The 2016 Currie Cup Premier Division was the top tier of the second stage of the 2016
Currie Cup
The Currie Cup is South Africa's premier domestic rugby union competition, played each winter and spring (June to October), featuring teams representing either entire provinces or substantial regions within provinces. Although it is the premier ...
, the 78th edition of this annual South African rugby union competition organised by the
South African Rugby Union
The South African Rugby Union (SARU) is the governing body for rugby union in South Africa and is affiliated to World Rugby. It was established in 1992 as the South African Rugby Football Union, from the merger of the South African Rugby Board a ...
. It was played between 5 August and 22 October 2016 and featured nine teams that qualified through the
2016 Currie Cup qualification
The 2016 Currie Cup qualification series was a South African rugby union competition organised by the South African Rugby Union which was played between 9 April and 23 July 2016. It featured all fourteen South African provincial unions plus the f ...
competition.
The competition was won by the for the fifth time in their history; they beat the 36–16 in the final played on 22 October 2016.
The competition was reduced to seven teams for
2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...
, resulting in the and being relegated to the
2017 Currie Cup First Division
The 2017 Currie Cup First Division was the second tier of the 2017 Currie Cup competition, an annual South African rugby union competition organised by the South African Rugby Union. It was the 79th edition of the competition and was contested ...
.
Competition rules and information
There are nine participating teams in the 2016 Currie Cup Premier Division.
Qualification
The six franchise teams automatically qualified for the 2016 Currie Cup Premier Division, and were joined by the three highest-placed non-franchise teams from the
2016 Currie Cup qualification
The 2016 Currie Cup qualification series was a South African rugby union competition organised by the South African Rugby Union which was played between 9 April and 23 July 2016. It featured all fourteen South African provincial unions plus the f ...
stage. Points will not be carried over to the Premier Division.
Regular season and title playoffs
The nine teams that qualified for the Premier Division will play against each other over the course of the competition, either at home or away. Teams will receive four points for a win and two points for a draw. Bonus points will be awarded to teams that score four or more tries in a game, as well as to teams that lose a match by seven points or less. Teams will be ranked by log points, then points difference (points scored less points conceded).
The top four teams will qualify for the semifinals, which will be followed by a final.
Relegation
In March 2017, the
South African Rugby Union
The South African Rugby Union (SARU) is the governing body for rugby union in South Africa and is affiliated to World Rugby. It was established in 1992 as the South African Rugby Football Union, from the merger of the South African Rugby Board a ...
decided to reduce the competition to seven teams for
2017 Currie Cup Premier Division
The 2017 Currie Cup Premier Division was the top tier of the 2017 Currie Cup competition, an annual South African rugby union competition organised by the South African Rugby Union. It was the 79th edition of the competition and was contested betw ...
. The seven teams with the best record over the past five years were selected to remain in the Premier Division, which resulted in the and being relegated to the
2017 Currie Cup First Division
The 2017 Currie Cup First Division was the second tier of the 2017 Currie Cup competition, an annual South African rugby union competition organised by the South African Rugby Union. It was the 79th edition of the competition and was contested ...
.
Teams
The teams that qualified for the 2016 Currie Cup Premier Division are:
Team Listing
Standings
Round-by-round
The table below shows a team's progression throughout the season. For each round, each team's cumulative points total is shown with the overall log position in brackets.
Matches
The following matches were played in the 2016 Currie Cup Premier Division:
Round One
The 2016 Currie Cup Premier Division got off to a turbulent start after the reached the
2016 Super Rugby final
The 2016 Super Rugby Final was played between the Hurricanes and the Lions. It was the 21st final in the Super Rugby competition's history and the first under the expanded 18-team format. The Hurricanes had qualified in first place of the log sta ...
and requested that the be given a bye in Round One of the competition. In addition, the were liquidated the day before the competition was due to kick off. They were reformed with the help of their local municipal council, but with no coaches or players in place, their Round One match against was also postponed. On the field, the action got underway in
Pretoria
Pretoria () is South Africa's administrative capital, serving as the seat of the Executive (government), executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to South Africa.
