The return of the Boland Cavaliers to the Currie Cup Premier Division represents more than just promotion, it’s the manifestation of an ambitious vision that could reshape South Africa’s rugby landscape, writes DEVIN HERMANUS.

Under the guidance of head coach Hawies Fourie, backed by a partnership with the Blue Bulls Rugby Union and anchored by financial group Sanlam’s investment, the Cavaliers are targeting heights that extend far beyond domestic competition.

The Cavaliers beat Fourie’s former team, the Cheetahs, in Wellington on Saturday in their Currie Cup season opener that marked their first appearance in the Premier Division of rugby’s oldest competition since 2016.

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The Bolanders secured qualification after finishing fourth in the 2025 SA Cup league phase, before going down 31-29 in the semi-finals to eventual champions, the Pumas, in Nelspruit.

As Africa’s largest rugby union by club numbers, boasting over 200 affiliated clubs across the Western Cape, Boland possess a talent pipeline that has produced Springbok world champions Kurt-Lee Arendse, Canan Moodie and Willie le Roux, while the late Cornal Hendricks – who passed away from a heart attack in May – epitomises the region’s capacity to nurture world-class players.

“Our biggest asset is the club rugby in the Boland,” says Sanlam sponsorship manager Gary van Loggerenberg, whose involvement in Boland rugby extends beyond corporate responsibilities. “If you speak to players like Kurt-Lee Arendse, Canan Moodie, those boys who came through the ranks in the Boland, those are the people who we want to keep in the Boland.”

The strategic partnership with the Bulls, formalised in June 2023 when Johann Rupert and Patrice Motsepe acquired a 74% stake in the Boland Rugby Union, has provided the foundation for professional transformation. This model draws inspiration from South African football’s success stories, particularly Stellenbosch FC’s meteoric rise to the Premier Soccer League, suggesting that similar upward mobility is achievable in rugby.

“Our whole drive is to keep local talent. We start at school level, then club level, and then the U21s, who have done really well,” Van Loggerenberg says. “And now, for the first time, these guys are professionals. They’re exposed to proper equipment, proper nutrition.”

The process has accelerated under Fourie, a former Boland player and 2023 Currie Cup winner with the Cheetahs. He has reinforced the squad with homegrown talent such as seasoned prop Andrew Beerwinkel, while maintaining focus on developing local players.

“We’ve ticked the boxes within a year from when they were all club players, and now most of them are pros,” Van Loggerenberg says. “It’s been a process, and they’ve just made the step up.

“And then obviously Coach Hawies brought some of the boys back like Andrew Beerwinkel, and his focus was the tight five. His whole focus now is shifting to the Currie Cup.

“It might sound a bit ambitious but ultimately Boland want to play in the URC. That’s their whole aim, that’s ultimately where they see themselves.”

Should Boland achieve URC status, it would mark the first expansion of South African representation in the competition since the original four franchises (the Bulls, Stormers, Sharks and Lions) joined in 2021. Such an achievement could potentially inspire similar transformations across provincial rugby in the Republic.

The transition from amateur to professional status has addressed challenges that previously hampered the Cavaliers.

“It had been mostly an amateur set-up, that had been the challenge, which unfortunately meant a lot of our top homegrown talent had to leave to play elsewhere,” Van Loggerenberg says. “But obviously, it’s going to change, and with more professional exposure comes more national coverage from playing against the Bulls, Cheetahs and Lions at home. It lifts the profile and with lifting the profile comes investment, and more sponsors.”

Central to this philosophy is the desire to restore regional pride and create sustainable pathways for young players, and according to Van Loggerenberg, the inspirational Hendricks exemplified this vision with his foundation and philanthropic work in the Boland.

“We want to bring the pride back with the Boland jersey, and want the kids to aspire to play for Boland, and we want to keep that local talent there,” he says. “Cornal was such an inspiring person for Boland, and it is just sad of course, they had big plans for him … But we want those guys to come back and reinvest in the communities, which is happening.”

Photo: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images