All seek glory and to steer clear of relegation as leagues set to start
Fixtures to run from April 13-June 13
The Border Super and Premier leagues start next weekend, on April 13. Both will play over 14 weeks including a three-week break.
Both leagues will have one round of matches, meaning each team will play 11 matches in the 12-team leagues.
The Super League consists of defending champions EL Police, Berlin Tigers, Fort Hare Blues, Moonlight, Ncera Leopards, Buffaloes, Old Selbornians, Breakers, Swallows, WSU All Blacks, Young Leopards and newly promoted Komga United.
The Premier League’s 12 contestants are United Brothers, WSU Eagles, Ocean Sweepers, Africans, Winter Rose, Wallabies, Ngculu Zebras, Cambridge, Bussy Boys, Black Eagles, Ntlaza Lions and newly promoted Fort Beaufort United.
The normal league programme will run from April 13 to July 13.
Police have dominated Border Rugby for the last two seasons, winning back-to-back Super League titles.
The incentive to play in the Super League is high, with non-university teams having the chance to qualify for the Eastern Cape Super 14 rugby competition and the Gold Cup.
The top seven teams in the Super League qualify for the Super 14 competition, while the top two teams qualify for the Club Champs, the highest club rugby competition in SA.
The battle for survival in the Super League is fierce. It is never easy to regain promotion after being relegated from the Super to the Premier league.
Six former Super League teams are battling to regain their status in the top league after being relegated.
Ntlaza Lions, Ocean Sweepers,
Africans, Winter Rose, Cambridge and Black Eagles all know what it tastes like playing in the Super League, but now find themselves in the second-tier Premier League.
The intensity of the fight for promotion to the Super League has been shown in the last couple of seasons, with the teams gaining promotion by a mere point.
To be relegated from the Premier League is also detrimental. Shining Stars suffered that fate last season.
To gain promotion from the First Division to the Premier League is very tough. Six districts winners must battle it out to determine the sole candidate for promotion.
Komani have only one team, Breakers, in the Super League.
Unfortunately, no Komani team is represented in the Premier League after the demise of Shining Stars.