Pretoria straddles the Apies River and extends ...
, where the beat
2015 losing finalists 45–26. They scored six tries, with
Tian Schoeman
Christian Francois Schoeman (born 23 September 1991 in Pretoria, South Africa) is a South African rugby union player. His regular position is fly-half.
Career
Youth
Schoeman played for Witbank-based outfit the in the 2010 Under-19 Provincia ...
kicking 15 points, while Western Province responded with four tries, all in the final twenty minutes of the match. In the other match played on the Friday evening, the beat the 33–10 in
Nelspruit
Mbombela (also known as Nelspruit) is a city in northeastern South Africa. It is the capital of the Mpumalanga province. Located on the Crocodile River (Mpumalanga), Crocodile River, Mbombela lies about by road west of the Mozambique border, ea ...
, outscoring the hosts by five tries to one. The biggest victory of the weekend came in the Saturday match, with the beating 44–16 in
Wellington
Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...
, also scoring five tries to one to go top of the log.
Fred Zeilinga
Frederik Johannes Zeilinga (born 11 December 1992) is a South African rugby union player for Canon Eagles in the Japanese Top League. His regular position is fly-half.
Career
Youth
Zeilinga represented the at Under-13, Under-16, Under-18, Unde ...
scored nineteen points in that match, the most by any player in Round One.
Round Two
The retained their spot at the top of the Currie Cup after outscoring the by six tries to two in a 43–20 victory in their match in Bloemfontein, while the kept pace with them by also securing a bonus-point victory in their match against , scoring six tries in a 46–24 victory in
Durban
Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...
. The started their title defense in style, with lock
Lourens Erasmus
Lourens Jacobus Erasmus (born 14 June 1993) is a South African professional rugby union player for the in Super Rugby and NTT DoCoMo Red Hurricanes in the Japanese Top League. His regular position is lock.
Career
Erasmus attended Hoërskool ...
scoring a try just 8.5 seconds into their match against the , a new
Currie Cup
The Currie Cup is South Africa's premier domestic rugby union competition, played each winter and spring (June to October), featuring teams representing either entire provinces or substantial regions within provinces. Although it is the premier ...
record for the fastest-ever try. The Golden Lions won the match 68–26 to move into third position on the log, scoring ten tries in the process, of which winger
Anthony Volmink
Anthony Alfred Volmink (born 10 February 1990) is a South African rugby union player who plays as a wing or fullback for the in Pro14 on loan from in the Currie Cup and in the Rugby Challenge.
Volmink made his Super Rugby debut on 2 June 20 ...
scored two. In the other match of the weekend, the secured their first win of the season, winning 28–10 in their first match against the in the Currie Cup Premier Division since
1999
File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shootin ...
.
Round Three
The secured their third consecutive bonus-points victory against the in
Wellington
Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...
, scoring six tries in a 41–20 win to leap-frog the into top spot on the log. Although the Cheetahs also won their third match in the competition – a 32–25 victory over with fly-half
Fred Zeilinga
Frederik Johannes Zeilinga (born 11 December 1992) is a South African rugby union player for Canon Eagles in the Japanese Top League. His regular position is fly-half.
Career
Youth
Zeilinga represented the at Under-13, Under-16, Under-18, Unde ...
contributing 22 points – their two tries were not enough to secure a bonus point. The remained in third position on the log after a high-scoring victory over the ; two tries from
Jamba Ulengo
Jamba Isaac Ulengo (born 7 January 1990) is a South African rugby union player for the Tel Aviv Heat. His regular position is wing.
Career
Youth and Varsity Cup rugby
He was chosen to represent the Free State at various youth levels while he ...
and 19 points from
Tian Schoeman
Christian Francois Schoeman (born 23 September 1991 in Pretoria, South Africa) is a South African rugby union player. His regular position is fly-half.
Career
Youth
Schoeman played for Witbank-based outfit the in the 2010 Under-19 Provincia ...
