2016 Gold Cup (rugby union)
The 2016 Gold Cup was the fourth season of the 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.
Competition rules and information
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.
Qualification
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 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:
Teams
The following teams qualified for the 2016 Gold Cup:Team Listing
| Team | Sponsored Name | Union | Pool |
| Bloemfontein Police | Bloemfontein Police | Free State | Pool D |
| Brakpan | Siyaya Brakpan | Valke | Pool C |
| College Rovers | Your Communications College Rovers | KwaZulu-Natal | Pool A |
| Durban Collegians | SA Home Loans Durban Collegians | KwaZulu-Natal | Pool C |
| Durbanville-Bellville | Durbanville-Bellville | Western Province | Pool A |
| East London Police | East London Police | Border | Pool D |
| Evergreens | Evergreens | SWD | Pool B |
| False Bay | Direct Axis False Bay | Western Province | Pool C |
| Northam Rhinos | Northam Platinum Rhinos | Limpopo Blue Bulls | Pool B |
| Old Georgians | Old Georgians | Zimbabwe | Pool C |
| Old Selbornians | Mike Pendock Motors Old Selbornians | Border | Pool A |
| Pirates | Pirates | Golden Lions | Pool B |
| Port Elizabeth Police | Don's Pawn Shop Port Elizabeth Police | Eastern Province | Pool D |
| Pretoria Police | Pretoria Police | Blue Bulls | Pool D |
| Rustenburg Impala | Rustenburg Impala | Leopards | Pool B |
| Sishen | Belaz Sishen | Griquas | Pool D |
| Villagers Worcester | Onelogix United Bulk Villagers Worcester | Boland | Pool A |
| Windhoek Wanderers | FNB Windhoek Wanderers | Namibia | Pool B |
| Welkom Rovers | Tiger Wheel & Tyre Welkom Rovers | Griffons | Pool A |
| White River | White River | Mpumalanga | Pool C |
Pool Stages
In the draw made in February 2016, the twenty teams were drawn in four pools.Pool A
The final log of the 2016 Gold Cup Pool A is:The following matches were played in the 2016 Gold Cup Pool A:
Round One
Round Two
Round Three
Round Four
Round Five
Pool B
The final log of the 2016 Gold Cup Pool B is:The following matches were played in the 2016 Gold Cup Pool B:
Round One
Round Two
Round Three
Round Four
Round Five
Pool C
The final log of the 2016 Gold Cup Pool C is:The following matches were played in the 2016 Gold Cup Pool C:
Round One
Round Two
Round Three
Round Four
Round Five
Pool D
The final log of the 2016 Gold Cup Pool D is:The following matches were played in the 2016 Gold Cup Pool D:
Round One
Round Two
Round Three
Round Four
Round Five
Play-offs
Quarter Finals
Semi-Finals
Final
Honours
The honour roll for the 2016 Gold Cup was:Players
Squads
The following squads were named for the 2016 Gold Cup:Bloemfontein Police squad
Brakpan squad
College Rovers squad
Durban Collegians squad
Durbanville-Bellville squad
East London Police squad
Evergreens squad
False Bay squad
Northam Rhinos squad
Old Georgians squad
Old Selbornians squad
Pirates squad
Port Elizabeth Police squad
Pretoria Police squad
Rustenburg Impala squad
Sishen squad
Villagers Worcester squad
Welkom Rovers squad
White River squad
Windhoek Wanderers squad