Rugby Africa adopts new format for 2019 Gold Cup
What you need to know:
- Namibia and Kenya headline Pools A and B respectively.
- Pool matches to be played in two different venues over three weeks.
- Pool winners to play in a final in November.
The 2019 Africa Gold Cup will have eight teams divided into two Pools A and B, Rugby Africa has announced.
2018 Gold Cup Champions Namibia are top seeds in Pool A that has Tunisia, Zimbabwe and the newly promoted Zambia. This year’s runners up Kenya headline Pool B alongside Uganda, Algeria and Morocco.
Zambia beat Botswana and Madagascar in the Silver Cup South while Algeria beat Ivory Coast and Senegal in Silver Cup North to qualify for the premier rugby competition on the continent.
In the proposed format, pool matches will be played in a round robin format in two different venues on different dates in July Test season. Pool A matches will be played between July 6 and July 14 while Pool B matches will take place between July 13 and July 21.
Participating unions have been asked to submit bids to host the pool matches. Winners of each pool will proceed to the final where the host will be chosen according to the points collected during the pool matches. The final will take place in November Test window.
Proposed dates and matches:
Pool A Matches:
6th July
Match 1- Namibia vs Tunisia
Match 2 – Zimbabwe vs Zambia
10th July
Match 3 – Namibia vs Zambia
Match 4 – Tunisia vs Zimbabwe
14th July
Match 5 – Namibia vs Zimbabwe
Match 6 – Tunisia vs Zambia
Pool B Matches
13th July
Match 1 – Kenya vs Uganda
Match 2 – Algeria vs Morocco
17th July
Match 3 – Kenya vs Morocco
Match 4 – Algeria vs Uganda
21st July
Match 5 – Kenya vs Algeria
Match 6 – Uganda vs Morocco