's boot helped the side to a 49–35 victory over an EP Kings side who secured their first log point of the season by scoring five tries of their own. In the other match, the lost their first match since the
2014 Currie Cup Final, with
Kimberley
Kimberly or Kimberley may refer to:
Places and historical events
Australia
* Kimberley (Western Australia)
** Roman Catholic Diocese of Kimberley
* Kimberley Warm Springs, Tasmania
* Kimberley, Tasmania a small town
* County of Kimberley, a ...
-based side beating them 30–24.
Round Four
The extended their lead at the top of the Currie Cup log to four points after securing a 26–19 victory over the , with fullback
Curwin Bosch
Curwin Dominique Bosch (born 25 June 1997) is a South African professional rugby union player for the in the United Rugby Championship and in the Currie Cup. He can play as a fly-half or a fullback.
Rugby career
2010–15: Schoolboy rugby
B ...
getting a "full house" – scoring points through all four methods (try, conversion, penalty and drop goal) – for a personal points tally of 21 points. The remained in second position on the log despite having a bye, while the moved ahead of the Blue Bulls following a 60–12 victory over the in Johannesburg, with
Selom Gavor
Selom Kwame Gavor (born ) is a South African professional rugby union player for the in the Rugby Challenge. He usually plays as a winger.
Career
Western Province
Gavor played rugby for Rondebosch Boys' High School in Cape Town. He first re ...
scoring two of the Lions' nine tries and fly-half
Marnitz Boshoff
Marnitz Louis Boshoff (born 11 January 1989) is a South African rugby union player who usually plays as a fly-half or fullback. He plays for the in Super Rugby, the in the Currie Cup and the in the Rugby Challenge, having previously played ...
kicking 15 points. maintained their play-off push with a 41–35 victory over the in
Nelspruit
Mbombela (also known as Nelspruit) is a city in northeastern South Africa. It is the capital of the Mpumalanga province. Located on the Crocodile River (Mpumalanga), Crocodile River, Mbombela lies about by road west of the Mozambique border, ea ...
, with both teams scoring four tries. Griquas centre
Clinton Swart
Clinton Ryno Swart (born 6 September 1992) is a professional South African rugby union player for Toyota Verblitz in the Top League in Japan. His regular position is fly-half or inside centre.
Career
Youth
Swart played first team rugby for ...
matched Bosch's 21 points in the match, eclipsing Pumas fly-half
Francois Brummer
Francois Brummer (born 17 May 1989) is a South African rugby union player for in the Pro14. His regular playing position is fly-half, although he has played fullback on occasion.
Career
Bulls / Blue Bulls
Brummer came through the youth rank ...
's 15 points, while
Rudi van Rooyen
Rudi "Poerie" van Rooyen (born 5 January 1992) is a South African rugby union player for Lokomotiv-Penza in the Professional Rugby League in Russia. His regular position is scrum-half.
Career
Youth and Varsity Cup rugby
Van Rooyen represent ...
scored two tries for the visitors. In the other match of the round, moved up to sixth place after beating bottom side 36–6, with
Huw Jones getting a hat-trick of tries for the team from Cape Town.
Round One (rescheduled)
A midweek match saw secure their third consecutive victory in the competition to move into third position on the log, while cementing the ' last place. Griquas also picked up a bonus point by virtue of scoring seven tries, with fullback
AJ Coertzen
Adriaan Jacobus Van der Berg Coertzen (born 16 October 1990 in Bethlehem, South Africa) is a South African rugby union player for in the Rugby Pro D2 in France. His regular position is winger or fullback.
Career
Youth rugby
Playing his high s ...
getting two.
Round Five
Despite suffering their first defeat of the season to , a bonus point in a 27–34 defeat saw the maintain top spot in the competition.
Curwin Bosch
Curwin Dominique Bosch (born 25 June 1997) is a South African professional rugby union player for the in the United Rugby Championship and in the Currie Cup. He can play as a fly-half or a fullback.
Rugby career
2010–15: Schoolboy rugby
B ...
was again the Sharks' main points contributor with 18 points through five penalties and converting one of the Sharks' two tries, but Western Province secured the victory after scoring five tries, with outside centre
EW Viljoen scoring two in his first start of the season. The made it four wins out of four with a 57–25 win over a team that played their third match in a week, to move to within a single log point of the Sharks, with
Nico Lee
Nicolaas Jacobus Lee (born 13 March 1994 in Pretoria, South Africa) is a South African rugby union player for French Top 14 side . His regular position is centre.
