The Currie Cup is

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

's premier domestic

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

competition featuring teams representing either entire provinces or substantial regions within provinces. Although it is the premier domestic competition, four South African franchises also compete in the

United Rugby Championship The United Rugby Championship (URC) is an annual rugby union competition involving professional teams from Ireland, Italy, Scotland, South Africa, and Wales. The current name was adopted in 2021 when the league expanded to include four South Afr ...

competition, including for the 'South African Shield'. for the highest placed South African team. Steeped in history and tradition, the Currie Cup dates back to 1891. The tournament is regarded as the

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of South Africa's rugby heritage, and the coveted gold trophy remains the most prestigious prize in South African domestic rugby.

History

The Currie Cup is one of the oldest rugby competitions, with the first games played in 1889 but 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 the

South African Rugby Board The South African Rugby Board was the rugby union governing body of white South Africans between 1889 and 1992. The governing of white and coloured rugby union was handled separately during South Africa under Apartheid. On the 23 March 1992 the no ...

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 were

Western Province Western Province or West Province may refer to: *Western Province, Cameroon *Western Province, Rwanda *Western Province (Kenya) *Western Province (Papua New Guinea) *Western Province (Solomon Islands) *Western Province, Sri Lanka *Western Provinc ...

Griqualand West Griqualand West is an area of central South Africa with an area of 40,000 km2 that now forms part of the Northern Cape Province. It was inhabited by the Griqua people – a semi-nomadic, Afrikaans-speaking nation of mixed-race origin, wh ...

Transvaal Transvaal is a historical geographic term associated with land north of (''i.e.'', beyond) the Vaal River in South Africa. A number of states and administrative divisions have carried the name Transvaal. * South African Republic (1856–1902; af, ...

and Eastern Province. The first tournament was held 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 ...

and was won by

. For a prize they received a silver cup donated by the South African Rugby Board, now displayed at the SA Rugby Museum 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 ...

. 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 by Sir Donald Currie, owner of

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, 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,

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 with

earning the honour of holding it aloft as the first official winners. The Currie Cup1

The competition missed a few years here and there for reasons such as war and the like, but in 1968 it became a fully fledged annual showpiece.

dominated the competition's early years, and by 1920 the team from Cape Town had already secured the trophy 10 times. Only

could halt the rampant WP side and win the trophy in 1899 and 1911. In 1922 the

won the competition for the first time, however

would continue to dominate the Currie Cup throughout the 1920s and 1930s, winning the trophy a further 4 times and sharing it twice with

Border Borders are usually defined as geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other subnational entities. Political borders c ...

. In 1939 the trophy returned to Johannesburg for only the second time after

defeated

in Cape Town. This was the first time WP had lost a final at their home ground

Newlands Newlands may refer to: Places Australia * Newlands, Queensland, a locality in the Whitsunday Region New Zealand * Newlands, Wellington, a suburb of Wellington South Africa * Newlands, Cape Town, a suburb of Cape Town * Newlands, Johannesbur ...

. The Currie Cup went into hiatus during the Second World War but resumed in 1946 when claimed their first ever trophy by beating

11–9 in the final at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria. The late 1940s and early 1950s were dominated by

who would win the trophy in 1950 and 1952, however in 1954 the Currie Cup would finally return south following Western Province's narrow 11–8 victory over in the final at Newlands in Cape Town. At the end of the apartheid 1980s, South African rugby supporters were treated to two of the most memorable Currie Cup finals. In 1989 winger

Carel du Plessis Carel Johan du Plessis (born 24 June 1960) is a former South African rugby union coach and player. Playing career Du Plessis played for Western Province and the Springboks, his skills earning him the nickname the ''Prince of Wings''.

scored a last-minute try as WP managed to draw with 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-half

Joel Stransky Joel Theodore Stransky (born 16 July 1967) is a South African former rugby union player. A fly-half, he is known for scoring all of South Africa's points, including the winning drop goal, against New Zealand in the 1995 Rugby World Cup final. ...

