# 1988 Santam Bank Trophy Division A

The 1988 Santam Bank Trophy Division A was the third tier of domestic South African rugby, below the two Currie Cup divisions.

## Teams

* 1988 Santam Bank Trophy Division A
* Boland
* Border
* North Eastern Cape
* Northern Natal
* South Eastern Transvaal
* Western Province League

## Competition
### Regular season and title play-offs

There were six participating teams in the Santam Bank Trophy Division A. These teams were split into two sections of three teams each. Teams played the teams in their own section once over the course of the season and teams in the other section twice, once at home and once away. Teams received two points for a win and one points for a draw. The top team qualified for the Division A section finals, played at the home venue of the higher-placed team, as well as the Division A finals.

### Promotion play-offs

The Division A champion qualified for the promotion play-offs. That team played off against the team placed sixth in the Currie Cup Division B over two legs. The winner over these two ties qualified for the 1989 Currie Cup Division B, while the losing team qualified for the 1989 Santam Bank Trophy Division A.

### Relegation play-offs

The bottom team on the log with the worst record in their group qualified for the relegation play-offs. That team played off against the team that won the Santam Bank Trophy Division B over two legs. The winner over these two ties qualified for the 1989 Santam Bank Trophy Division A, while the losing team qualified for the 1989 Santam Bank Trophy Division B.

## Log

1988 Santam Bank Trophy Division A Section 1 Log :
| Pos | Team | Pl | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TA | Pts |
| 1 | South Eastern Transvaal | 8 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 161 | 130 | +31 | 20 | 14 | 12 |
| 2 | Boland | 8 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 172 | 145 | +27 | 20 | 18 | 8 |
| 3 | Border | 8 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 102 | 140 | −38 | 9 | 17 | 4 |
| South Eastern Transvaal qualified for the Division A Title play-off Final game and the Trophy Finals Semi-Final. ||||||||||||
| 1988 Santam Bank Trophy Division A Section 2 Log ||||||||||||
| 1 | North Eastern Cape | 8 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 145 | 108 | +37 | 16 | 12 | 12 |
| 2 | Western Province League | 8 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 140 | 127 | +13 | 19 | 12 | 8 |
| 3 | Northern Natal | 8 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 134 | 204 | −70 | 14 | 25 | 4 |
| North Eastern Cape qualified for the Division A Title play-off Final game and the Trophy Finals Semi-Final. Northern Natal qualified for the promotion/relegation play-off game. * Legend: Pos = Position, Pl = Played, W = Won, D = Drawn, L = Lost, PF = Points for, PA = Points against, PD = Points difference, TF = Tries for, TA = Tries against, Pts = Log points Points breakdown: *2 points for a win *1 point for a draw ||||||||||||

## Fixtures and results
### Round one

* Bye/s: Boland, Border

### Round two

* Bye/s: Boland, Northern Natal

### Round three

* Bye/s: Border, Western Province League

### Round four

* Bye/s: Boland, North Eastern Cape

### Round five

* Bye/s: South Eastern Transvaal, Western Province League

### Round six

* Bye/s: North Eastern Cape, Western Province League

### Round seven

* Bye/s: Northern Natal, South Eastern Transvaal

### Round eight

* Bye/s: Border, North Eastern Cape, Northern Natal, South Eastern Transvaal

### Round ten

* Bye/s: Boland, North Eastern Cape, Northern Natal, South Eastern Transvaal

### Round twelve

* Bye/s: Border, Western Province League

### Final
## Santam Bank Trophy Finals

The top two teams from Division A and the top two teams from Division B qualified to the Trophy finals:

### Final
## Promotion/relegation play-offs
### Promotion play-offs

In the promotion play-offs, South Eastern Transvaal beat Eastern Free State on aggregate and won promotion to the Currie Cup Division B. Eastern Free State were initially relegated to the Division A, but due to the Currie Cup Division A's subsequent expansion to 8 teams, they retained their place.

### Relegation play-offs

In the relegation play-offs, Northern Natal conceded the second leg to Far North, who won promotion to the Division A. Northern Natal were initially relegated to Division B, but due to the Currie Cup Division A's expansion to 8 teams, they retained their place.