10 March 2010 (09:51) - The Champion Tour – an initiative by the South African Rugby Union to celebrate rugby with supporters after a momentous 2009 season – arrives in the province on 18 March having traversed the length and breadth of the country over the past few weeks.

The 45-day Champion Tour officially began in Cape Town on Friday, February 5 and along the 7000km route visits all 14 provincial unions, finishing in Durban, stopping off at Century Casino in Newcastle from 3pm on 18 March. The following day, the tour descends on Pietermaritzburg at the Woodburn Stadium from 2.30pm to 5pm. The Tour concludes on the weekend of 20/21 March in Durban including a club rugby tournament at Harlequins on the Bluff from 1-5pm on the Saturday. More information will follow.

A giant, trophy-filled trailer showcasing the game’s outstanding success in 2009 is the showpiece of the tour. Twelve trophies will be on display in specially constructed and secured cabinets, explaining the history of the trophies as well as the work of SARU. The Springboks earned the IRB Team of the Year title after claiming the series against the British & Irish Lions, the Vodacom Tri-Nations, Nelson Mandela Challenge Plate and Freedom Cup while the Springbok Sevens team won the IRB World Sevens Series and the Vodacom Bulls won the Super 14 title.

Rugby fans will be able to see all of the trophies collected by Peter de Villiers’ Springboks in 2009: The Vodacom Tri-Nations trophy, the IRB Team of the Year Award, the Unity Cup for winning the Castle South Africa 2009 Lions Series, the Mandela Challenge Plate, the Freedom Cup, the Webb Ellis Cup as well as the Absa Currie Cup and the SAA National Club Champs trophy have also been added to the tour to offer a once-in-a-lifetime experience for South African rugby followers.