2016 Varsity Cup

The 2016 Varsity Cup was contested from 8 February to 11 April 2016. The tournament (also known as the FNB Varsity Cup presented by Steinhoff International for sponsorship reasons) was the ninth season of the Varsity Cup, an annual inter-university rugby union competition featuring eight South African universities.

The tournament was won by NWU Pukke, who beat Maties 7–6 in the final played on 11 April 2016. No team was automatically relegated to the second-tier Varsity Shield competition for 2017 and bottom side UCT Ikey Tigers beat UWC in a relegation play-off to remain in the competition for 2017.

Following a disruption during the Round Three match between UFS Shimlas and NMMU Madibaz and general unrest on various university campuses, all fixtures scheduled for 29 February were postponed to 4 April, with the semi-finals and final also postponed by a week. On 1 March, it was also announced that the round of matches scheduled for 7 March would also be postponed, with the situation at various universities being monitored to determine when the competition would resume. After a meeting by the executive management of Varsity Rugby on 9 March, it was decided that all remaining matches in the competition would be played at neutral venues and that matches should resume on 14 March.

There were eight participating universities in the 2016 Varsity Cup. These teams played each other once over the course of the season, either home or away.

Teams received four points for a win and two points for a draw. Bonus points were awarded to teams that scored four or more tries in a game, as well as to teams that lost a match by seven points or less. Teams were ranked by log points, then points difference (points scored less points conceded).

The top four teams qualified for the title play-offs. In the semi-finals, the team that finished first had home advantage against the team that finished fourth, while the team that finished second had home advantage against the team that finished third. The winners of these semi-finals played each other in the final, at the home venue of the higher-placed team.

The bottom team in the Varsity Cup qualified for a relegation play-off against the runner-up of the Varsity Shield at the end of the season.

The Varsity Cup introduced a new scoring system for 2016, where tries could be worth five, seven or nine points, depending on the point where the try-scoring move originated. If the try-scoring move originated in the opponents' 22, it would count five points. If the try-scoring move originated between the halfway line and the opponents' 22, two bonus points were awarded for a seven-point try. If the try originated in the try-scoring team's own half, four bonus points were awarded and the try would be worth nine points. In another change from previous seasons, the points for kicks reverted to the common scoring system used in rugby union – conversions were worth two points, while penalties and drop goals were worth three points.