The under 21 tournament serves as a breeding ground for future talent, as provinces aim to nurture and develop young rugby playing boys into the senior provincial competitions of the Vodacom Cup and Absa Currie Cup.

Vodacom WP u21 compete in Section A of the tournament, which includes the Blue Bulls, Boland, Free State, Golden Lions, Kwa Zulu Natal and the Leopards. After a completion of a single round, teams go into the knock-out stages of a semi final and final. The Absa U21 Tournament final is played as a curtainraiser to the Absa Currie Cup final.