The Vodacom Bulls have played their away matches in October in a pink jersey in honour of Breast Cancer Awareness Month and, on Sunday, Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria will be bathed in pink as the title sponsors of the Vodacom URC in South Africa join fans and players in showing that “United We Care” for each other.

Qatar Airways’ pitchside assets, the Official Airline Partner of the Vodacom United Rugby Championship, will also “go pink” in both the northern and southern hemispheres. Thanks to Qatar Airways, the referees for the six Vodacom URC matches in Europe this weekend will wear special pink jerseys to mark the occasion and their support for this important cause.

The Vodacom Bulls and Cell C Sharks will carry the “United We Care” message on their backs during the much-anticipated South African derby which will be broadcast live on SuperSport, Premier Sports and URC.tv across South Africa, the UK and Ireland.

Historically bitter rivals, the two teams will be playing for a common cause on Sunday – the Vodacom Bulls for the Cancer Association of South Africa (CANSA) and the Cell C Sharks for PinkDrive.  

The message of awareness and early detection of breast cancer is a key focus area for both non-profit organisations that provide life-saving, free screening services to the medically uninsured to test for breast and cervical cancer.

Vodacom gave fans the opportunity to show their support by uploading a photo of themselves or someone they know who has suffered from or is fighting breast cancer, which could feature in the number printed on the back of the limited-edition match-day jerseys of both teams.