Currie Cup - Wikipedia Currie Cup This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( May 2014 ) Currie Cup Current season or competition : : 2017 Currie Cup Premier Division Sport Rugby union football Instituted 1891 Inaugural season 1892 Number of teams Premier Division : 7 First Division : 8 Country South Africa and Namibia Holders Western Province ( 2017 ) Broadcast partner SuperSport, Setanta Sports Asia, Fox Sports Related competition Rugby Challenge For the cricket competition originally known as the Currie Cup, see Sunfoil Series. The Currie Cup tournament 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 domestic competition, South African teams also compete in the international Super Rugby competition as well as the Pro14. Steeped in history and tradition, the Currie Cup dates back to 1891. The tournament is regarded as the cornerstone of South Africa 's rugby heritage, and the coveted gold trophy remains the most prestigious prize in South African domestic rugby. Contents 1 History 2 Teams 3 Champions and Finals 4 Overall winners 5 Records and statistics 6 Broadcasting rights 7 See also 8 References 9 External links History This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( May 2015 ) 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 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, Griqualand West, Transvaal and Eastern Province. The first tournament was held in Kimberley and was won by Western Province. 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. 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 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 ; and after a spirited display where the unbeaten British Lions narrowly won 3 - 0, Griqualand West 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 Western Province earning the honour of holding it aloft as the first official winners. 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. Western Province dominated the competition 's early years, and by 1920 the team from Cape Town had already secured the trophy 10 times. Only Griqualand West could halt the rampant WP side and win the trophy in 1899 and 1911. In 1922 the Transvaal won the competition for the first time, however Western Province 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. In 1939 the trophy returned to Johannesburg for only the second time after Transvaal defeated Western Province in Cape Town. This was the first time WP had lost a final at their home ground Newlands. The Currie Cup went into hiatus during the Second World War but resumed in 1946 when Northern Transvaal claimed their first ever trophy by beating Western Province 11 - 9 in the final at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria. The late 1940s and early 1950s were dominated by Transvaal 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 Northern Transvaal in the final at Newlands in Cape Town. At the end of the 1980s, South African rugby supporters were treated to two of the most memorable Currie Cup finals. In 1989 winger Carel du Plessis scored a last - minute try as WP managed to draw with Northern Transvaal 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. The 1990s saw further improvement by Natal and the rise of Francois Pienaar 's Transvaal. Since 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 Northern Transvaal in the 1970s and 1980s. All five of the so - called ' big unions ' have won the Currie Cup on at least one occasion in the last 20 years ; the Golden Lions ( formerly Transvaal ) have won the trophy 3 times in 1999, 2011 and 2015 ; Western Province have won the trophy on six occasions in 1997, 2000, 2001, 2012, 2014, and 2017 ; the Blue Bulls ( formerly Northern Transvaal ) have wom the trophy 5 times in 1998, 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2009 ; the Free State Cheetahs have won the trophy 3 times in 2005, 2007 and 2016 and the Sharks have won the trophy 3 times in 2008, 2010 and 2013. In 2006 the trophy was shared by the Free State Cheetahs and Blue