About
The Toyota Cheetahs dethroned the Airlink Pumas - the 2022 champions from Mbombela - by winning the Carling Currie Cup in 2023. The Pretoria-based Vodacom Bulls won the title in 2020 and 2021. These sides are joined in the 2024 Premier Division by the Hollywoodbets Sharks XV (Durban), DHL WP (Cape Town), Fidelity ADT Lions (Johannesburg), Suzuki Griquas (Kimberley) and Novavit Griffons (Welkom). This season, the teams are divided into two groups of four each by virtue of last year’s standings. The one group will consist of the Cheetahs (No 1 ranked last year), Bulls (4), WP (5) and the Griffons (8), while the second group are the Sharks XV (ranked No 2), Pumas (3), Lions (6) and Griquas (7). Teams will play home and away matches within their respective groups plus a single round of games against sides in the opposite group. In the end, the top four sides on the combined log will progress to the semi-finals, with the two winners set to battle it out in the final on 21 Sept.
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 |
Fidelity ADT Lions
|
10 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 437 | 215 | 222 | 62 | 31 | 43 |
| 2 |
Vodacom Bulls
|
10 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 384 | 266 | 118 | 54 | 37 | 38 |
| 3 |
Hollywoodbets Sharks
|
10 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 351 | 258 | 93 | 48 | 35 | 35 |
| 4 |
Toyota Cheetahs
|
10 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 352 | 281 | 71 | 50 | 36 | 30 |
| 5 |
Suzuki Griquas
|
10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 310 | 356 | -46 | 46 | 51 | 24 |
| 6 |
Airlink Pumas
|
10 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 331 | 391 | -60 | 46 | 57 | 24 |
| 7 |
DHL Western Province
|
10 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 311 | 314 | -3 | 41 | 39 | 20 |
| 8 |
NovaVit Griffons
|
10 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 185 | 580 | -395 | 27 | 88 | 3 |
Fidelity ADT Lions
21 Sep | Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg
17:00
Hollywoodbets Sharks
SA Rugby Under-21 Cup and Shield
Lions U21s still unbeaten as Leopards win first gameSA Rugby Under 21 Cup log leaders, the Fidelity ADT Lions, recorded their eighth victory in as many games when they defeated defending champions, DHL Western Province, 39-36 in a hard-fought encounter at City Park in Cape Town on Friday, while there was a first win for the Leopards in Potchefstroom.
SA Rugby Under-19 Cup
Home teams tumble in SA Rugby Under-19 CupSA Rugby Under-19 Cup holders Vodacom Bulls are leading the current standings by virtue of a better points' differential from their Gauteng neighbours the Fidelity ADT Lions following the conclusion of round three over the past weekend.
Carling Currie Cup
The 2024 Carling Currie Cup Bulletin #22The Fidelity ADT Lions will host the Hollywoodbets Sharks XV in the 2024 Carling Currie Cup Premier Division Final in Johannesburg next weekend after the two teams won their drama-filled semi-finals in Gauteng on Saturday.
Statement
Vodacom URC focused on continued growthThe Vodacom United Rugby Championship (URC) has issued a statement in response to unsubstantiated media claims that the URC and the English Premiership were planning to combine their competitions to the exclusion of the South African and Italian URC teams.
Carling Currie Cup
The 2024 Carling Currie Cup Bulletin #21On current form, the Fidelity ADT Lions should be considered firm favourites against defending champions, the Toyota Cheetahs, when the two sides meet in the first of two Carling Currie Cup Premier Division semi-finals on Saturday, with the Johannesburg clash starting at 14h30.