Youth
Lee played schoolboy rugby for Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool in Pretoria, but ...
,
Charles Marais
Charles Maclean Marais (born 29 August 1988) was a South African rugby union professional player for the in the Pro14 and the in the Currie Cup. His regular position is prop.
Career
Youth and Varsity rugby
Despite not representing at seco ...
and
Paul Schoeman each scoring two of the Cheetahs' nine tries. The moved into the top four with a 31–17 victory over
Gauteng
Gauteng ( ) is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. The name in Sotho-Tswana languages means 'place of gold'.
Situated on the Highveld, Gauteng is the smallest province by land area in South Africa. Although Gauteng accounts for only ...
rivals the , with the help of 16 points from the boot of
Tian Schoeman
Christian Francois Schoeman (born 23 September 1991 in Pretoria, South Africa) is a South African rugby union player. His regular position is fly-half.
Career
Youth
Schoeman played for Witbank-based outfit the in the 2010 Under-19 Provincia ...
, pushing Griquas into fourth position and the Lions out of the play-off spots into fifth. In the other match of the round, the secured a narrow 25–22 win over the in
Wellington
Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...
to secure their second victory of the season, with the Pumas remaining winless.
Round Six
The moved into top spot on the log after beating the 38–30 in a top-of-the-log clash in
Durban
Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...
. They scored five tries, with
Fred Zeilinga
Frederik Johannes Zeilinga (born 11 December 1992) is a South African rugby union player for Canon Eagles in the Japanese Top League. His regular position is fly-half.
Career
Youth
Zeilinga represented the at Under-13, Under-16, Under-18, Unde ...
successfully converting them all, while 20 points from the boot of
Curwin Bosch
Curwin Dominique Bosch (born 25 June 1997) is a South African professional rugby union player for the in the United Rugby Championship and in the Currie Cup. He can play as a fly-half or a fullback.
Rugby career
2010–15: Schoolboy rugby
B ...
was not enough for the Sharks, who dropped to second place. The secured their fourth win of the season to remain in third place, scoring six tries in a 41–14 win over the in
Nelspruit
Mbombela (also known as Nelspruit) is a city in northeastern South Africa. It is the capital of the Mpumalanga province. Located on the Crocodile River (Mpumalanga), Crocodile River, Mbombela lies about by road west of the Mozambique border, ea ...
, with winger
Jamba Ulengo
Jamba Isaac Ulengo (born 7 January 1990) is a South African rugby union player for the Tel Aviv Heat. His regular position is wing.
Career
Youth and Varsity Cup rugby
He was chosen to represent the Free State at various youth levels while he ...
scoring a brace. remained in the final semi-final spot after securing a fourth consecutive victory, with 21 points from
Clinton Swart
Clinton Ryno Swart (born 6 September 1992) is a professional South African rugby union player for Toyota Verblitz in the Top League in Japan. His regular position is fly-half or inside centre.
Career
Youth
Swart played first team rugby for ...
and a brace of tries by
Elgar Watts
Elgar Graeme Watts (born 24 September 1985) is a South African professional rugby union player who played for the , , and domestically and for the and the in Super Rugby. His usual position is fly-half.
Career
Maties
Watts started his car ...
helping the team to a 46–22 victory over the . The remained two points behind Griquas after beating 58–32 in the most high-scoring match of the round. They scored eight tries (with
Kwagga Smith
Albertus Stephanus Smith (born 11 June 1993), known professionally as Kwagga Smith, is a South African rugby union player for the South Africa national team, the in Super Rugby and Yamaha Júbilo in the Japanese Top League. His regular positi ...
scoring two) and
Jaco van der Walt
Jaco van der Walt (born ) is a South African-born Scottish rugby union player who last played for Edinburgh Rugby in the United Rugby Championship.