Bulls following their 28 - 28 all draw in a tense final in Bloemfontein. Whilst these days the competition lags behind Super Rugby and The Rugby Championship ( 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 scene. The Currie Cup trophy Teams Map of South Africa displaying the borders of the 14 teams in the Currie Cup From 1996 to 2015, the following 14 provincial unions participated in the Currie Cup : Currie Cup teams Team Home base Region Blue Bulls Pretoria The Pretoria metropolitan area and the entire Limpopo province Boland Cavaliers Wellington Northern and central districts of the Western Cape province Border Bulldogs East London Eastern districts of the Eastern Cape province Eastern Province Kings Port Elizabeth Western districts of the Eastern Cape province Falcons Kempton Park The East Rand and other municipalities to the east and south of Johannesburg in Gauteng province Free State Cheetahs Bloemfontein Central and western districts of the Free State province Golden Lions Johannesburg Johannesburg and the West Rand Griffons Welkom Northern and eastern districts of the Free State province Griquas Kimberley The entire Northern Cape province Leopards Potchefstroom The entire North West province Pumas Nelspruit The entire Mpumalanga province Sharks Durban The entire KwaZulu - Natal province SWD Eagles George Eastern districts of the Western Cape province Western Province Cape Town Cape Town metropolitan area From 2016, the Currie Cup added Welwitschias, a team from Namibia. 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 Champions and Finals Results Season Champions Runner - Up Final Result Final Venue 1892 Western Province N / A N / A N / A 1894 Western Province N / A N / A N / A 1895 Western Province N / A N / A N / A 1897 Western Province N / A N / A N / A 1898 Western Province N / A N / A N / A 1899 Griqualand West N / A N / A N / A 1904 Western Province N / A N / A N / A 1906 Western Province N / A N / A N / A 1908 Western Province N / A N / A N / A 1911 Griqualand West N / A N / A N / A 1914 Western Province N / A N / A N / A 1920 Western Province N / A N / A N / A 1922 Transvaal N / A N / A N / A 1925 Western Province N / A N / A N / A 1927 Western Province N / A N / A N / A 1929 Western Province N / A N / A N / A 1932 Border & Western Province ( shared ) N / A N / A N / A 1934 Border & Western Province ( shared ) N / A N / A N / A 1936 Western Province N / A N / A N / A 1939 Transvaal Western Province 17 -- 6 Newlands Stadium, Cape Town 1946 Northern Transvaal Western Province 11 -- 9 Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria 1947 Western Province Transvaal 16 -- 12 Newlands Stadium, Cape Town 1950 Transvaal Western Province 22 -- 11 Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg 1952 Transvaal Boland 11 -- 9 Wellington 1954 Western Province Northern Transvaal 11 -- 8 Newlands Stadium, Cape Town 1956 Northern Transvaal Natal 9 -- 8 Kings Park Stadium, Durban 1957 -- 1959 Western Province N / A N / A N / A 1964 Western Province N / A N / A N / A 1966 Western Province N / A N / A N / A 1968 Northern Transvaal Transvaal 16 -- 3 Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria 1969 Northern Transvaal Western Province 28 -- 13 Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria 1970 Griqualand West Northern Transvaal 11 -- 9 De Beers, Kimberley 1971 Northern Transvaal & Transvaal ( shared ) N / A 14 -- 14 Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg 1972 Transvaal Eastern Transvaal 25 -- 19 Pam Brink Stadium, Springs 1973 Northern Transvaal Free State 30 -- 22 Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria Northern Transvaal Transvaal 17 -- 15 Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria Northern Transvaal Free State 12 -- 6 Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein 1976 Free State Western Province 33 -- 16 Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein 1977 Northern Transvaal Free State 27 -- 12 Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria 