the Bushvelders contested the 2024 title-decider – and Sunday’s final, which will enjoy top billing on SuperSport Channel 211 (kick-off 2pm), will represent, for one of these giants of club rugby, the culmination of more than a decade of dreaming.

Rhinos made their Gold Cup debut in 2016, losing all four matches in a Rugby World Cup-type format that year to finish bottom of a group that included eventual winners, Rustenburg Impala.

Flip de Kock was at the helm 10 years ago as head coach and will once again be pitch-side on Sunday alongside director of rugby and head coach, Nollis Marais, the former Bulls boss who was appointed following the untimely passing last year of former Springbok, Bevin Fortuin.

For De Kock, Northam Platinum’s Facilities & Sports Coordinator, finally lifting the Cup after umpteen seasons of near misses will be the culmination of a decade’s worth of dedication to the Rhinos’ cause.

Rhinos are also chasing a rare ‘triple’, having already won the pre-season Sibanye League for northern-union clubs and the Golden Lions’ Grand Challenge having previously played their rugby in the Blue Bulls’ Carlton Cup.

As head coach under the likes of Phil Pretorius and Fortuin and now as team manager under Marais, De Kock’s all-round influence remains as strong as ever and stretches far beyond any conventional job description.

The same goes for Heiberg, an institution in Durban schoolboy rugby, where he coached Glenwood’s first team from 2018 to 2024 and from 2027 will be taking up the reins at rivals DHS.

Heiberg’s Gold Cup journey at Rovers began in 2015 – a year before De Kock’s at Rhinos – and three years after Rovers became the last-ever winners of the old National Club Championship title in 2012.

Since then, Heiberg has led his team to two Gold Cup finals, losing to False Bay in an epic gold-medal match in Cape Town in 2017 that was played in front of the biggest crowd ever seen at the historic Phillip Herbstein Ground. The second came at the other end of the country, in the Moot of Pretoria, where Naka Bulls claimed the first post-Covid Gold Cup title after the tournament’s resumption following a three-year hiatus.

This year’s tournament has once again showcased the vibrancy of community rugby across South Africa and backs up official data which shows a 13.5% increase in club participation between 2024 and 2025. South Africa now boasts almost 120 000 registered club players across 15 provincial unions.

From Wellington to White River, Kathu to Kariega and Saldanha to Setaria, the 2026 Pick n Pay Gold Cup will also be remembered for high-quality rugby on the field – 11 of the 30 matches played so far were settled by one score or less, with four of those decided by a single point amidst nail-biting drama.

Off the field, large crowds have watched while there was also a notable and growing presence in the online space, where the official Gold Cup Facebook and Instagram pages have collectively had three million views over the past month and clubs across the country are building armies of online followers.

“No matter who lifts the Cup on Sunday, the 2026 Pick n Pay Gold Cup has already been a runaway success,” said SA Rugby CEO, Rian Oberholzer.

“The way fans have once again bought into the vibe – both at the grounds and online – has been incredible to see and we must now build on that foundation in 2027 and beyond.

“Our Gold Cup Trophy Tours, which started last year with visits to Pick n Pay stores in Robertson, Kariega, Thabazimbi and Claremont, went from strength to strength in 2026, with fans as far afield as Wellington, White River, Brakpan, Pacaltsdorp, Saldanha and now Durban being able to get their photos taken with the Gold Cup.

“I once again must take my hat off to tournament partners, Pick n Pay and Northam Platinum, who have played a critical role in not only the tournament’s revival but also in the growth of community rugby as a whole. The data proves it – and the Gold Cup reflects that reality at grounds across the length and breadth of Springbok country,” Oberholzer added.

• Fans are invited to get their photos taken with the Gold Cup in Durban on Saturday at Pick n Pay La Lucia Mall (10.30am-11.30am), where College Rovers players will be present and Shongweni Club from 1.30pm, at the Old School Villagers & Hillcrest Villagers’ Rugby Club’s annual charity rugby day in aid of injured KZN rugby player Jeremy Swan, which culminates in a match between a Hollywoodbets Sharks XV and a Sharks President’s XV, made up of the best club players from across KZN.

Grand Final, Sunday

C. Steinweg College Rovers v Northam Platinum Rhinos @ Kings Park 3, Durban – live on SuperSport Channel 211 (2pm)