South Africa Rugby announce fixtures for Preparation series

South Africa Rugby have unveiled the fixtures for their domestic competition to prepare for the upcoming 2021 season.

The five Super Rugby teams including Bulls, Sharks, Stormers, Cheetahs and Lions will be joined by Pumas and Griquas in the new competition which will see EP Elephants joining as the eighth team.

The eight teams will be divided into two equal groups of four teams apiece with Pool A containing Vodacom Bulls, Lions, Tafel Lager Griquas and Toyota Cheetahs and they will lock horns with the opposite Pool comprising of Cell C Sharks, DHL Stormers, NNC Pumas and Eastern Province Elephants.

The games will be played between 27th February to 27th March with the opening weekend seeing Vodacom Bulls facing Elephants along with Lions taking on Pumas. The other games in the opening round will see Sharks locking horns with Griquas and Stormers clashing with Cheetahs.

South Africa director of rugby Rassie Erasmus believes the competition will keep the players in groove ahead of the Rainbow Cup and the remainder of the 2021 season including the international series against British and Irish Lions.

“It’s imperative that we get the new season underway as soon as possible as we have a big year ahead, with preparing our players for the British & Irish Lions a top priority, but also providing opportunities for all teams to get match fit with an eye on entry into European competitions, and our planned local season,” said Rassie Erasmus, Director of Rugby.

“These matches will provide our top players with further opportunities to test themselves against the best in South Africa, while our match officials will also get some valuable game-time under the belt.”