1978 Northern Transvaal Free State 13 -- 9 Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein 1979 Northern Transvaal & Western Province ( shared ) N / A 15 -- 15 Newlands Stadium, Cape Town 1980 Northern Transvaal Western Province 39 -- 9 Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria 1981 Northern Transvaal Free State 23 -- 6 Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria 1982 Western Province Northern Transvaal 24 -- 7 Newlands Stadium, Cape Town Western Province Northern Transvaal 9 -- 3 Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria 1984 Western Province Natal 19 -- 9 Newlands Stadium, Cape Town 1985 Western Province Northern Transvaal 22 -- 15 Newlands Stadium, Cape Town 1986 Western Province Transvaal 22 -- 9 Newlands Stadium, Cape Town Northern Transvaal Transvaal 24 -- 18 Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg 1988 Northern Transvaal Western Province 19 -- 18 Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria 1989 Northern Transvaal & Western Province ( shared ) N / A 16 -- 16 Newlands Stadium, Cape Town 1990 Natal Northern Transvaal 18 -- 12 Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria 1991 Northern Transvaal Transvaal 27 -- 15 Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria 1992 Natal Transvaal 14 -- 13 Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg 1993 Transvaal Natal 21 -- 15 Kings Park Stadium, Durban 1994 Transvaal Free State 56 -- 33 Springbok Park, Bloemfontein 1995 Natal Western Province 25 -- 17 Kings Park Stadium, Durban Sharks Golden Lions 33 -- 15 Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg 1997 Western Province Free State Cheetahs 14 -- 12 Newlands Stadium, Cape Town 1998 Blue Bulls Western Province 24 -- 20 Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria 1999 Golden Lions Sharks 32 -- 9 Kings Park Stadium, Durban 2000 Western Province Sharks 25 -- 15 Kings Park Stadium, Durban 2001 Western Province Sharks 29 -- 24 Newlands Stadium, Cape Town 2002 Blue Bulls Golden Lions 31 -- 7 Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg 2003 Blue Bulls Sharks 40 -- 19 Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria Blue Bulls Free State Cheetahs 42 -- 33 Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria 2005 Free State Cheetahs Blue Bulls 29 -- 25 Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria 2006 Blue Bulls & Free State Cheetahs ( shared ) N / A 28 -- 28 Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein 2007 Free State Cheetahs Golden Lions 20 -- 18 Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein 2008 Sharks Blue Bulls 14 -- 9 Kings Park Stadium, Durban 2009 Blue Bulls Free State Cheetahs 36 -- 24 Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria Sharks Western Province 30 -- 10 Kings Park Stadium, Durban 2011 Golden Lions Sharks 42 -- 16 Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg 2012 Western Province Sharks 25 -- 18 Kings Park Stadium, Durban 2013 Sharks Western Province 33 -- 19 Newlands Stadium, Cape Town 2014 Western Province Golden Lions 19 -- 16 Newlands Stadium, Cape Town 2015 Golden Lions Western Province 32 -- 24 Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg 2016 Free State Cheetahs Blue Bulls 36 -- 16 Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein 2017 Western Province Sharks 33 -- 21 Kings Park Stadium, Durban In addition to the winners above, Western Province also won the South African Rugby Board Trophy in 1889. This tournament was effectively the precursor to the Currie Cup, which started in 1892. Western Province and Transvaal did not compete. Contested over two seasons. Transvaal were renamed the Gauteng Lions ; now known as Golden Lions. Orange Free State were renamed the Free State Cheetahs. Northern Transvaal were renamed the Blue Bulls. Natal were renamed the Sharks. Overall winners Team Number of wins Notes Most recent Western Province 34 Four shared 2017 Northern Transvaal / Blue Bulls 23 Four shared 2009 Transvaal / Gauteng Lions / Golden