The 2014 SARU Community Cup (known as the ''2014

Cell C Cell C is a mobile telecommunications company operating in South Africa, offering voice, data, messaging, and mobile virtual network operator A mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) is a wireless communications services provider that does no ...

Community Cup'' for sponsorship reasons) was the second season of the SARU Community Cup competition. The qualification to the tournament took place in 2013, while the competition proper was contested in 2014. The tournament is the top competition for non-university

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

clubs in South Africa.

Competition

Qualification format

Qualification to the Community Cup was determined via the club leagues of the fourteen provincial unions, plus Blue Bulls Limpopo. All university and other tertiary institutions were ineligible to participate in the Community Cup. The highest-placed eligible team in each of the fifteen leagues automatically qualified to the Community Cup (league rules determined if this is after the league stages or after the title-play-offs). As holders, Despatch were guaranteed qualification to the Community Cup. In addition, wildcard teams chosen by SARU also qualified to take the number of participants up to twenty. Teams that participated in the 2013 Community Cup were not eligible for the wildcard draw for the 2014 Community Cup.

Finals format

The format of the Community Cup was the same as the

Rugby World Cup The Men's Rugby World Cup is a rugby union tournament contested every four years between the top international teams, the winners of which are recognised as the World championship, world champions of the sport. The tournament is administer ...

. The teams were divided into four pools, each containing five teams. They then played four pool games, playing other teams in their respective pools once. Each team played two home games and two away games. The winner and runner-up of each pool entered the play-off stage, held at a central venue over the Easter long weekend each year. The play-offs consisted of quarter finals, semi-finals and the final. The winner of each pool met the runner-up of a different pool in a quarter final. The winner of each quarter-final went on to the semi-finals and the semi-final winners to the final, to be held at a neutral venue. The losing semi-finalists played each other in the Plate final. The losing quarter finalists met in the Bowl semi-final, the winners of which played in the Bowl final, the losers playing in the Shield final.

Qualification

The highest-placed non-university clubs in the 2013 season of each of the fourteen provincial unions' club leagues, as well as defending champions Despatch and wildcard teams all qualified to the 2014 SARU Community Cup competition.

Blue Bulls

The log leader after the pool stage qualified to the 2014 SARU Community Cup. The play-off finals have no bearing on qualification to the 2014 SARU Community Cup.

Semi-finals

Final

Blue Bulls Limpopo

The play-off final winner qualified to the 2014 SARU Community Cup.

Semi-finals

Final

Boland

The log leader after the pool stage qualified to the 2014 SARU Community Cup.

Border

The play-off final winner qualified to the 2014 SARU Community Cup.

Quarter-finals

Semi-finals

Final

Eastern Province

The log leader after the pool stage qualified to the 2014 SARU Community Cup. Despatch qualified as the holders. The play-off finals have no bearing on qualification to the 2014 SARU Community Cup.

Free State

The log leader after the pool stage qualified to the 2014 SARU Community Cup. The play-off finals have no bearing on qualification to the 2014 SARU Community Cup.

Stadsbeker

The Stadsbeker is the title play-off matches.

=Semi-final

=Final

Rowan Cup

The Rowan Cup is the play-off for fourth to sixth place.

=Semi-final

=Final

Golden Lions

The log leader after the pool stage qualified to the 2014 SARU Community Cup.

Griffons

The play-off final winner qualified to the 2014 SARU Community Cup.

Semi-finals

Final

Griquas

The log leader after the pool stage qualified to the 2014 SARU Community Cup.

KwaZulu-Natal

The log leader after the pool stage qualified to the 2014 SARU Community Cup.

Leopards

A play-off would be held between Rustenburg Impala, either Klerksdorp or Vaal Reefs and the possibly winner of the Neser A League final, with play-off winner qualifying to the 2014 SARU Community Cup.

Semi-finals

Final

Qualifier

Mpumalanga

The play-off final winner qualified to the 2014 SARU Community Cup.

Semi-finals

Final

South Western Districts

The play-off final winner qualified to the 2014 SARU Community Cup.

Semi-finals

Final

Valke

The play-off final winner qualified to the 2014 SARU Community Cup.

Final

Western Province

The log leader after the pool stage qualified to the 2014 SARU Community Cup.

Wildcard draw

Provincial unions could also enter one team that did not participate in the 2013 Community Cup into the wildcard draw. Teams that played in the

2013 SARU Community Cup The 2013 SARU Community Cup (known as the ''2013 Cell C Community Cup'' for sponsorship reasons) was the first season of the Gold Cup (rugby union), SARU Community Cup competition and was contested from 16 February to 1 April 2013. The tournamen ...

were ineligible for wildcard nomination in 2014. These teams were nominated for the wildcard draw: * Boksburg (Valke) *

Durban Collegians Durban Collegians is a sports club based at Kings Park Stadium in Durban, South Africa. The club is over 100 years old and has produced many of the country's top sportspeople including rugby Springbok captain, Wynand Claassen. South Africa intern ...

(KwaZulu-Natal) * Kimberley Police (Griquas) * Middelburg (Mpumalanga) * Mossel Bay Barbarians (South Western Districts) * Oostelikes Eagles (Blue Bulls) * Pirates (Golden Lions) * Police (Border) * Spring Rose (Eastern Province) * Tygerberg (Western Province) * Vaal Reefs (Leopards) * Welkom (Griffons) * Wesbank (Boland) On 4 November 2013, SARU named the following teams as the wildcard entries for the 2014 Community Cup: * Boksburg (Valke) * Mossel Bay Barbarians (South Western Districts) * Spring Rose (Eastern Province) * Welkom (Griffons) * Wesbank (Boland)

Teams

The following teams qualified for the 2014 SARU Community Cup:

Team listing

Pool Stages

On 23 August 2013, the draw was made for the 2014 SARU Community Cup and the 20 teams were drawn in the 4 pools. The fixtures were released on 15 November 2013.

Pool A

Log

Fixtures and results

=Round one

=Round two

=Round three

=Round four

=Round five

Pool B

Log

Fixtures and results

=Round one

=Round two

=Round three

=Round four

=Round five

Pool C

Log

Fixtures and results

=Round one

=Round two

=Round three

=Round four

=Round five

Pool D

Log

Fixtures and results

=Round one

=Round two

=Round three

=Round four

=Round five

Finals

The finals were played at from 17 to 21 April 2014.

Quarter-finals

''The winning teams qualified to the Cup semi-finals, while the losing teams qualified to the Bowl semi-finals.''

Cup semi-finals

''The winning teams qualify to the Cup final, while the losing teams qualify to the Plate final.''

Bowl semi-finals

''The winning teams qualify to the Bowl final, while the losing teams qualify to the Shield final.''

Cup final

Plate final

Bowl final

Shield final

References

External links

Official SARU page
{{DEFAULTSORT:SARU Community Cup 2014

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

2014 in South African rugby union 2014 rugby union tournaments for clubs