. The 1990s saw further improvement by Natal and the rise of

Francois Pienaar Jacobus Francois Pienaar (born 2 January 1967) is a retired South African rugby union player. He played flanker for South Africa (the Springboks) from 1993 until 1996, winning 29 international caps, all of them as captain. He is best known for ...

'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 or in the 1970s and 1980s. Whilst these days the competition lags behind the

and

The Rugby Championship The Rugby Championship is an international rugby union competition contested annually by Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. These are the four highest ranked national teams in the Southern Hemisphere; the Six Nations is a s ...

(previously the Tri-Nations) in the order of importance, the Currie Cup still holds a special place amongst South African rugby supporters and players, with the trophy very much still the holy grail of the South African domestic rugby. In order to adjust to the European competition calendar, from the 2024 season the Currie Cup will take place in a new window. It is to be played between July and late September.

Teams

From 1996 to 2015, the following 14 provincial unions participated in the Currie Cup: Provincial rugby unions of South Africa

Champions and Finals

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.

Currie Cup

In addition to the winners above, also won the

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 to

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

.
⁸ Final went to extra-time.

Currie Cup First Division

¹ The 2020 Currie Cup First Division was cancelled due to the

SA Cup

Mzansi Challenge

Champions Match

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.

Overall winners

Currie Cup Premier Division

* Correct as of 18 June 2023 Since the competition became established as an annual competition in 1968 (see History above).

Currie Cup First Division

Records and statistics

*Most career matches * Most career points **1. 1699

Naas Botha Hendrik Egnatius 'Naas' Botha (born 27 February 1958) is a South African former rugby union player, who played for Northern Transvaal and South Africa (the Springboks). He was voted ''Rugby Player of the Year'' in 1979, 1981, 1985 and 1987. Bo ...

(Northern Transvaal) 1977–1992 **2. 1412

Willem de Waal Willem de Waal (born 17 February 1978 in Paarl, South Africa) is a South African rugby union footballer who is currently playing for Benetton Treviso in the Pro14 competition. He plays in the position of fly-half. Like Joost van der Westhuizen a ...

(Leopards/Free State/WP) 2002–2010 **3. 1402 Eric Herbert (Northern Free State (

Griffons Griffon may refer to: * Griffin, or griffon, a mythological creature with the body of a lion and head and wings of an eagle Businesses * Griffon Aerospace, an American aerospace and defense company * Griffon Corporation, a multinational cong ...

)/Free State) 1986–2001 **4. 1210 De Wet Ras (Free State/Natal) 1974–1986 **5. 1165

André Joubert André Johan Joubert (born 15 April 1964 in Ladysmith) is a former South African rugby union player, widely known as "The Rolls-Royce of Fullbacks" for his pace, class, and seemingly effortless style. He was capped 34 times at fullback for the Sp ...

(Free State/Natal) 1986–1999 * Most career tries **1. 74 John Daniels (Golden Lions/Boland Cavaliers) **2. 66

Breyton Paulse Breyton Paulse (born 25 April 1976 in De Keur, Koue Bokkeveld) is a South African former rugby union player who played on the wing for the national team, the Springboks, from 1999 to 2007. He played 64 test matches for South Africa, scoring 26 t ...

(Western Province) **3. 65

Chris Badenhorst Christopher Badenhorst (born 12 December 1965) is a South African former rugby union player. Playing career Born and schooled in Windhoek, Namibia, Badenhorst made his provincial debut for the in 1986 and continued to represent the union 221 ...

(Free State) **4. 58

(Free State/Natal) **5. 51

Gerrie Germishuys Johannes Servaas Germishuys, best known as Gerrie Germishuys (born 29 October 1949 in Port Shepstone, Natal) is a former South African rugby union player who played wing for the Springboks. Biography As a winger, Germishuys was known for his sp ...

