Currie Cup facts for kids

The Currie Cup (Afrikaans: Curriebeker) is South Africa's main competition for rugby union teams. It features teams that represent different provinces or large areas within provinces. Even though it's the top local competition, some South African teams also play in a bigger international league called the United Rugby Championship.

The Currie Cup has a long and rich history, going all the way back to 1891. It's seen as a very important part of South Africa's rugby story, and the shiny gold trophy is still the most special prize in South African rugby.

Quick facts for kids
Currie Cup

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: 9
Country	South Africa
Holders	Sharks (2024)
Most titles	Western Province (34) Four shared (4)
Broadcast partner	SuperSport SABC 2 FloSports Sky Sports Stan RugbyPass Star+
Related competition	SA Cup

History of the Currie Cup

The Currie Cup is one of the oldest rugby competitions in the world. The first games were played in 1889, but it officially became known as the Currie Cup in 1892.

The competition started as a way for different provinces to play against each other in 1884. When the South African Rugby Board was created in 1889, they decided to organize a national competition. Teams from Western Province, Griqualand West, Transvaal, and Eastern Province were the first to join.

The first tournament was held in Kimberley. Western Province won and received a silver cup from the South African Rugby Board. This cup is now in the SA Rugby Museum in Cape Town.

How the Currie Cup Trophy Started

The famous Currie Cup trophy has an interesting story! In 1891, the first overseas rugby team, the British Isles, toured South Africa. They brought a special golden cup with them. This cup was a gift from Sir Donald Currie, who owned the shipping company that brought them to South Africa.

Sir Donald told them to give the trophy to the South African team that played the best against them. After a tough game where the British Lions won narrowly, Griqualand West was chosen. They became the first team to hold the Currie Cup! They then gave the trophy to the South African rugby board, and it became the main prize for the Currie Cup competition.

The first official Currie Cup tournament was held in 1892, and Western Province became the first official winners.

The Currie Cup trophy

Early Years and Dominance

Western Province was very strong in the early years. By 1920, they had won the trophy 10 times! Only Griqualand West managed to win it in 1899 and 1911.

In 1922, the Transvaal team won for the first time. But Western Province continued to dominate through the 1920s and 1930s, winning four more times and sharing the trophy twice with Border.

In 1939, the trophy went back to Johannesburg when Transvaal beat Western Province in Cape Town. This was the first time Western Province lost a final at their home ground, Newlands.

The Currie Cup paused during the Second World War. It started again in 1946 when Northern Transvaal won their first trophy, beating Western Province 11–9.

The late 1940s and early 1950s saw Transvaal win in 1950 and 1952. In 1954, the Currie Cup returned to Cape Town after Western Province won a close game against Northern Transvaal. The competition became an annual event in 1968.

Modern Era of the Currie Cup

Towards the end of the 1980s, fans saw some very exciting Currie Cup finals. In 1989, Carel du Plessis scored a last-minute try, and Western Province drew 16-all with Northern Transvaal. The next year, Natal won 18–12, led by Joel Stransky.

The 1990s brought more success for Natal and the rise of Francois Pienaar's Transvaal team. Since the early 1990s, the Currie Cup has become much more competitive. No single team has been able to dominate for a long time, like Western Province or Northern Transvaal did in the past.

Today, other competitions like the United Rugby Championship and The Rugby Championship are also very important. However, the Currie Cup still holds a special place in the hearts of South African rugby fans and players. The trophy is still considered the ultimate prize in South African domestic rugby.

Since the 2024 season, the Currie Cup has been played between July and late September to fit better with the European rugby calendar.

Currie Cup Teams

There are 14 provincial rugby teams that play in the Currie Cup. They represent different parts of South Africa.

Map of South Africa showing the areas of the 14 Currie Cup teams

Currie Cup teams
Team	Home base	Region	Last appearance in Premier Division
Blue Bulls	Pretoria	The Pretoria area and the entire Limpopo province	2024
Boland Cavaliers	Wellington	Northern and central parts of the Western Cape province	2016
Border Bulldogs	East London	Eastern parts of the Eastern Cape province	1999
Eastern Province Elephants	Gqeberha	Western parts of the Eastern Cape province	2016
Free State Cheetahs	Bloemfontein	Central and western parts of the Free State province	2024
Golden Lions	Johannesburg	Johannesburg and the West Rand	2024
Griffons	Welkom	Northern and eastern parts of the Free State province	2024
Griquas	Kimberley	The entire Northern Cape province	2024
Leopards	Potchefstroom	The entire North West province	2011
Pumas	Mbombela	The entire Mpumalanga province	2024
Sharks	Durban	The entire KwaZulu-Natal province	2024
SWD Eagles	George	Eastern parts of the Western Cape province	2004
[[|Valke]]	Kempton Park	The East Rand and other towns east and south of Johannesburg	2008
Western Province	Cape Town	Cape Town area	2024

Currie Cup Champions

From 1892 to 1920, the Currie Cup was a tournament where the team with the best overall record won. Between 1922 and 1936 (and in a few years between 1957 and 1966), the winner was also the team with the best record after everyone played each other. In all other seasons, a final match was played to decide the champion.

Currie Cup Premier Division Winners

• This table is correct as of 24 September 2024.

Currie Cup First Division Winners

Currie Cup Records and Statistics

Here are some interesting records from the Currie Cup:

• Most Career Matches

• Most Career Points
  • 1. 1699 Naas Botha (Northern Transvaal) 1977–1992
  • 2. 1412 Willem de Waal (Leopards/Free State/WP) 2002–2010
  • 3. 1402 Eric Herbert (Northern Free State (Griffons)/Free State) 1986–2001
• Most Career Tries
  • 1. 74 John Daniels (Golden Lions/Boland Cavaliers)
  • 2. 66 Breyton Paulse (Western Province)
  • 3. 65 Chris Badenhorst (Free State)
• Most Individual Points in a Season
  • 1. 268 Johan Heunis (Northern Transvaal) 1989
  • 2. 263 Gavin Lawless (Golden Lions) 1996
• Most Individual Tries in a Season
  • 1. 21 Bjorn Basson (Griquas) 2010
  • 2. 19 Carel du Plessis (Western Province) 1989
  • 2. 19 Colin Lloyd (Leopards) 2006
• Most Points in a Match
  • Jannie de Beer – 46 points against Northern Free State in 1997
• Most Tries in a Match
  • Jacques Olivier – 7 tries against SWD in 1996
• Most Final Appearances
  • Burger Geldenhuys 11 times (Northern Transvaal—between 1977 and 1989)
  • Naas Botha 11 times (Northern Transvaal—between 1977 and 1991)

Broadcasting the Currie Cup

You can watch Currie Cup matches on TV and online:

• SuperSport shows live matches in South Africa.
• Sky Sports broadcasts live matches in Ireland and the United Kingdom.
• FloSports streams live matches online in North and South America.
• Nine Network streams matches live in Australia through Stan.
• RugbyPass streams live matches online in many countries in Asia and Europe.
• Star+ streams live matches in Latin América, including Brazil.

See also

In Spanish: Currie Cup para niños

• Rugby union in South Africa
• Super Rugby
• SA Cup
• Mzanzi Challenge