Rugby Tens Championship announced an exciting new, and world-first, competition format for its third instalment to be hosted in Strand.
Taking place in November, this year’s event will feature mixed teams of men and women, boys and girls playing in the same match, just in different halves.
“The new mixed-play format of matches, launching for the first time across any team sports, is an exciting new format which further aims to promote equality and inclusivity in rugby,” says Andreea Trufasu, CEO and co-founder of the R10C. “The pool matches played on 22 November, as well as some of the finals played on November 25, will see the men and women teams, and the boys and girls teams, playing in the same match, with one gender teams for each half. The first half could see the two men’s sides play against each other, with the second half of the same match being the women’s side, a sequence to be decided at the coin toss.”
Six franchises will bring four teams each (men’s, women’s, academy boys u-18 and academy girls u-18) to battle it out for the coveted Franchise Championship Cup with a prize of R340 000, and the six Division Cups (men’s, women’s, boys u-18, girls u-18, and the new pros and academy mixed-play divisions).
To lift the Franchise Cup, the overall franchise winner is determined based on the combined points of all its teams across the six divisions.
“From the start, R10C’s competition format has promoted equality and inclusion among men and women, boys and girls, as well as among tier one, tier two and tier three rugby countries, for players and coaches alike,” adds Trufasu. “Playing for a brand greater than your team, encouraging and inspiring each other, getting to know other cultures, people of different backgrounds, with different journeys and challenges, as well as bringing the youngsters in the mix, cultivates mutual respect, awareness and enhances human relationships through sport.
“This is the first time ever that a match will be played and determined this way in team sports. We are all about breaking barriers. Coaches are super excited and a bit nervous too, as this new format promises to be thrilling in how it will impact the collaboration, support, encouragement, knowledge sharing and even the management of challenging game moments between men and women and boys and girls teams,” adds Trufasu.
The five franchises competing at the R10C are the Cape Town Wild Dogs, Serengeti Elephants, Balkans Honey Badgers, San Clemente Rhinos and the Blue Bulls, and an exciting sixth franchise to be confirmed.
Pool games will take place on Saturday 18 and Wednesday 22 November, while the finals will be played on Saturday 25 November.
For more information R10C, visit RugbyTens.com.
