The 2026 Western Province club rugby season is in full swing, with teams from Stellenbosch and surrounds doing battle in various leagues.

Three teams are flying the region’s flag in the union’s top tier of club rugby, with Franschhoek RFC, Van der Stel-Evergreens (VDE) and Maties looking to stamp their authority on Super League A (SLA).

After their gut-wrenching defeat in the semi-final of the Varsity Cup the students are leading the charge in second place on the SLA log, having won two from two matches. On Saturday 18 April, they hosted Primrose RFC at the Danie Craven Stadium, securing a 36-21 victory.

Mixed results

SLA newcomers Franschhoek have impressed so far, claiming eighth place on the log after a victory and defeat.

The men from the valley were especially impressive in their derby duel against VDE in the season’s opening fixture, thumping their neighbours 17-55 to take the win and bragging rights.

They however stumbled in their home match against Hamilton RFC on 18 April, suffering a 8-59 loss.

Playing in SLA for a second season seems to be taking its toll on VDE early in the season, the team having suffered two defeats in as many matches and sitting in last place on the log.

After their defeat to Franschhoek, they showed little to no improvement in their home meeting with False Bay RFC last weekend. After their 0-111 overhaul, the VDE coaching staff will be furiously making plans to get their charges back to winning ways.

Meanwhile, Pniël Villagers are front runners in Super League C, securing two victories from two matches so far. In their season opener against Raithby Universals (RU), the men from the Dwarsrivier Valley recorded a 34-22 victory and dominated proceedings in their match against Strand United, winning 41-5.

Kylemore RFC have also enjoyed a perfect start to their SLC season, taking the spoils in their outings against Strand RFC (32-20) and Langa RFC (15-34).

For RU, though, it has been a tough return to SLC, as they bowed the knee in both their encounters, losing to Pniël Villagers and narrowly going down to Scottsdene-Central (18-15).

Hot contest

Four weeks of play have already been recorded in the Northern League, which features five teams from the Stellenbosch region – Blue Stars United, Excelsior RFC, Stellenbosch-Coronations, Blakes RFC, Cloetesville RFC and Faure RFC.

In this toughly contested league, both Blakes and Blue Stars are undefeated after four matches, but Blakes’ superior points difference sees them top the log ahead of the men from Klapmuts. The past weekend Blakes beat Cloetesville 36-0 in a derby and Blue Stars thumped Gordon’s Bay Pioneers 17-99.

Corries’ three wins from four outings sees them slotted in third place on the log, their 10-22 victory over Police Blackheath bolstering their spot.

Excelsior has had a mixed start to the season, having secured a win and draw, but suffered two defeats. Last weekend they played to a 23-all stalemate with Whistling Wheels, which leaves them in fifth place on the log.

Faure has secured a single win from their four outings, meaning they are mid-table in sixth place. At the weekend, they narrowly lost 13-8 to Morning Star.

Cloetesville are battling to get going this season, having lost all three of their matches so far.

This week’s fixtures:

– Wednesday 22 April: Maties vs UWC (SLA). Result: Maties won 29-20.

– Saturday 25 April:

• SLA: Primrose vs Franschhoek (Rosmead Sports Ground).
• SLC: Atlantis vs Kylemore (Protea Park); Pniël Villagers vs Watsonia Warriors (Pniël Sports Ground); RU vs Gardens (Raithby Sports Ground).
• Northern League: Blue Stars vs Whistling Wheels (Kylemore Sports Ground); Excelsior vs Police Blackheath (Cloetesville Sports Ground); Corries vs Cloetesville (Ida’s Valley Sports Ground).