...South Africa's domestic rugby competition, the Currie Cup, will include the Namibia national team in 2016 and be expanded to a seven-month long tournament which overlaps the Super Rugby season.
The South African Rugby Union (SARU) confirmed on Friday (Saturday NZ Time) that the world's oldest domestic rugby championship, first contested in 1889, would contain 15 teams and 166 matches, up from 76 games in 2015. It will be played between April and October.
Namibia have played in five Rugby World Cups but failed to win any of their 19 matches at the global showpiece tournament.
LEE WARREN/GETTY IMAGESJaco Kriel celebrates the Golden Lions' Currie Cup victory after defeating Western Province at Ellis Park.
The first round will see the 14 South African provincial sides and Namibia play in a round-robin format, with the unions that host the six Super Rugby franchises automatically advancing to the second stage.
They will be joined by the three other unions with the most points on the log table.
Those nine will form the Premier Division for the remainder of the competition, while the six teams that do not fall into that bracket will contest the First Division title.
"The enthusiasm for the Curie Cup remains intense among our members and the new format was driven by their desire to see all teams playing each other once again," Jurie Roux, CEO of the South African Rugby Union, said in a statement.
The Premier Division matches will start after the completion of the Super Rugby season.
