2025 Currie Cup Semi-Finals: Will Anyone Be Able to Stand Up to the Lions?
by Joseph King | by Joseph King
2025 Currie Cup regular season
The 56 Currie Cup regular season matchups have all come to an end and it’s the Golden Lions that have finished top of the pile. The battle for first place came down to the final round of fixtures as the Lions ran out 37-7 victors over second-place finishing Griquas.
Check out the regular season standings below:
| Position | Team | Record (W-D-L) | Point differential | Bonus | Total points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Golden Lions* | 5-0-2 | +97 | 6 | 26 |
| 2 | Griquas* | 5-0-2 | +48 | 5 | 25 |
| 3 | Free State Cheetahs* | 4-0-3 | +6 | 7 | 23 |
| 4 | Boland Cavaliers* | 4-0-3 | +3 | 7 | 23 |
| 5 | Pumas | 3-0-4 | +54 | 9 | 21 |
| 6 | Blue Bulls | 3-0-4 | -9 | 3 | 15 |
| 7 | Sharks | 3-0-4 | -100 | 2 | 14 |
| 8 | Western Province | 1-0-6 | -99 | 2 | 6 |
* = qualified for semi-finals
Regular season biggest surprise
The Boland Cavaliers have returned in a big way! Back in the Premier Division for the first time since 2016, Boland will be heading to the playoffs after finishing in fourth place with four wins and three losses.
They got off to a blistering start, winning four of their first five games but saw their form dip towards the end of the regular season. Boland lost their final two matches, calling into question whether or not they will have sufficient momentum to topple the mighty Lions in the playoffs.
Regular season biggest disappointment
Western Province takes the cake as the biggest disappointment in the 2025 Currie Cup regular season. While they certainly weren’t title favourites by any means, the hope coming into the season was that the record 34-time winners could stay competitive and challenge for a playoff spot.
As things played out, Province managed just a single win from their seven fixtures, which only came in the seventh and final match of the season. A 40-22 win over Boland Cavaliers in Round 7 spared WP the blushes of finishing with a winless season.
Semi-final #1: Golden Lions vs Boland Cavaliers
There’s little doubt as to who the oddsmakers believe will lift the Currie Cup trophy. The Lions come in as heavy favourites, not just to win this match against Boland, but to be crowned champions. First up, they’ll have to contend with the upstart Boland Cavaliers, who have surprised many to reach this stage.
The underdogs can take encouragement from the fact that they were able to topple the mighty Lions when they faced off in the regular season by a score of 29-10. However, a repeat performance could be tough. They were clearly underestimated somewhat by the Lions in their first meeting but they likely won’t have the same type of surprise factor this time around. That’s why our experts are predicting a big win for last season’s runners-up in our Lions vs Boland Cavaliers prediction.
Semi-final #2: Griquas vs Free State Cheetahs
The second semi-final to kick off on Saturday sees second-place finishing Griquas taking on third-place Free State Cheetahs. Griquas will be hoping that this will be the season that they finally end their wait for a second Currie Cup title, which currently sits at 55 years. They put together an impressive regular season, winning five straight matches at one point. Fans will be confident coming into this matchup after they witnessed their Griquas beat Cheetahs 40-10 in Round 6.
2023 champions Free State Cheetahs are looking for their seventh Currie Cup title. They put together a four-match winning streak before closing out the regular season with back-to-back losses. Will that loss of momentum ultimately be the reason they are sent packing? Our experts believe the underdogs can keep this one close!
