Current season or competition: 2025 Currie Cup Premier Division | |
 | |
| Sport | Rugby union |
|---|---|
| Instituted | 1891 |
| Inaugural season | 1892 |
| Number of teams | Premier Division: 8 First Division: 6 |
| Country |  South Africa |
| Holders | Griquas (2025) |
| Most titles | Western Province (34) Four shared (4) |
| Broadcast partner | SuperSport SABC 2 FloSports Sky Sports Stan RugbyPass Star+ |
| Related competition | SA Cup |
TheCurrie Cup (Afrikaans:Curriebeker) isSouth Africa's premier domesticrugby union competition featuring teams representing either entire provinces or substantial regions within provinces. The Currie Cup dates back to 1891.
The Currie Cup is one of theoldest rugby competitions,[1] with the first games played in 1889, although it was only in 1892 that it became officially known as the Currie Cup. The competition had its humble beginnings as an inter-province competition in 1884, but when theSouth African Rugby Board was founded in 1889 it decided to organize a national competition that would involve representative teams from all the major unions. The original participating unions wereWestern Province,Griqualand West,Transvaal andEastern Province. The first tournament was held inKimberley and was won byWestern Province. For a prize they received a silver cup donated by the South African Rugby Board, now displayed at the SA Rugby Museum inCape Town. The story of how the Currie Cup came to be comes from the first overseas rugby team to tour South Africa in 1891, The British Isles, who carried with them a particularly precious bit of cargo. Among the bags, boots and balls was a golden cup given to them bySir Donald Currie, owner ofUnion-Castle Lines, the shipping company that transported them to the southern tip of Africa. Sir Donald was clear with his instructions – hand this trophy over to the team in South Africa that gives the best game; and after a spirited display where the unbeaten British Lions narrowly won 3–0,Griqualand West became the first ever holders of the Currie Cup. They then handed the trophy over to the South African rugby board and it became the floating trophy for the Currie Cup competition. The inaugural Currie Cup tournament was thus held in 1892 withWestern Province earning the honour of holding it aloft as the first official winners.
Western Province dominated the competition's early years, and by 1920 the team from Cape Town had already secured the trophy 10 times. OnlyGriqualand West could halt the rampant WP side and win the trophy in 1899 and 1911. In 1922 theTransvaal won the competition for the first time, howeverWestern Province would continue to dominate the Currie Cup throughout the 1920s and 1930s, winning the trophy a further 4 times and sharing it twice withBorder. In 1939 the trophy returned to Johannesburg for only the second time afterTransvaal defeatedWestern Province in Cape Town. This was the first time WP had lost a final at their home groundNewlands. The Currie Cup went into hiatus during the Second World War but resumed in 1946 whenNorthern Transvaal claimed their first ever trophy by beatingWestern Province 11–9 in the final atLoftus Versfeld in Pretoria.The late 1940s and early 1950s were dominated byTransvaal who would win the trophy in 1950 and 1952, however in 1954 the Currie Cup would finally return south followingWestern Province's narrow 11–8 victory overNorthern Transvaal in the final at Newlands in Cape Town. The competition missed a few years here for reasons such as war and the like, but in 1968 it became a fully fledged annual showpiece.
At the end of the apartheid 1980s, South African rugby supporters were treated to two of the most memorable Currie Cup finals. In 1989 wingerCarel du Plessis scored a last-minute try as WP managed to draw withNorthern Transvaal 16-all, Riaan Gouws missed the conversion which would have given WP its 6th title of the decade a feat which has never been achieved. The following year the Blue Bulls slipped up, though, and Natal sneaked home 18–12, inspired by fly-halfJoel Stransky. The 1990s saw further improvement by Natal and the rise ofFrancois Pienaar's Transvaal. Since the end of apartheid in 1990–4, and the age of professionalism in rugby union in the early 1990s, the Currie Cup has become much more competitive with no team able to carve out an era of dominance like that of WP in the early years orNorthern Transvaal in the 1970s and 1980s.
