# 1997 Currie Cup

The 1997 Currie Cup was the 59th season of the Currie Cup, South Africa's premier domestic rugby union competition, since it started in 1889. The competition was known as the Bankfin Currie Cup for sponsorship reasons and was contested from 28 May to 25 October 1997.
The competition was won by Western Province for the 29th time in their history; they beat the Free State Cheetahs 14–12 in the final played on 25 October 1997.

## Competition rules and information

There were fourteen participating teams in the 1997 Currie Cup. These teams played all the other teams once over the course of the season, either at home or away.
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). The top 4 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

1997 Currie Cup teams :
| Team | Sponsored Name | Stadium/s | Sponsored Name |
| Boland | Bokomo Boland | Boland Stadium, Wellington | Boland Stadium |
| Border | Border | Waverley Park, East London | Waverley Park |
| Eastern Province | Eastern Province | PE Stadium, Port Elizabeth | PE Stadium |
| Free State Cheetahs | Free State Cheetahs | Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein | Vodacom Park |
| Gauteng Falcons | Gauteng Falcons | Bosman Stadium, Brakpan | Bosman Stadium |
| Gauteng Falcons | Gauteng Falcons | Isak Steyl Stadium, Vanderbijlpark | Isak Steyl Stadium |
| Gauteng Lions | Gauteng Lions | Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg | Ellis Park Stadium |
| Griqualand West | Griqualand West | Griqua Park, Kimberley | ABSA Park |
| Mpumalanga Pumas | Mpumalanga Pumas | Johann van Riebeeck Stadium, Witbank | Johann van Riebeeck Stadium |
| North West | North West | Olën Park, Potchefstroom | Olën Park |
| Northern Free State | Northern Free State | North West Stadium, Welkom | North West Stadium |
| Northern Transvaal | Northern Transvaal | Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria | Minolta Loftus |
| Northern Transvaal | Northern Transvaal | Pietersburg | Pietersburg |
| Sharks | Sharks | University of Natal, Durban | University of Natal |
| SWD Eagles | SWD Eagles | Outeniqua Park, George | Outeniqua Park |
| Western Province | Norwich Western Province | Newlands Stadium, Cape Town | Fedsure Park Newlands |

### Changes from 1996

The two sections used in 1996, Section A and Section B, were merged into a single division for 1997, with all teams playing each other once. The team also adopted the new rugby union bonus points system, which was previously used in the 1996 Super 12 season.
Also, there were several name changes:
* Eastern Transvaal were renamed the Gauteng Falcons.
* Free State were renamed the Free State Cheetahs.
* Natal were renamed the Sharks.
* South Eastern Transvaal were renamed the Mpumalanga Pumas.
* South Western Districts were renamed the SWD Eagles.
* Transvaal were renamed the Gauteng Lions.
* Western Transvaal were renamed North West.

## Log

The final log of the round-robin stage of the 1997 Currie Cup:
1997 Currie Cup log :
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TA | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Western Province | 13 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 567 | 286 | +281 | 79 | 30 | 58 | semi-finals |
| 2 | Sharks | 13 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 566 | 241 | +325 | 76 | 24 | 57 | semi-finals |
| 3 | Free State Cheetahs | 13 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 651 | 234 | +417 | 85 | 26 | 54 | semi-finals |
| 4 | Gauteng Lions | 13 | 9 | 0 | 4 | 562 | 399 | +163 | 74 | 48 | 45 | semi-finals |
| 5 | Northern Transvaal | 13 | 8 | 0 | 5 | 382 | 341 | +41 | 39 | 33 | 40 | |
| 6 | Griqualand West | 13 | 7 | 1 | 5 | 410 | 313 | +97 | 54 | 33 | 39 | |
| 7 | Boland Cavaliers | 13 | 6 | 1 | 6 | 464 | 386 | +78 | 66 | 43 | 38 | |
| 8 | SWD Eagles | 13 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 362 | 365 | −3 | 42 | 42 | 36 | |
| 9 | Mpumalanga Pumas | 13 | 4 | 0 | 9 | 321 | 438 | −117 | 36 | 53 | 22 | |
| 10 | Gauteng Falcons | 13 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 349 | 600 | −251 | 40 | 83 | 18 | |
| 11 | Border | 13 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 277 | 569 | −292 | 35 | 77 | 17 | |
| 12 | Northern Free State | 13 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 344 | 744 | −400 | 37 | 104 | 17 | |
| 13 | North West | 13 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 346 | 507 | −161 | 43 | 74 | 16 | |
| 14 | Eastern Province | 13 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 284 | 462 | −178 | 31 | 67 | 12 | |

## Matches

The following matches were played in the 1997 Currie Cup:

### Round one

* Bye/s: Boland, Border, Eastern Province, Free State Cheetahs, Gauteng Falcons, Gauteng Lions, Mpumalanga Pumas, North West, Northern Free State, Northern Transvaal, Sharks, Western Province

### Round two

* Bye/s: Border, Free State Cheetahs, Griqualand West, Mpumalanga Pumas, Northern Transvaal, SWD Eagles

### Round three

* Bye/s: Gauteng Lions, Sharks

### Round four

* Bye/s: Boland, Eastern Province, Free State Cheetahs, Gauteng Falcons, Gauteng Lions, Griqualand West, North West, Northern Free State, Northern Transvaal, Western Province

### Round five

* Bye/s: Boland, Eastern Province, Free State Cheetahs, Gauteng Falcons, Gauteng Lions, Mpumalanga Pumas, Sharks, North West, Northern Free State, Northern Transvaal, SWD Eagles, Western Province

### Round seven

* Bye/s: Boland, Border, Free State Cheetahs, Gauteng Falcons, Gauteng Lions, Griqualand West, Mpumalanga Pumas, Sharks, North West, Northern Free State, Northern Transvaal, Western Province

### Round eight

* Bye/s: Mpumalanga Pumas, SWD Eagles

### Round ten

* Bye/s: Eastern Province, Gauteng Falcons

### Round eleven

* Bye/s: Border, SWD Eagles

### Round twelve

* Bye/s: North West, Northern Free State

### Round fourteen

* Bye/s: Border, Griqualand West

### Round sixteen

* Bye/s: Boland, Eastern Province, SWD Eagles, Western Province

### Round seventeen

* Bye/s: Griqualand West, Sharks

### Final
## Honours

The honour roll for the 1997 Currie Cup was:
1997 Currie Cup Honours :
| Champions: | Western Province (29th title) |