The Gold Cup is the premier rugby union club competition in South Africa for non-university teams.

On 20 September 2012, the South African Rugby Union announced the launch of the SARU Community Cup to replace the National Club Championships.

After three seasons during which the matches were played over the Easter weekend, it was rebranded as the Gold Cup, moved to a timeslot later in the year and also included teams from Namibia and Zimbabwe.

[2] Each season, twenty teams qualify for the Gold Cup from the club leagues of the fourteen provincial unions in South Africa.

The winner and runner-up of each pool enter the play-off stage, held at a neutral venue over the Easter long weekend each year.