Rugby Union career Amateur career
He first represented the as early as primary school level, w ...
kicked 18 points, while
Jacques Vermeulen
Johannes Frederick 'Jacques' Vermeulen (born 8 February 1995) is a South African rugby union player for the Exeter Chiefs in the Gallagher Premiership. His regular position is flanker but he can also play as a lock or number 8.
Career
2008– ...
scored two tries for Western Province.
Round Seven
The became the first team to secure a semi-final berth after winning their sixth consecutive match, beating the 37–29 in Bloemfontein. The Cheetahs had different try scorers for all five of their tries, while the Golden Lions relied on the boot of
Jaco van der Walt
Jaco van der Walt (born ) is a South African-born Scottish rugby union player who last played for Edinburgh Rugby in the United Rugby Championship.
Rugby Union career Amateur career
He first represented the as early as primary school level, w ...
, who kicked 16 of his side's points. After two consecutive defeats, the returned to winning ways, securing the first whitewash of the season after beating bottom side 53–0, scoring nine tries in the match. The remained level on log points with the Sharks after scoring a half-century of their own, beating 57–20 in Pretoria.
Piet van Zyl scored two if his side's eight tries, while
Tian Schoeman
Christian Francois Schoeman (born 23 September 1991 in Pretoria, South Africa) is a South African rugby union player. His regular position is fly-half.
Career
Youth
Schoeman played for Witbank-based outfit the in the 2010 Under-19 Provincia ...
kicked 17 points. While Griquas remained in the final semi-final position despite the defeat, fifth-placed closed the gap by beating the 31–23 in
Cape Town
Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...
.
Round Eight
The made it sevens wins in a row after a 52–10 victory over the in
Nelspruit
Mbombela (also known as Nelspruit) is a city in northeastern South Africa. It is the capital of the Mpumalanga province. Located on the Crocodile River (Mpumalanga), Crocodile River, Mbombela lies about by road west of the Mozambique border, ea ...
.
Rayno Benjamin
Rayno Shannon Benjamin (born 3 August 1983) is a South African rugby union footballer who plays as a wing or centre for Japanese Top East League side Shimizu Blue Sharks.
Career
He started out his career in the Western Cape with the Boland ...
scored a hat-trick of tries in the match with
Paul Schoeman getting a brace, as the Cheetahs ensured that they would top the log and have home advantage in the semifinal and possible final. A 48–26 victory by the over the in
Wellington
Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...
meant that they would join the Cheetahs in the play-offs.
Hanro Liebenberg
Hanro Liebenberg (born 10 October 1995) is a South African rugby union player for in England's Premiership Rugby. He previously played for the in Super Rugby, the in the Currie Cup and the in the Rugby Challenge. His regular playing positio ...
scored two of the Blue Bulls' seven tries in their final match of the regular season, while
Theuns Kotzé
Theuns Andries Willem 'Worsie' Kotzé (born 16 July 1987 in Karasburg, South-West Africa) is a Namibian international rugby union player, currently playing with the in South African domestic rugby. He is a utility back that can play as a scrum-hal ...
also scored two tries for the home side. The biggest margin of victory came in the match between the and the in
Port Elizabeth
Gqeberha (), formerly Port Elizabeth and colloquially often referred to as P.E., is a major seaport and the most populous city in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is the seat of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, Sou ...
, with the visitors winning 71–7. Golden Lions captain
Kwagga Smith
Albertus Stephanus Smith (born 11 June 1993), known professionally as Kwagga Smith, is a South African rugby union player for the South Africa national team, the in Super Rugby and Yamaha Júbilo in the Japanese Top League. His regular positi ...
scored a hat-trick, with
Howard Mnisi
Xolane Howard Mnisi (born 13 July 1989) is a South African rugby union player for the in the Pro14. His regular position is centre.
Career
Youth
Mnisi represented the at the 2006 and 2007 Under-18 Craven Week tournaments, which earned him a ...
and
Jacques Nel
Jacques Jehan Nel (born 17 March 1993) is a South African professional rugby union player for in the Rugby Pro D2. His regular position is centre or winger.
