About
The Airlink Pumas from Mpumalanga defied the odds and made history by winning South Africa's oldest and premier provincial competition in 2022, after beating Windhoek Draught Griquas in a pulsating Currie Cup Premier Division final in Kimberley on 25 June. The Pretoria-based Vodacom Bulls won the title in 2020 and 2021, but lost in the semi-finals in 2022. In 2023, these three sides will be joined by the Toyota Cheetahs (from Bloemfontein), Cell C Sharks (Durban), DHL Western Province (Cape Town), Fidelity ADT Lions (Johannesburg) and the Novavit Griffons (Welkom), who were promoted after winning the First Division in 2022.
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 |
![]() Airlink Pumas
|
4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 186 | 76 | 110 | 26 | 10 | 19 |
2 |
![]() Toyota Cheetahs
|
4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 147 | 99 | 48 | 21 | 13 | 15 |
3 |
![]() Fidelity ADT Lions
|
4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 130 | 126 | 4 | 19 | 15 | 13 |
4 |
![]() Cell C Sharks
|
4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 114 | 105 | 9 | 17 | 13 | 10 |
5 |
![]() DHL Western Province
|
4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 105 | 113 | -8 | 11 | 16 | 10 |
6 |
![]() Windhoek Draught Griquas
|
4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 112 | 123 | -11 | 14 | 15 | 10 |
7 |
![]() NovaVit Griffons
|
4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 86 | 153 | -67 | 7 | 23 | 5 |
8 |
![]() Vodacom Bulls
|
4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 83 | 168 | -85 | 12 | 22 | 3 |
Vodacom Bulls
07 Apr | Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
17:00
Windhoek Draught Griquas
Cell C Sharks
07 Apr | Hollywoodbets Kings Park, Durban
19:05
Airlink Pumas
DHL Western Province
08 Apr | DHL Stadium, Cape Town
19:00
NovaVit Griffons
Fidelity ADT Lions
09 Apr | Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg
15:00
Toyota Cheetahs
European Professional Club Rugby
Stormers hold out Quins to seal quarter-final spotThe DHL Stormers held out a determined Harlequins outfit to score five tries to four for a 32-28 victory in their Heineken Champions Cup round of 16 clash at the DHL Stadium in Cape Town on Saturday and in the process booked their place in the quarter-finals.
European Professional Club Rugby
Rampant Sharks into Champions Cup quarter-finalsThe Cell C Sharks stormed into the Heineken Champions Cup quarter-finals with a thrilling 50-35 triumph over Munster at Hollywoodbets Kings Park in Durban on Saturday afternoon.
European Professional Club Rugby
Superb Lions too good for Racing in Joburg playoffThe Emirates Lions - playing with only 14 men for more than an hour - delivered a superb performance to beat French club Racing 92 by 51-28 in their EPCR Challenge Cup playoff in Johannesburg on Saturday evening.
European Professional Club Rugby
Toulon knock Cheetahs out of EuropeFrench giants Toulon knocked the Toyota Cheetahs out of the EPCR Challenge Cup with a 36-21 (half-time 19-0) victory at the Stade Félix Mayol in the south of France on Saturday.
European Professional Club Rugby
Massive task for SA sides in business end of European competitionsThe South African teams will face a big task this weekend as the Heineken Champions Cup and European Challenge Cup reaches the business end in the opening playoff rounds, where all five domestic franchises will look to book places in the quarter-finals.