(Free State/Transvaal) **5. 51

(Western Province/Transvaal) **5. 51 Niel Burger (Western Province) **5. 51 Jan-Harm Van Wyk (Free State/Pumas) * Most individual points in a season **1. 268 Johan Heunis (Northern Transvaal) 1989 **2. 263 Gavin Lawless (Golden Lions) 1996 **3. 252 Casper Steyn (Blue Bulls) 1999 **4. 230

Kennedy Tsimba Kennedy Chiedza Tsimba (Zimbabwean pronunciation: Shining Light; born 23 July 1974) is a 2012 World Rugby Hall of Fame inductee, South African professional Rugby coach and former player who is the current Director of Rugby at St Alban's College ...

(Cheetahs) 2003 **5. 228

(Cheetahs) 2002 * Most team points in a season ** Sharks (792 in 1996) * Most individual tries in a season **1. 21

Bjorn Basson Bjorn Alberic Basson (born 11 February 1987) is a South African professional rugby union player playing as a wing or full-back for the San Diego Legion of Major League Rugby (MLR). He previously played for Enisei-STM in the European Rugby C ...

(Griquas) 2010 **2. 19

(Western Province) 1989 **2. 19

Colin Lloyd Colin Edward Lloyd (born 7 August 1973), nicknamed Jaws, is an English retired professional darts player. He is a former world number one ranked player and has won two major television titles in the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) – the ...

(Leopards) 2006 **4. 18 Ettiene Botha (Blue Bulls) 2004 **5. 16 Jan-Harm Van Wyk (Free State) 1997 **6. 15

Phillip Burger Philip Burger (born 28 August 1980 in Pretoria, South Africa) is a rugby union player. He is a Springbok Rugby Sevens player, and represented South Africa at the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games. He was the top try scorer at the IRB Sevens tourn ...

(Cheetahs) 2006 * Most team tries in a season ** Sharks (112 in 1996) * Most points in match **

Jannie de Beer Jan Hendrik de Beer (born 22 April 1971) is a South African former rugby union player. He played Fly-half (rugby union), flyhalf for the South African national team, the South Africa national rugby union team, Springboks. In all he represented ...

– 46 v. Northern Free State in 1997 * Most tries in a match **

Jacques Olivier Joseph Mario Jacques Olivier, PC (born April 14, 1944) is a Canadian politician, businessman and labour leader. He was mayor of Longueuil, Quebec, from 2001 until 2005 and is a former Member of Parliament. Background and early career A hos ...

– 7 v SWD in 1996 * Most final appearances ** Burger Geldenhuys 11 (Northern Transvaal—between 1977 and 1989) **

11 (Northern Transvaal—between 1977 and 1991)

Broadcasting rights

* SuperSport broadcasts live Currie Cup matches in South Africa. *

Sky Sports Sky Sports is a group of British subscription sports channels operated by the satellite pay television company Sky Group (a division of Comcast), and is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It ...

broadcasts live Currie Cup matches in Ireland and the United Kingdom. *

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airs live Currie Cup matches in the Americas via online streaming. *

Nine Network The Nine Network (stylised 9Network, commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and is one of five main free-to-air television netw ...

airs Currie Cup matches live in Australia through streaming service

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. Previously matches were aired on

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. * RugbyPass airs live Currie Cup matches via online streaming in certain countries in Asia (Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, China, East Timor, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam),

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(Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden), and Eastern Europe (Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia, & Herzegovina, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Russia, Serbia, Turkey, Ukraine). *

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airs live matches in

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, including

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References

External links

Currie Cup records (correct to the end of 2006)
* * *
SA Rugby - Currie Cup NewsOfficial site
{{Authority control Rugby union competitions for provincial teams 1891 establishments in South Africa Professional sports leagues in South Africa

History

Teams

Champions and Finals

Currie Cup

Currie Cup First Division

SA Cup

Mzansi Challenge

Champions Match

Overall winners

Currie Cup Premier Division

Currie Cup First Division

Records and statistics

Broadcasting rights

See also

References

External links