The 2001 Currie Cup was the 63rd season of 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 ...

, South Africa'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, since it started in 1889. The competition was known as the Bankfin Currie Cup for sponsorship reasons and was contested from 4 July to 25 October 2001. The top eight sides from an initial qualification stage competed for the premier Currie Cup, while the bottom six sides from the qualification stage competed for the secondary Bankfin Cup. The Currie Cup was won by for the 31st time in their history; they beat the 29–24 in the final played on 25 October 2001. The Bankfin Cup was won by the for the first time; they beat the 41–27 in the final played on 17 October 2001. The Currie Cup was broadcast by pay TV channels, SuperSport and

M-Net M-Net (an abbreviation of Electronic Media Network) is a South African pay television channel established by Naspers in 1986. The channel broadcasts both local and international programming, including general entertainment, children's series, ...

on the

DStv Digital Satellite Television, commonly abbreviated to DStv, is a Sub-Saharan African direct broadcast satellite service owned by MultiChoice and based in Randburg, South Africa. Launched on 6 October 1995, the service provides multiple audio, ...

satellite TV platform.

Competition rules and information

There were fourteen participating teams in the 2001 Currie Cup, all of them starting the season in the 2001 Currie Cup qualification stage. At this stage, the teams were divided into two sections (Section X and Section Y) and played all the other teams in their section once, either home or away. The top four teams from both sections qualified to the 2001 Currie Cup Top 8 stage, carrying forward the results they got against their three fellow qualifiers. In the Top 8, they then faced all the teams from the opposite section once, either home and away. The bottom three teams from both qualification sections qualified to the 2001 Bankfin Cup stage, carrying forward the results they got against their two fellow qualifiers. In the Bankfin Cup, they then faced all the teams from the opposite section once, either home and away. In all three stages of the competition, teams received four points for a win and two points for a draw. Bonus points were awarded to teams that scored four or more tries in a game, as well as to teams that lost a match by seven points or less. Teams were ranked by log points, then points difference (points scored less points conceded). At the end of the Top 8 and Bankfin Cup stages, the top four teams qualified for the title play-offs. In the semi-finals, the team that finished first had home advantage against the team that finished fourth, while the team that finished second had home advantage against the team that finished third. The winners of these semi-finals advanced to the final, at the home venue of the higher-placed team.

Teams

Team Listing

Qualification

The , , and qualified for the Top 8 stage after finishing in the top four teams in Section X, while the , , and qualified for the Top 8 stage after finishing in the top four teams in Section Y. The , and qualified for the Bankfin Cup after finishing in the bottom three in Section X, while the , and qualified for the Bankfin Cup after finishing in the bottom three in Section Y.

Top 8

The , , and finished in the top four of the Top 8 stage to qualify for the semi-finals. After winning their respective semi-finals, the Natal Sharks and Western Province played in the final, which Western Province won 29–24 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 ...

Bankfin Cup

The , , and finished in the top four of the Bankfin Cup stage to qualify for the semi-finals. After winning their respective semi-finals, the Boland Cavaliers and Leopards played in the final, which the Boland Cavaliers won 41–27 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 ...

Honours

The honour roll for the 2001 Currie Cup was:

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Currie Cup 2001 in South African rugby union 2001 rugby union tournaments for clubs