Mixed matches to launch at Rugby Tens Championship 2023
World premiere in team sports.
Rugby Tens Championship today announced an exciting new, and world-first, competition format for the 3rd edition of the Rugby Tens Championship (R10C). Taking place in November in Strand, Cape Town, 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 2023, 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 being announced shortly.
Pool games will take place on 18 and 22 November 2023, while the finals will be played on 25 November 2023.
About R10C
The Rugby Tens Championship (R10C) is a professional Rugby 10s competition that offers equal opportunities to athletes worldwide. Through its franchises, each fielding men’s, women’s, boys’, and girls’ teams, R10C is committed to promoting equality, diversity, and inclusion in rugby.
For more information R10C, visit RugbyTens.com
Media contact
Jaco-Louis Groenewald
ASEM Engage
+27 (0)21 418 7845
Likho Nonyongo
ASEM Engage
+27 (0)21 418 7845