In order to adjust to the European competition calendar, from the 2024 season the Currie Cup takes place in a new window between July and late September.[2]
The following 14 provincial unions participate in the Currie Cup:
| Currie Cup teams | |||
| Team | Home base | Region | Last appearance in Premier Division |
|---|---|---|---|
 Blue Bulls | Pretoria | The Pretoria metropolitan area andLimpopo province | 2025 |
 Boland Cavaliers | Wellington | Northern and central districts of theWestern Cape province | 2025 |
 Border Bulldogs | East London | Eastern districts of theEastern Cape province | 1999 |
 Eastern Province Elephants | Gqeberha | Western districts of theEastern Cape province | 2016 |
 Free State Cheetahs | Bloemfontein | Central and western districts of theFree State province | 2025 |
 Golden Lions | Johannesburg | Johannesburg and theWest Rand | 2025 |
 Griffons | Welkom | Northern and eastern districts of theFree State province | 2024 |
 Griquas | Kimberley | Northern Cape province | 2025 |
 Leopards | Potchefstroom | North West province | 2011 |
 Pumas | Mbombela | Mpumalanga province | 2025 |
 Sharks | Durban | KwaZulu-Natal province | 2025 |
 SWD Eagles | George | Eastern districts of theWestern Cape province | 2004 |
 Valke[a] | Kempton Park | TheEast Rand and other municipalities to the east and south of Johannesburg | 2008 |
 Western Province | Cape Town | Cape Town metropolitan area | 2025 |
Between 1892 and 1920, the competition was held as a centralised tournament, with the team with the best record crowned as the winner. Between 1922 and 1936 (as well as in three tournaments between 1957 and 1966), the winner was the team with the best record following a round-robin competition. In all the other seasons, a final was played to determine the champion.
In addition to the winners above,Western Province also won theSouth African Rugby Board Trophy in 1889. This tournament was effectively the precursor to the Currie Cup, which started in 1892.
1 Western Province and Transvaal did not compete.
2 Contested over two seasons.
3 Transvaal were renamed the Gauteng Lions; now known as Golden Lions.
4 Orange Free State were renamed the Free State Cheetahs.
5 Northern Transvaal were renamed the Blue Bulls.
6 Natal were renamed the Sharks.
7 Contested between November and January due toCOVID-19 pandemic.
8 Final went to extra-time.
1 The 2020 Currie Cup First Division was cancelled due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.
2 The final went into extra time. It remained 27 all after the time was up and Boland was determined champions due to scoring more tries in the final.
| SA Cup Champions and Finals Results | ||||
| Season | Champions | Runner-Up | Score | Final Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Griquas | Pumas | 46–24 | Griqua Park,Kimberley |
| 2025 | Pumas | Griquas | 39–14 | Mbombela Stadium,Mbombela |
| Mzansi Challenge Champions and Finals Results | ||||
| Season | Champions | Runner-Up | Score | Final Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Valke | SWD Eagles | 55–38 | Barnard Stadium,Kempton Park |
South African Rugby Union announced that fans would get a chance to vote and select their own Currie Cup Select XV. Two matches were played in 2021 and 2022.
| Champions Match Results | ||||
| Season | Winner | Runner-Up | Score | Final Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 Champions match | Currie Cup Select XV |  Kenya | 85–17 | Loftus Versfeld Stadium,Pretoria |
| 2022 Champions match | Carling Champions team |  Italy A | 31–27 | Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium,Gqeberha |
| Overall record in the Currie Cup Premier Division | |||||
| Team | Number of titles | Runner-up | Semi-Finalists | Notes | Most recent title |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Western Province | 34 | 13 | 11 | Four titles shared | 2017 |
| Northern Transvaal/Blue Bulls | 25 | 9 | 11 | Four titles shared | 2021 |
| Transvaal/Gauteng Lions/Golden Lions | 11 | 14 | 11 | One title shared | 2015 |
| Natal/Sharks | 9 | 12 | 14 | 2024 | |
| Orange Free State/Free State Cheetahs | 7 | 9 | 15 | One title shared | 2023 |
| Griqualand West/Griquas | 4 | 1 | 4 | 2025 | |
| Border/Border Bulldogs | 2 | 0 | 0 | Two titles shared | 1934 |
| South Eastern Transvaal/Pumas | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2022 | |
| Eastern Transvaal/Falcons/Valke | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| Boland/Boland Cavaliers | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| Northern Free State/Griffons | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| Eastern Province | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| South West Africa | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| SWD/SWD Eagles | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| Rhodesia | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| Western Transvaal/Leopards | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
Since the competition became established as an annual competition in 1968 (see History above).
