the 2019 rugby challenge – known as the supersport rugby challenge for sponsorship reasons – was the 2019 season of the rugby challenge, the secondary domestic rugby union competition in south africa. it was the third edition of the competition organised by the south african rugby union and was played between 27 april and 22 june 2019. there were sixteen teams participating in the competition; the fourteen provincial unions, plus n side the and the zimbabwe academy. these teams were divided into two sections, with eight teams playing in each of the north section and the south section.