Semi-finals down the years

At the approach of crunch time

This weekend sees a relaxation in tension as the semi-finalists are decided and so are, barring a miracle of the Lazarus kind, the home venues. Semi-finals have not always been with us – not by a long chalk. In fact they are not even 40 years old.

The Currie Cup system, as is true today, was frequently the play thing of administrators and changed from year to year.

The first Currie Cup final was in 1939, the first semi-final in 1969 and what a dramatic match it was.

In the list of semi-finals below, you will find years when there was just one semi-final. In those years the Currie Cup teams were divided into three sections which meant that two of the section winners had to play off for a place in the final.

In 1973 there were four sections and so two semi-finals.

In 1979 the 12 Currie Cup teams were divided into two sections. Section A was made up of strong teams, Section B of weaker teams but bets of the weaker teams played a semi-final against the best of the Section A teams, with a remarkable result in 1984. In that year the Free State had already received their allocation of tickets for the final and had to rush them to Durban on the Monday after Wynand Claassen's B Section side had beaten them.

In 1986 there were two sections, A and B, but only a single semi-final – between the second-[placed side in the A section and the top of the B Section.

Then the semis were scrapped and 1 played 2 in the final.

In 1996 the number of provinces was reduced to 14 and they all competed in two sections. This led to quarter-finals and then semi-finals.

In 1998 there was a league system in which the top four teams qualified for the semi-finals in which 1 played 4 and 2 played 3.

In 2003, the Rugby World Cup year, there were no semi-finals.

In 2005 there were two sections and two semi-finals. The top two teams in each section played each other in the semi-finals.

The semi-finals are often forgotten affairs and we shall deal with them in the build-up to this year's semis, starting with that one at Newlands in 1969, one of the most memorable matches at the great ground since World War II.

Semi-final matches and results

1969:
Western Province vs Boland 13-11

1970:
Northern Transvaal vs Natal, 24-8

1971:
Transvaal vs Natal, 16-9
 
1973:
Northern Transvaal vs Rhodesia, 20-7
Orange Free State vs Western Province, 19-15

1974:
Transvaal vs Eastern Province, 30-6

1979:
Northern Transvaal vs Eastern Province, 16-6
Western Province vs Griqualand West, 20-15

1980:
Northern Transvaal vs South Eastern Transvaal, 49-6
Western Province vs Eastern Province, 21-13

1981:
Northern Transvaal vs Northern Free State, 36-12
Orange Free State vs Eastern Transvaal, 28-15

1982:
Western Province vs Natal, 47-18
Northern Transvaal vs Northern Free State, 24-21

1983:
Northern Transvaal vs Northern Free State, 32-15
Western Province vs Natal, 7-3

1984:
Natal vs Orange Free State, 26-15
Western Province vs Eastern Transvaal, 53-0

1987:
Transvaal vs South West Africa, 12-9
 
1988:
Western Province vs Northern Free State, 26-9

1989:
Western Province vs Western Transvaal, 71-9
 
1996:
Natal vs Orange Free State, 35-20
Transvaal vs Northern Transvaal, 31-21

1997:
Western Province vs Gauteng Lions, 38-18
Cheetahs vs Natal, 40-22

1998:
Western Province vs Griqualand West, 24-11
Blue Bulls vs Natal, 31-17

1999:
Natal vs Free State, 45-17
Lions vs South Western Districts Eagles, 81-21

2000:
Natal vs Cheetahs, 29-15
Western Province vs Lions, 43-22

2001:
Natal Sharks vs Lions, 16-9
Western Province vs Cheetahs, 40-18

2002:
Blue Bulls vs Natal, 22-19
Lions vs Cheetahs, 43-29

2004:
Blue Bulls vs Lions, 40-33
Cheetahs vs Western Province 17-11