Currie Cup spots up for grabs

ROUND ONE PREVIEW: The road to qualification for the Currie Cup kicks off in Mpumalanga on Friday with the start of the second edition of the SA Cup.

Ten provincial sides will battle it out for supremacy, and four places at the top table of the oldest provincial competition in the world.

The first match is on Friday when the Pumas host the SWD Eagles at the Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit.

The remaining four fixtures take place on Saturday, starting with the clash between the Falcons and Eastern Province on the East Rand of Gauteng

The Leopards host defending champions, Griquas, in Potchefstroom; Boland are at home in Wellington against the Cheetahs; and Border take on the Griffons in East London.

The men from Mpumalanga will be hoping for a good start to the competition as they will be keen to continue with their good form in recent seasons, which includes winning the Currie Cup in 2023 and finishing runners up in the SA Cup last year.

The Falcons and Eastern Province meet at the Barnard Stadium in Kempton Park and another competitive meeting is in the offering between these two rivals, especially after EP managed to pull off a last-gasp 31-27 victory in last year’s opening round.

The Leopards will be hoping to avoid last year’s whitewash in the corresponding fixture, which the men from Kimberley easily won 88-0 as they started their charge towards the title and a perfect season.

Arguably the toughest match of the opening round takes place in Wellington, where Boland face the Cheetahs at Boland Stadium.

The Free Staters – now under a new coach in Springbok star Frans Steyn – won this fixture 38-7 in Bloemfontein last year, and they went on to clinch fourth place on the final league table, one place above Boland.

However, the Bolanders – who are coached by former Free State mentor Hawies Fourie – are an extremely difficult customer at home, which will present the Cheetahs with a tough away assignment.

Border Bulldogs host the Griffons at the Sisa Dukashe Stadium in Mdantsane and the Eastern Cape side will be hoping for a better performance than last year’s 8-52 opening-round defeat in Welkom.

The SA Cup was established in 2024, replacing the Mzansi Challenge to fill an important gap between pre-season and the start of the Currie Cup and First Division competitions.

Griquas were crowned the first champions of the SA Cup, capping off an unbeaten season with a 46-24 victory over the Pumas in the Final in Kimberley.

This year, the top four teams on the log will not only book their spots in the SA Cup semifinals on the weekend of May 17, but they will also qualify for the Currie Cup along with the four URC franchises.

The rest of the teams will contest the First Division.

The competition will conclude with the Final on the weekend of May 24.

See below for match information!

Friday, March 7:

Pumas v SWD Eagles
(Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit – Kick-off: 17.00; 15.00 GMT)

Pumas: 15 Jaycee Nel, 14 Stefan Coetzee, 13 Sango Xamlashe, 12 Wian van Niekerk, 11 Darren Adonis, 10 Clinton Swart, 9 Ross Braude, 8 Kwanda Dimaza, 7 Ruwald van der Merwe, 6 Ntsika Fisanti, 5 Tiaan de Klerk, 4 Jeandre Leonard, 3 Sampie Swiegers, 2 Jan-Henning Campher, 1 Ettiene Janeke.
Replacements: 16 Llewellyn Classen, 17 Dewald Maritz, 18 Eduan Swart, 19 Hanno Theunissen, 20 Armand Maritz, 21 Conor van Eden, 22 Danrich Visagie, 23 Lundi Msenge.

Referee: Christopher Allen

Saturday, March 8:

Falcons v Eastern Province
(Barnard Stadium, Kempton Park – Kick-off: 13.00; 11.00 GMT)

Referee: Dylen November

Boland v Cheetahs
(Boland Stadium, Wellington – Kick-off: 15.00; 13.00)

Cheetahs: 15 Cohen Jasper, 14 Prince Nkabinde, 13 Raegan Oranje, 12 Jooste Nel, 11 Litha Nkula, 10 George Lourens, 9 Rewan Kruger, 8 Jeandré Rudolph, 7 Pierre Uys, 6 Neels Volschenk, 5 Victor Sekekete (captain), 4 Carl Wegner, 3 Aranos Coetzee, 2 Louis van der Westhuizen, 1 Hencus van Wyk.
Replaceemnts: 16 Vernon Paulo, 17 Dux Manyana, 18 Laurence Victor, 19 Pieter Jansen van Vuren, 20 Andisa Ntsila, 21 Daniel Maartens, 22 Jandré Nel, 23 Banie Britz.

Referee: Cwengile Jadezweni

Leopards v Griquas
(Olën Park, Potchefstroom – Kick-off: 15.00; 13.00 GMT)

Referee: Paul Mente

Border Bulldogs v Griffons
(Sisa Dukashe Stadium, East London – Kick-off: 15.00; 13.00 GMT)

Referee: Hanru van Rooyen