About
The Toyota Cheetahs dethroned the Airlink Pumas - the 2022 champions from Mbombela - by winning the Carling Currie Cup in 2023. The Pretoria-based Vodacom Bulls won the title in 2020 and 2021. These sides are joined in the 2024 Premier Division by the Hollywoodbets Sharks XV (Durban), DHL WP (Cape Town), Fidelity ADT Lions (Johannesburg), Suzuki Griquas (Kimberley) and Novavit Griffons (Welkom). This season, the teams are divided into two groups of four each by virtue of last year’s standings. The one group will consist of the Cheetahs (No 1 ranked last year), Bulls (4), WP (5) and the Griffons (8), while the second group are the Sharks XV (ranked No 2), Pumas (3), Lions (6) and Griquas (7). Teams will play home and away matches within their respective groups plus a single round of games against sides in the opposite group. In the end, the top four sides on the combined log will progress to the semi-finals, with the two winners set to battle it out in the final on 21 Sept.
The history
The Currie Cup is one of the oldest rugby competitions in the world, with the first games played in 1889, but it was only in 1892 that it became officially known as the Currie Cup. The original participating unions were Western Province, Griqualand West, Transvaal and Eastern Province. The first tournament was held in Kimberley and was won by Western Province. The Currie Cup trophy was donated to South Africa in 1891 by the touring British Isles team - it was given to the tourists by Sir Donald Currie, owner of Union-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 you the best game. After a spirited display where the unbeaten British Lions narrowly won 3-0, Griqualand West became the first ever holders of the Currie Cup.
| Pos | Team | PL | W | L | D | PF | PA | DIFF | TF | TA | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Toyota Cheetahs
|
4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 179 | 107 | 72 | 25 | 14 | 15 |
| 2 |
Fidelity ADT Lions
|
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 126 | 59 | 67 | 16 | 9 | 13 |
| 3 |
Vodacom Bulls
|
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 107 | 48 | 59 | 14 | 7 | 13 |
| 4 |
Airlink Pumas
|
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 96 | 120 | -24 | 14 | 17 | 10 |
| 5 |
DHL Western Province
|
3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 106 | 82 | 24 | 16 | 10 | 7 |
| 6 |
Suzuki Griquas
|
3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 71 | 100 | -29 | 11 | 14 | 6 |
| 7 |
Hollywoodbets Sharks
|
3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 77 | 91 | -14 | 12 | 13 | 4 |
| 8 |
NovaVit Griffons
|
4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 90 | 245 | -155 | 13 | 37 | 2 |
Vodacom Bulls
27 Jul | Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
17:15
DHL Western Province
Airlink Pumas
28 Jul | Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit
14:00
Suzuki Griquas
Toyota Cheetahs
02 Aug | Toyota Stadium, Bloemfontein
17:00
Vodacom Bulls
Airlink Pumas
03 Aug | Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit
15:00
Hollywoodbets Sharks
NovaVit Griffons
15 - 64
DHL Western Province
Carling Currie Cup
High drama as Boland defend First Division titleThe Sanlam Boland Kavaliers successfully defended their Carling Currie Cup First Division title in a tense final against a determined Eastern Province that went into extra time, with the hosts declared winners although the scores were tied 27-27 as they scored more tries in the match.
Women's Premier and First Divisions
Final play-off spots up for grabsThe final round of action in the Women’s Premier Division will see a frantic charge for fourth position and the final play-off spot by the Border Ladies and Sharks Women, while Sanlam Boland Dames will go big to give themselves an outside chance of overhauling DHL Western Province to finish second and grab semi-final hosting rights.
Carling Currie Cup
SuperSportBet backs Carling Currie CupSuperSportBet is backing the Carling Currie Cup in 2024, having confirmed yesterday that it wishes to become the official betting partner to the world’s oldest domestic rugby championship.
Carling Currie Cup
The 2024 Carling Currie Cup Bulletin #7The defending Carling Currie Cup Premier Division champions, the Toyota Cheetahs, will be keen to bounce back to winning ways in their Free State derby, while the Hollywoodbets Sharks XV will have to overcome the unbeaten Fidelity ADT Lions if they are to break their season duck in the fourth round this weekend.
Carling Currie Cup
The 2024 Carling Currie Cup Bulletin #6The Vodacom Bulls and Fidelity ADT Lions are the only two unbeaten teams left in the Carling Currie Cup Premier Division following victories over the Toyota Cheetahs and Suzuki Griquas in round three, while the First Division finalists were confirmed.
