2016 SARU Gold Cup
| 2016 SARU Gold Cup | |
|---|---|
| Countries |
South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe |
| Date | 10 September – 29 October 2016 |
| Champions | Rustenburg Impala (2nd title) |
| Runners-up | False Bay |
| Matches played | 47 |
| Tries scored | 395 (average 8.404 per match) |
| Top point scorer | Cecil Dumond (102) |
| Top try scorer | Tythan Adams (10) |
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← 2015
2017 →
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The 2016 SARU Gold Cup was the fourth season of the SARU Gold Cup competition, but the first season that it was known as the Gold Cup, having previously been known as the Community Cup. The tournament was the top competition for non-university rugby union clubs in South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe.
While previous editions of the competition were held over the Easter weekend, the 2016 tournament took place later in the year, with the matches in the competition taking place between 10 September and 29 October 2016. Also, the champion clubs from Namibia and Zimbabwe took part in the competition for the first time.
The competition was won by Rustenburg Impala for the second time in three years; they beat False Bay 48–24 in the final played on 29 October 2016.
The format of the Gold Cup was the same as the Rugby World Cup. 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, which 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, at the home venue of the pool winner. The winner of each quarter-final progressed to the semi-finals and the semi-final winners to the final, which was held at the home venue of the finalist with the best record in the pool stages.
The highest-placed non-university clubs in the 2015 season of each of the fifteen provincial unions' club leagues, as well as defending champions Durbanville-Bellville all qualified for the 2016 SARU Gold Cup competition.
To cater for the switching the tournament from the first half of the year to the second half, all non-university clubs that won their leagues in the 2016 season qualified to a playoff for two additional spots in the 2016 Gold Cup. These play-offs matches were:
The following teams qualified for the 2016 SARU Gold Cup:
In the draw made in February 2016, the twenty teams were drawn in four pools.
The final log of the 2016 SARU Gold Cup Pool A is:
The top two teams qualified to the quarter finals, where the pool winner hosted a runner-up from another pool.
Points breakdown:
* 4 points for a win
* 2 points for a draw
* 1 bonus point for a loss by seven points or less
* 1 bonus point for scoring four or more tries in a match
The following matches were played in the 2016 SARU Gold Cup Pool A:
The final log of the 2016 SARU Gold Cup Pool B is:
The top two teams qualified to the quarter finals, where the pool winner hosted a runner-up from another pool.
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