Career
Nel was born in Port Elizabeth, but grew up in Benoni, where he earned an i ...
each contributing two of the Lions' eleven tries. also won their match against in
Kimberley
Kimberly or Kimberley may refer to:
Places and historical events
Australia
* Kimberley (Western Australia)
** Roman Catholic Diocese of Kimberley
* Kimberley Warm Springs, Tasmania
* Kimberley, Tasmania a small town
* County of Kimberley, a ...
, meaning all four fixtures resulted in away wins. Six different try scorers and 22 points kicked by
Robert du Preez saw Western Province move into the top four, behind a team that enjoyed a bye weekend, while Griquas dropped to sixth place despite picking up a bonus point for scoring four tries of their own.
Round Nine
In the first match of the weekend, defending champions the secured a place in the semifinals after beating the 28–16 in
Johannesburg
Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...
. The result meant that the Sharks needed the to get an unlikely victory against a few hours later. Boland ran in four tries to lead 28–20 with 8 minutes to go, but Western Province scored a converted try and a 78th–minute penalty through fly-half
Robert du Preez to secure the final semi-final spot in dramatic fashion, winning the match 30–28. The final match on the Friday night saw the travel to the for a match between the bottom two teams on the log, both without a win to their name prior to this match. The Pumas edged the match 38–30, with hooker
Frank Herne
Frank Herne (born 31 October 1989) is a South African rugby union player who last played for the in the Currie Cup and in the Rugby Challenge. He usually plays the position of Hooker.
Herne is a product of Grey College and featured for the So ...
scoring a hat-trick of tries in his team's only win of the season. The final group match in the competition was a dead rubber; top side outscored by 9 tries to 4 to win 63–26; scrum-half
Shaun Venter
Shaun Harold Venter (born 16 March 1987 in Witbank) is a South African rugby union player for USM Sapiac in the Pro D2 He is a utility back, having started matches at full-back, centre, winger and scrum-half, but since 2011 he has been predomi ...
got a brace, while fly-half
Niel Marais
Daniel Rudolf Marais (born 21 January 1992, in Bloemfontein) is a South African rugby union player for Yamaha Júbilo in the Top League in Japan. He usually plays as a centre, but can also play as a fly-half or fullback.
Career
Youth
Marais fi ...
contributed 17 points through one try and 6 conversions.
Semi-Finals
The maintained their unbeaten record in the season with an emphatic 55–17 victory over the . They scored six tries, with right winger
Sergeal Petersen
Sergeal Phillipe Petersen (born 1 August 1994) is a South African rugby union player for the in Super Rugby and in the Currie Cup. His regular position is winger.
Rugby
Youth Rugby
Petersen played for the at all youth levels, representing ...
getting a hat-trick, while fly-half
Niel Marais
Daniel Rudolf Marais (born 21 January 1992, in Bloemfontein) is a South African rugby union player for Yamaha Júbilo in the Top League in Japan. He usually plays as a centre, but can also play as a fly-half or fullback.
Career
Youth
Marais fi ...
added 21 points, successfully kicking three conversions and five penalties in the match. fly-half
Tian Schoeman
Christian Francois Schoeman (born 23 September 1991 in Pretoria, South Africa) is a South African rugby union player. His regular position is fly-half.
Career
Youth
Schoeman played for Witbank-based outfit the in the 2010 Under-19 Provincia ...
replicated Marais' kicking record in his side's 36–30 victory over in the second semi-final, which ended in dramatic fashion as the Blue Bulls scored a try in the 78th minute through replacement scrum-half
Ivan van Zyl
Ivan van Zyl (born 30 June 1995) is a South African rugby union player for Saracens. His regular position is scrum-half.
Career Youth
Van Zyl represented the Blue Bulls as early as primary school level, appearing at the Under-13 Craven Week com ...
– in his first appearance of the season – to overturn Western Province's lead. These results meant that the Free State Cheetahs qualified for their first final since
2009
File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...
, when they also met the in the final, and their first home final since
2006
File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
, when the same two teams drew 28–all after extra time to share the title.