| Team | Number of wins | Number shared | Number runners-up | Years won | Years shared | Year runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Transvaal/Blue Bulls | 19 | 4 | 8 | 1968, 1969, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1987, 1988, 1991, 1998, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2009, 2020–21, 2021 | 1971, 1979, 1989, 2006 | 1970, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1990, 2005, 2008, 2016 |
| Western Province | 11 | 2 | 10 | 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2012, 2014, 2017 | 1979, 1989 | 1969, 1976, 1980, 1988, 1995, 1998, 2010, 2013, 2015, 2018 |
| Natal/Sharks | 9 | 0 | 11 | 1990, 1992, 1995, 1996, 2008, 2010, 2013, 2018, 2024 | 1984, 1993, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2011, 2012, 2017, 2020–21, 2021 | |
| Transvaal/Gauteng Lions/Golden Lions | 6 | 1 | 13 | 1972, 1993, 1994, 1999, 2011, 2015 | 1971 | 1968, 1974, 1986, 1987, 1991, 1992, 1996, 2002, 2007, 2014, 2019, 2024, 2025 |
| Orange Free State/Free State Cheetahs | 6 | 1 | 9 | 1976, 2005, 2007, 2016, 2019, 2023 | 2006 | 1973, 1975, 1977, 1978, 1981, 1994, 1997, 2004, 2009 |
| Griqualand West/Griquas | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1970, 2025 | 2022 | |
| Pumas | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2022 | 2023 | |
| Eastern Transvaal/Falcons/Valke | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1972 |
| Overall winners in the Currie Cup First Division | |||||
| Team | Number of wins | Runners-up | Years won | Year Runner-up | Secondary titles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boland Cavaliers | 7 | 0 | 2001, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2011, 2023, 2024 | ||
| Griffons | 6 | 2 | 2008, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2022, 2025 | 2019, 2021 | |
| SWD Eagles | 3 | 3 | 2002, 2007, 2018 | 2009, 2010, 2015 | |
| Pumas | 3 | 1 | 2005, 2009, 2013 | 2012 | 2025 SA Cup |
| Leopards | 2 | 6 | 2015, 2021 | 2001, 2003, 2006, 2008, 2016, 2017 | |
| Eastern Province Kings/Eastern Province Elephants | 2 | 6 | 2010, 2012 | 2000, 2007, 2011, 2013, 2022, 2024 | |
| Blue Bulls | 1 | 0 | 2000 | ||
| Jaguares XV | 1 | 0 | 2019 | ||
| Falcons/Valke | 0 | 5 | 2005, 2014, 2018, 2023, 2025 | Mzanzi Challenge | |
| Border | 0 | 2 | 2002, 2004 | ||
| Griquas | 0 | 0 | 2024 SA Cup | ||
| Name | Team/s | Seasons | Games |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hugh Reece-Edwards | Natal | 1982–1995 | 165 |
| Jacques Botes | Pumas/Sharks | 2002–2014 | 156 |
| Helgard Müller | Free State Cheetahs | 1983–1998 | 142 |
| Rudi Visagie | Free State/Natal/Mpumalanga | 1980–1996 | 141 |
| Chris Badenhorst | Free State Cheetahs | 1987–1999 | 136 |
| Burger Geldenhuys | Blue Bulls | 1977–1989 | 128 |
| André Joubert | Free State/Natal | 1986–1999 | 126 |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
