SA Rugby has announced that the 2022 Currie Cup season will kick off next month with a seven-team Premier Division.

The decision was made during SA Rugby’s General Council meeting on Friday when the Council rejected a proposal from Eastern Province to be incorporated into the top-flight immediately.

However, a motion was approved to automatically promote the top South African team in the First Division to the Premier Division at the end of the 2022 campaign, creating an eight-team Premier Division in 2023.

In addition, the promoted team will be entrenched for two seasons (until the end of the 2024  Currie Cup season) when the bottom team in the Premier Division will be automatically relegated in favour of the top South African team in the First Division, which will again be guaranteed their place in the premier competition for two seasons before promotion/relegation at the end of the 2026 season.

The 2022 competition will kick off on the weekend of 14-15 January, prompted by the realignment of the South African domestic rugby calendar to dovetail with the northern hemisphere season following the expanded entry of four teams into the Vodacom United Rugby Championship.

The change means that the Currie Cup final will be played on 25 June, which will mark the end of the season for senior professional players appearing in the Currie Cup and the URC. 

The Currie Cup First Division fixtures will be confirmed in the New Year.

The first round of Currie Cup fixtures will see Western Province host the Lions at Cape Town Stadium, while the Cheetahs will welcome Griquas to Bloemfontein and the Bulls travel to the Pumas.

The Sharks will have a bye in the opening round.