Final
The beat the 36–16 to win the
Currie Cup
The Currie Cup is South Africa's premier domestic rugby union competition, played each winter and spring (June to October), featuring teams representing either entire provinces or substantial regions within provinces. Although it is the premier ...
for the fifth time in their history and for the first time since
2007
File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...
. The first half delivered no tries, with Free State Cheetahs fly-half
Niel Marais
Daniel Rudolf Marais (born 21 January 1992, in Bloemfontein) is a South African rugby union player for Yamaha Júbilo in the Top League in Japan. He usually plays as a centre, but can also play as a fly-half or fullback.
Career
Youth
Marais fi ...
kicking six penalties against Blue Bulls fly-half
Tian Schoeman
Christian Francois Schoeman (born 23 September 1991 in Pretoria, South Africa) is a South African rugby union player. His regular position is fly-half.
Career
Youth
Schoeman played for Witbank-based outfit the in the 2010 Under-19 Provincia ...
's three penalties for an 18–9 half-time lead. A converted
Clayton Blommetjies try and two more penalties extended the Free State Cheetahs' lead to 31–9 by the 67th minute. A
Piet van Zyl try in the 74th minute briefly gave the Blue Bulls some hope, but the Free State Cheetahs responded with a try of their own through
Sergeal Petersen
Sergeal Phillipe Petersen (born 1 August 1994) is a South African rugby union player for the in Super Rugby and in the Currie Cup. His regular position is winger.
Rugby
Youth Rugby
Petersen played for the at all youth levels, representing ...
just two minutes later to put the result beyond any doubt. Niel Marais contributed 21 points for the home side by kicking seven penalties; a new Currie Cup final record, surpassing the six penalties scored by
Thierry Lacroix
Thierry Lacroix (born 2 March 1967 in Nogaro, France) is a former French rugby union footballer. He won 43 Cap (sport), caps playing at Fly-half (rugby union), fly-half for the France national rugby union team, French rugby union side. He made his ...
in the
1995
File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...
final and by
Patrick Lambie
Patrick Jonathan Lambie (born 17 October 1990) is a retired South African professional rugby union player who last played for in the French Top 14. He announced his retirement in January 2019 due to multiple concussions.
Early life
Lambie at ...
in the
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
final.
Honours
The honour roll for the 2016 Currie Cup Premier Division was:
Players
Squads
The following squads were named for the 2016 Currie Cup Premier Division:
Appearances and points
For each team, ( c) denotes the team captain. For each match, the player's squad number is shown. Starting players are numbered 1 to 15, while the replacements are numbered 16 to 22. If a replacement made an appearance in the match, it is indicated by . "App" refers to the number of appearances made by the player, "Try" to the number of tries scored by the player, "Kck" to the number of points scored via kicks (conversions, penalties or drop goals) and "Pts" refer to the total number of points scored by the player.
Points scorers
The following table contain points scored in the 2016 Currie Cup Premier Division:
Discipline
The following table contains all the cards handed out during the tournament:
Referees
The following referees officiated matches in the 2016 Currie Cup Premier Division:
See also
*
2016 Currie Cup First Division
The 2016 Currie Cup First Division was the second tier of the second stage of the 2016 Currie Cup, the 78th edition of this annual South African rugby union competition organised by the South African Rugby Union. It was played between 12 Augus ...
*
2016 Currie Cup qualification
The 2016 Currie Cup qualification series was a South African rugby union competition organised by the South African Rugby Union which was played between 9 April and 23 July 2016. It featured all fourteen South African provincial unions plus the f ...
*
2016 Under-21 Provincial Championship
The 2016 Under-21 Provincial Championship was the 2016 edition of the Under-21 Provincial Championship, an annual national Under-21 rugby union competition held in South Africa, and was contested from 5 August to 22 October 2016. The competition w ...
*
2016 Under-20 Provincial Championship
*
2016 Under-19 Provincial Championship
The 2016 Under-19 Provincial Championship was the 2016 edition of the Under-19 Provincial Championship, an annual national Under-19 rugby union competition held in South Africa, and was contested from 17 June to 22 October 2016. The competition ...
Notes
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Currie Cup
2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
2016 in South African rugby union
2016 rugby union tournaments for clubs