The third instalment of the popular SA Cup kicks off this weekend and promises to offer an early indicator of who will be in the hunt for the coveted top four positions that secure a place in this year’s Carling Currie Cup Premier Division.

The competition opens on Friday, with three fixtures scheduled for the evening, followed by two matches on Saturday. SuperSport will broadcast two clashes this weekend, from Bloemfontein and Kimberley.

Suzuki Griquas lifted the inaugural title in 2024, but their reign was cut short as the Airlink Pumas dethroned them in a pulsating final in Nelspruit last season. As in previous years, the top four teams on the log at the end of the league phase will earn their passage to the Carling Currie Cup Premier Division, while the remaining six unions will contest the First Division.

After Griquas’ maiden triumph in 2024, the Pumas secured their first SA Cup crown in 2025 with a commanding victory in the final at Mbombela Stadium. The two finalists – along with the Toyota Cheetahs and the Sanlam Boland Kavaliers – qualified for the Premier Division last season, joining the four Vodacom URC franchises.

The Airlink Pumas just missed out on the Premier Division playoffs, but the Toyota Cheetahs, Sanlam Boland Kavaliers and the eventual Carling Currie Cup champions, Suzuki Griquas, all occupied the top half of the log in 2025.

This year, the spotlight will also fall on the resurgent Sanlam Boland Kavaliers, as well as the revitalised SWD Eagles, now under the guidance of former Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer, who is back at Outeniqua Park with an objective to reshape the union’s trajectory.

Eastern Province and the Valke will open the 2026 season at 17h00 at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha. EP – coached by former Springbok head coach Allister Coetzee – will look to build on a 2025 campaign that saw them win four of their nine matches and push opponents close in several of their defeats.

JP Immelman’s Valke, meanwhile, will be targeting an improved finish after ending fifth in last year’s SA Cup, two points shy of Boland in fourth and just missing out on a place in the Currie Cup Premier Division.

The defending champions, Airlink Pumas, begin their title defence in George at 18h00, where they face the SWD Eagles at Outeniqua Park.

Although the Pumas have once again lost several regulars to other unions, their recruitment remains sharp, and several seasoned campaigners still anchor their squad. The clash sets up an intriguing coaching duel between the experienced Jimmy Stonehouse and Meyer, who starts his second tenure with SWD.

Last year’s opening-round encounter ended 75–7 in favour of the Pumas, but with Meyer now steering the Eagles and an influx of fresh talent, a far tighter contest is expected.

Elsewhere on Friday, the Toyota Cheetahs – now under former Springbok utility back Frans Steyn, host Sanlam Boland Kavaliers in Bloemfontein (18h00).

The sides finished second and third respectively last season, and this fixture is a reverse of their 2025 opener, where Boland – again under the coaching of Hawies Fourie – stunned the Cheetahs 45–29 in Wellington. Both teams are again considered strong contenders for semi-final places.

Saturday’s fixtures see Suzuki Griquas welcome the Leopards to Kimberley at 15h00, while at the same time the Griffons host the Border Bulldogs in Welkom.

Griquas dominated the corresponding fixture last year with a 66–7 triumph in Potchefstroom, where Riaan van Straten will take the Leopards’ reigns this year, and as reigning Carling Currie Cup champions, Pieter Bergh’s side will be aiming for another strong start.

Border, with Dumisani Mhani as head coach, travel up to the Northern Free State looking to improve on their 2025 opening-round defeat to Jacques Juries’s Griffons (55–32). The Bulldogs struggled to gain traction last season, losing all nine games, and will be desperate to set a new tone in 2026.

Match information:

Eastern Province vs Valke

Date: Friday, 6 March

Venue: Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Gqeberha

Kick-off: 17h00

Referee: Dylen November

SWD Eagles vs Airlink Pumas

Date: Friday, 6 March

Venue: Outeniqua Park, George

Kick-off: 18h00

Referee: Marius van der Westhuizen

Live stream: SuperSport YouTube

Toyota Cheetahs vs Sanlam Boland Kavaliers

Date: Friday, 6 March

Venue: Toyota Stadium, Bloemfontein

Kick-off: 18h00

Referee: Morne Ferreira

TV: SuperSport

Suzuki Griquas vs Leopards

Date: Saturday, 7 March

Venue: Suzuki Stadium, Kimberley

Kick-off: 15h00

Referee: Aimee Barrett-Theron

TV: SuperSport

Griffons vs Border Bulldogs

Date: Saturday, 7 March

Venue: Down Touch Investments Stadium, Welkom

Kick-off: 15h00

Referee: Griffin Colby