The 2015 Vodacom Cup was contested from 6 March to 30 May 2015. The tournament was the 18th edition of the Vodacom Cup, an annual domestic South Africanrugby union competition, and was played between the fourteen provincial teams in South Africa, as well as the and Namibian side. The tournament was won by the for the first time; they beat 24–7 in the final played on 30 May 2015.
Competition rules and information
Sixteen teams participated in the 2015 Vodacom Cup competition. These teams were geographically divided into two sections, with eight teams in each of the Northern and Southern Sections. Teams played all the teams in their section once over the course of the season, either at home or away. At the request of the Namibia Rugby Union, all the ' matches were played in Windhoek. Teams received four log points for a win and two points for a draw. Bonus log points were awarded to teams that scored four or more tries in a game, as well as to teams that lost a match by seven points or less. Teams were ranked by log points, then points difference. The top four teams in each section qualified for the title play-offs. In the quarter finals, the teams that finished first in each section had home advantage against the teams that finished fourth in the other section and the teams that finished second in each section had home advantage against the teams that finished third in the other section. The winners of these quarter finals then played each other in the semi-finals, with the higher-placed team having home advantage. The two semi-final winners then met in the final.
Quotas
This competition saw the retention of the quota system used in 2014. Each match-day squad had to contain seven black players. Two of these had to be forwards and five of these had to be in the starting line-up.
Teams
Changes from 2014
In September 2014, the NamibiaRugby Union revealed that they were in talks with the South African Rugby Union to enter the competition for the first time since 2011. Namibia's participation was confirmed on 19 November 2014 and it was later revealed that their new sponsor, First National Bank, agreed to a three-year sponsorship deal which should ensure their participation in the competition until 2017. In addition, the Kenya Rugby Football Union also initially indicated that they intended to once again enter a team in the competition. However, after being included in the fixture list for the competition, the Kenyan RFU withdrew from the competition a month before its scheduled start date due to financial considerations. As a result, moved to the Southern Section of the competition, inheriting the Simba XV's fixtures.
Team Listing
The following teams took part in the 2015 Vodacom Cup competition:
Logs
Round-by-round
The table below shows each team's progression throughout the season. For each round, their cumulative points total is shown with the overall log position in brackets:
Results
The following matches were played in the 2015 Vodacom Cup: All times are South African.
Northern Section
Round One
Round Two
Round Three
Round Four
Round Five
Round Six
Round Seven
Round Eight
Round Nine
Southern Section
Round One
Round Two
Round Three
Round Four
Round Five
Round Six
Round Seven
Quarter Finals
Semi-Finals
Final
Honours
The honour roll for the 2015 Vodacom Cup was as follows:
Players
Player statistics
The following table contain points which were scored in the 2015 Vodacom Cup:
Squads
The teams released the following squad lists:
Discipline
The following table contains all the cards handed out during the tournament:
Referees
The following referees officiated matches in the 2015 Vodacom Cup:
