Currie Cup 2025: Young Springboks ready to shine as historic rivals clash in new Currie Cup season
by Joseph King | by Joseph King
South Africa's ready for the new Currie Cup season!
The world’s oldest provincial rugby competition is back for another season as the 2025 Currie Cup kicks off today! This is an important tournament for South Africans, not only for the regional rivalries at play, but also because it’s a chance for fans to get a good look at the future Springbok stars.
An important factor to keep in mind for the Currie Cup is that the four United Rugby Championship sides (Bulls, Sharks, Lions, Western Province) often use this tournament to focus on youth development. This is especially the case with Sharks, with director of rugby Neil Powell stating that the Currie Cup is part of the “pipeline” for junior players to break into the first team, along with providing playing time for fringe senior level players. The goal is ultimately to prepare young players for the URC and Champions Cup.
2025 Currie Cup structure
The 2025 campaign marks the 87th edition of the premier rugby tournament in South Africa. The defending champions are the Hollywoodbets Sharks after they were able to beat the favoured Golden Lions 16-14 in the 2024 final. It was the ninth Currie Cup title for the Sharks, consolidating their fourth-place position in the all-time table but still leaving them some way off Western Province who hold the record with 34 titles.
There are some changes made to the 2025 Currie Cup, most notably is the reduction in games played. Teams now play seven games instead of 10, with the idea being a more streamlined structure that aligns with the northern hemisphere and benefits the player’s health. Eight teams take part in the competition - four United Rugby Championship affiliated teams along with four SA Cup qualifiers.
Making their return to the top flight is Boland Cavaliers, who will be competing in the Currie Cup Premier Division for the first time since 2016. See the full list of teams below.
Competing teams:
- Western Province (34 titles)
- Blue Bulls (25 titles)
- Golden Lions (11 titles)
- Sharks (9 titles)
- Free State Cheetahs (7 titles)
- Pumas (1 title)
- Boland Cavaliers (0 titles)
- Griquas (0 titles)
Currie Cup main rivalries
Bulls vs Western Province:
Considered the country’s biggest rugby rivalry. The Blue Bulls and Western Province are the two dominant forces in South African rugby, accounting for nearly two-thirds of all Currie Cup titles. First meeting of the season: July 26th.
Last 10 head-to-head results
| Bulls wins | Western Province wins | Bulls points scored | Western Province points scored |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 3 | 333 | 298 |
Western Province vs Sharks:
Being the competition's most successful team paints a target on your back. In addition to their rivalry with Bulls, Western Province also has one with Sharks. The matchup between these two teams is dubbed ‘the coastal derby’ which has been closely contested in recent years, as evidenced by their even head-to-head record over the last 10. First meeting of the season: August 22nd.
Last 10 head-to-head results
| Western Province wins | Sharks wins | Western Province points scored | Sharks points scored |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 5 | 261 | 224 |
Sharks vs Golden Lions:
The 2024 finalists are fierce rivals, which made Sharks’ 16-14 win over Golden Lions to lift the 2024 championship even sweeter for their fans. Sharks have the bragging rights at the moment as well as the edge in recent head-to-head encounters. First meeting of the season: July 26th.
Last 10 head-to-head results
| Sharks wins | Golden Lions wins | Sharks points scored | Golden Lions points scored |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 3 | 310 | 252 |
Important information to know
- Each win is worth 4 points
- A draw is awarded 2 points
- Bonus point awarded for teams that score four or more tries
- Bonus point awarded for teams that lose by fewer than seven points
Season schedule
Pumas and Griquas have the honours of opening the 2025 campaign when they face off at Mbombela Stadium on Friday, 25 July. See our experts’ analysis of the matchup in our Airlink Pumas vs Suzuki Griquas prediction!
- Round 1: July 25th - July 27th
- Round 2: August 1st - August 3rd
- Round 3: August 8th- August 10th
- Round 4: August 15th - August 17th
- Round 5: August 22nd - August 24th
- Round 6: August 29th - August 30th
- Round 7: September 5th - September 6th
- Semi-finals: September 13th
- Final: September 20th
