The Currie Cup qualifying competition will commence in early June, with the winner progressing to the Premier Division in August.

On Tuesday, Saru confirmed the dates and fixtures for the two tournaments. The Qualifying Competition, which will be contested by Griquas, the Leopards, SWD Eagles, Boland Kavaliers, Griffons, Border Bulldogs and Valke, will kick off on the first weekend of June and run until 19 July, when the top team on the log will be granted entry into the Currie Cup Premier Division.

The start of the eight-team Premier Division – contested by the Sharks, Western Province, EP Kings, Free State Cheetahs, Golden Lions, Vodacom Blue Bulls, Pumas and the winner of the Qualifying Competition – is scheduled for the weekend of 8/9 August, a week after the Super Rugby final. It will run until the last weekend of October, when the final will take place.

The eight teams will be divided into two sections on 2013 log positions: Section X (Western Province, Golden Lions, Blue Bulls, EP Kings) and Section Y (Sharks, Free State, Pumas, Qualifier). The teams will play home and away within their sections followed by a single cross-conference round before semi-finals and final.

The fixtures for the Currie Cup First Division, which kicks off in the last weekend of August and runs until the second week of October, will be finalised at the conclusion of the Qualifying Competition.

Full fixture list of 2014 Qualifying Competition and Premier Division

Photo: Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images