2025 Currie Cup Final: Lions Aim to Make Amends for 2024 Disappointment
by Joseph King | by Joseph King
After seven rounds of regular season action and one round of playoffs, we’ve arrived at the final of the 2025 Currie Cup with the Golden Lions taking on Griquas. It’s hard to argue against these being the two teams most deserving of this opportunity, given their excellent performances over the course of the entire campaign up to this point.
As a reminder, here’s the regular season table:
| Position | Team | Record (W-D-L) | Point differential | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Golden Lions | 5-0-2 | +97 | 26 |
| 2. | Griquas | 5-0-2 | +48 | 25 |
| 3. | Free State Cheetahs | 4-0-3 | +6 | 23 |
| 4. | Boland Cavaliers | 4-0-3 | +3 | 23 |
| 5. | Pumas | 3-0-4 | +54 | 21 |
| 6. | Bulls | 3-0-4 | -9 | 15 |
| 7. | Sharks | 3-0-4 | -100 | 14 |
| 8. | Western Province | 1-0-6 | -99 | 6 |
In the subsequent semi-finals, Lions stamped out the feel-good Boland Cavaliers’ story by inflicting a heavy 67-19 defeat to advance to the final for the second year in a row. Griquas, meanwhile, advanced to their first final since 2022 after a 25-5 win over Free State Cheetahs in their playoff matchup.
The two teams now meet in the final, with many of the best online betting sites installing the Lions as massive 21.5 point favorites. Looking back at their regular season meeting, it was the Golden Lions that secured a convincing 37-7 victory in round 7 just before the playoffs, a big reason as to why the bookmakers have this as so one-sided.
Due to their superior regular season placement, the Lions will be hosting this match at Ellis Park in Johannesburg. However, as they learned last year, this is far from a guarantee of success. The Lions were in the same position in 2024, hosting the final as favorites in their own stadium, but were ultimately unable to seal the deal as Sharks pulled off the upset.
Will Lions be able to exorcize the demons of 2024?
The Lions will have to overcome the painful memories of last year’s final if they are to achieve success here. After looking like they had the 2024 title wrapped up late on, the Lions collapsed, losing possession at a key moment which gifted Sharks the opportunity to win the game. Jordan Hendrikse complied, sealing the 16-14 victory for Sharks with a last-minute 59-metre penalty kick.
Fast forward to the 2025 final and they’ll have to make due without captain PJ Botha, who suffered a serious knee injury in the semi-final victory over Boland. It’s certainly a blow for the Lions and extremely bad timing for those supporting the 11-time champions. In his stead, Quan Horn is expected to don the captain’s armband and has a chance to write himself into Golden Lions folklore if he is able to deliver a strong performance.
Will Griquas finally end lengthy title drought?
Griquas will likely have the neutral's support heading into the 2025 Currie Cup final. For one, it would make a great storyline if they are able to put an end to what is the second-longest active title drought among Currie Cup winning teams at 55 years.
In fact, this is only the second final that Griquas have made in those 55 years. The only other was in 2022, when they fell to Pumas by a score of 26-19, thus continuing the drought. Secondly, Griquas are the quintessential underdogs. They can play without fear in a sense, as they are not expected to win this. They’ll hope that nerves once again get the better of their counterparts.
With the stage set, all that’s left to do now is to get the final underway! May the best team win!