Lions 11 One shared 2015 Natal / Sharks 7 2013 Orange Free State / Free State Cheetahs 5 One shared 2016 Griqualand West / Griquas 1970 Border / Border Bulldogs Two shared 1934 Since the competition become established as an annual competition in 1968 ( see History above ). Team Number of wins Notes Most recent Northern Transvaal / Blue Bulls 21 Four shared 2009 Western Province 13 Two shared 2017 Natal / Sharks 7 2013 Transvaal / Gauteng Lions / Golden Lions 7 One shared 2015 Orange Free State / Free State Cheetahs 5 One shared 2016 Griqualand West / Griquas 1970 Records and statistics Most career matches Name Team / s Seasons Games Jacques Botes Pumas / Sharks 2002 -- 2014 156 Helgard Müller Free State Cheetahs 1983 -- 1998 142 Rudi Visagie Free State / Natal / Mpumalanga 1980 -- 1996 141 Chris Badenhorst Free State Cheetahs 1987 -- 1999 136 Burger Geldenhuys Blue Bulls 1977 -- 1989 128 André Joubert Free State / Natal 1986 -- 1999 126 Most career points 1. 1699 Naas Botha ( Northern Transvaal ) 1977 -- 1992 2. 1412 Willem de Waal ( Leopards / Free State / WP ) 2002 -- 2010 3. 1402 Eric Herbert ( Northern Free State ( Griffons ) / Free State ) 1986 -- 2001 4. 1210 De Wet Ras ( Free State / Natal ) 1974 -- 1986 5. 1165 André Joubert ( Free State / Natal ) 1986 -- 1999 Most career tries 1. 74 John Daniels ( Golden Lions / Boland Cavaliers ) 2. 66 Breyton Paulse ( Western Province ) 3. 65 Chris Badenhorst ( Free State ) 4. 58 André Joubert ( Free State / Natal ) 5. 51 Gerrie Germishuys ( Free State / Transvaal ) 5. 51 Carel du Plessis ( 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 ( Cheetahs ) 2003 5. 228 Kennedy Tsimba ( Cheetahs ) 2002 Most team points in a season Sharks ( 792 in 1996 ) Most individual tries in a season 1. 21 Bjorn Basson ( Griquas ) 2010 2. 19 Carel Du Plessis ( Western Province ) 1989 2. 19 Colin Lloyd ( Leopards ) 2006 4. 18 Ettiene Botha ( Blue Bulls ) 2004 5. 16 Jan - Harm Van Wyk ( Free State ) 1997 6. 15 Phillip Burger ( Cheetahs ) 2006 Most team tries in a season Sharks ( 112 in 1996 ) Most points in match Jannie de Beer -- 46 v. Northern Free State in 1997 Most tries in a match Jacques Olivier -- 7 v SWD in 1996 Most final appearances Burger Geldenhuys 11 ( Northern Transvaal -- between 1977 and 1989 ) Naas Botha 11 ( Northern Transvaal -- between 1977 and 1991 ) Broadcasting rights SuperSport broadcasts live Currie Cup matches in South Africa. Setanta Sports Asia broadcasts live Currie Cup matches in Asia. Sky Sports broadcasts live Currie Cup matches in the United Kingdom. WatchESPN airs live Currie Cup matches in the Americas via online streaming. See also Rugby union in South Africa Super Rugby Super Rugby franchise areas Vodacom Cup Lion Cup Currie Cup / Central Series References Jump up ^ `` ABSA Currie Cup Records '' ( PDF ). Archived from the original ( PDF ) on 2011 - 07 - 25. Retrieved 2009 - 12 - 18. Jump up ^ http://www.sport24.co.za/Rugby/CurrieCup/wp-rock-sharks-to-lift-currie-cup-title-20171028 Jump up ^ `` Namibia to compete in enlarged Currie Cup ''. The Namibian. 6 August 2015. Retrieved 6 August 2015. Jump up ^ `` Rugbybase wil Curriebeker - reeks nou tot 15 spanne beperk ''. Netwerk24 ( in Afrikaans ). 18 August 2015. Retrieved 18 August 2015. External links Latest Currie Cup News Currie Cup News from Prime Rugby Currie Cup history from Planet Rugby Currie Cup records ( correct to the end of 2006 ) Thau, Chris ( 6 November 2006 ). `` 100 years of South African rugby : Part one ''. irb.com. Archived from the original on 8 June 2007. Retrieved 2007 - 05 - 25. `` History of the Currie Cup ''. sarugby.com. 2006 - 10 - 11. Retrieved 2007 - 05 - 25. `` Good news for Currie Cup ''. sarugby.com. 30 November 2006. Archived from the original on 17 May 2007. Retrieved 25 May 2007. SA Rugby - Currie Cup News Currie Cup Teams Premier Division : Blue Bulls Free State Cheetahs Golden Lions Griquas Pumas Sharks Western Province First Division : Boland Cavaliers Border Bulldogs Eastern Province Elephants Falcons Griffons Leopards