The inaugural Stones Cup saw Blue Bulls Deaf lift the trophy after an unbeaten run over WP Thunder, WP Cyclones, and then the SA Invitational XV in the final clash at Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein.
The opening match of the tournament at Hoerskool Sentraal saw the Bulls run riot as they beat WP Thunder, whilst the SA Invitational XV went down to the Cyclones. The second round of fixtures at Bobbies Park had Thunder pick up their first victory of the competition as they downed the Invitational XV in torrential rain before the Bulls dominated the Cyclones in a game that had to be shortened due to dangerous weather – with a runaway score building, that made no difference to the final result.
The final round of the tournament was spread over two days, with Thunder taking on the Cyclones at Bobbies Park, with Thunder taking the honours in their last match on the Friday evening before the Bulls faced the Invitational XV at Toyota Stadium. The Invitational XV were swept aside by a rampant Bulls side, who not only secured a bonus-point victory in the final fixture, but also kept a clean sheet to secure the first ever Stones Cup title.
Credit must go to Franco Louw and the Free State Deaf Rugby Union committee for the successful hosting of the tournament, to the Toyota Free State Cheetahs for their assistance, and, of course, to all our sponsors.
All of the matches bar the final one at Toyota Stadium are available on DigiTV.
Round 1: