Fans will not be allowed in the stadiums when local action resumes with Super Fan Saturday, but Vodacom will help them get behind their team next weekend.

Local action will resume on 26 September when the Vodacom Bulls take on the Sharks, and the Lions battle the Stormers on ‘Vodacom Super Fan Saturday’.

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As expected, spectators won’t be allowed inside the stadiums due to Covid-19 regulations, however Vodacom will help South African rugby fans to get behind their team like never before.

By taking a photo of themselves in their favourite Super Rugby supporters’ gear and uploading it to their favourite team’s Super Fan Saturday website, fans will book their seat in the Fan Stand for the epic return of rugby.

Fans can visit the website, click on their favourite team and upload their photo to their team’s page. Fans who upload their photos stand a chance to win prize hampers consisting of Vodacom data and Vodacom Super Rugby jerseys.

Thousands of fan images will be printed on giant cardboard cut-outs that will be placed in the seats at Loftus Versfeld, creating a festival of fandom.

Every point scored during the double-header will result in a donation of R2,500 to #RugbyUnites and their supply of food parcels to various charities around South Africa to help alleviate the burden caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

‘The game of rugby had to change and adapt because of the lockdown regulations and the coronavirus, but the passion of the fans remains the same,’ Michelle van Eyden, head of sponsorship at Vodacom, said.

‘We at Vodacom know how important it is for fans to still feel connected to their favourite sport and team. With #SuperFanSaturday, we’re side-stepping the challenges and putting the fans back in the stands in a new and exciting way for sport. We can’t be together, but we can stay fans.’

SA Rugby CEO Jurie Roux welcomed the Vodacom Super Fan Saturday concept as a highly proactive first step in rugby’s return to action.

‘It’s been a long wait for both the players and the fans, and we are grateful to Vodacom for being so creative about engineering the perfect return to the game that gives both the players and the fans something to look forward to,’ Roux said.

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