SWD Eagles Welwitschias Seasons Board Trophy : 1889 Amateur era : 1892 1894 1895 1897 1898 1899 1904 1906 1908 1911 1914 1920 1922 1925 1927 1929 1932 1934 1936 1939 1946 1947 1950 1952 1954 1956 1957 -- 1959 1964 1966 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1984 1985 1986 1988 Div A Div B Tphy A Tphy B 1989 Div A Div B Tphy A Tphy B 1990 Div A Div B Tphy 1991 CC CC / Ce Div A Div B Ce / Ru Div C Div D 1992 CC CC / Ce Cen A Cen B Ce / Ru Rur A / B Rur B 1993 1994 1995 Professional era : 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 Top 8 Bf Cup Qual 2001 Top 8 Bf Cup Qual 2002 2003 Prem 1st 2005 Prem 1st 2006 Prem 1st 2007 Prem 1st 2008 Prem 1st 2009 Prem 1st Prem 1st 2011 Prem 1st 2012 Prem 1st 2013 Prem 1st 2014 Prem 1st Qual 2015 Prem 1st Qual 2016 Prem 1st Qual 2017 Prem 1st Rugby union in South Africa Governing body South African Rugby Union National teams Men 's Springboks ' A ' 7 's Amateurs U-21 U-20 U-19 Schoolboys Women 's Women 's 7 's Competitions International South Africa at the Rugby World Cup World Rugby Sevens Series South Africa Sevens World Rugby Under 20 Championship Super Rugby Provincial Currie Cup Rugby Challenge Club SARU Gold Cup Varsity Rugby Youth rugby Craven Week Defunct Vodacom Cup Related articles International players Rugby union and apartheid Springbok colours Top - level rugby union club competitions Tier 1 nations European cups European Rugby Champions Cup European Rugby Challenge Cup European Rugby Continental Shield International Anglo - Welsh Cup British and Irish Cup Indo Pacific Rugby Championship ( proposed ) Pro14 Super Rugby Domestic Argentina Campeonato Argentino Nacional de Clubes Australia England Premiership Championship France Top 14 Pro D2 Ireland Interprovincial Championship All - Ireland League Italy New Zealand Mitre 10 Cup Heartland Championship Scotland South Africa Currie Cup Rugby Challenge Wales Other nations Northern Hemisphere Belgium Canada Czech Republic Denmark Finland Georgia Germany Japan Malta Malaysia Netherlands Norway Poland Portugal Romania Russia South Korea Spain Sweden Ukraine United States Regional Rugby Championship Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, Hungary, Montenegro, Serbia Southern Hemisphere Brazil Fiji Kenya Samoa Tonga Uruguay Venezuela Southern Hemisphere provincial rugby competitions South Pacific Championship seasons 1986 1988 1989 1990 1991 Super 6 season 1992 Super 10 seasons 1993 1994 1995 Super 12 seasons 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2005 Super 14 seasons 2006 2007 2008 2009 Super Rugby seasons 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 Australian Provincial Championship Australian Rugby Championship Australian Rugby Shield Australian National Rugby Championship New Zealand Provincial Championship Currie Cup Campeonato Argentino Ranfurly Shield Horan - Little Shield World Series Rugby Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Currie_Cup&oldid=834470657 '' Categories : Currie Cup Rugby union competitions for provincial teams 1891 establishments in South Africa Hidden categories : CS1 Afrikaans - language sources ( af ) Articles needing additional references from May 2014 All articles needing additional references Use dmy dates from September 2012 Use South African English from September 2012 All Wikipedia articles written in South African English All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from October 2010 Articles needing additional references from May 2015 Articles with unsourced statements from May 2014 All articles with dead external links Articles with dead external links from August 2017 Articles with permanently dead external links Talk Contents About Wikipedia Afrikaans Deutsch Español Français Galego 한국어 Italiano Nederlands 日本 語 Polski Português Русский Српски / srpski 4 more Edit links This page was last edited on 5 April 2018, at 22 : 09. 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Question: who won the most currie cups in south africa
Answer: Western Province