Currie Cup SFs down the years

Tension does not abate this weekend as an exciting Currie Cup season goes into the semifinals and the unpredictable. We look at semifinals down the years, not that they have all that long a history.

Not that there is a lot of forecasting confidence in history in the case of semifinals.

The Blue Bulls have the best record of winning semifinals but they did not even make them this year.

Western Province have the second best record in semifinals but they are away this year. The Sharks and the Cheetahs have roughly the same semifinal records though venue favours the Sharks. The Golden Lions have a slightly better record than the Sharks and the Cheetahs.

Western Province have played the Golden Lions twice in semifinals, at Newlands on both occasions and on both occasions Western Province won. This will be their first meeting in a semifinal in Johannesburg. The Sharks have played the Free State in Durban five times in semifinals and won four of them.

Here are the appearances of the four teams (plus the Blue Bulls) in the 2011 semifinals:
Blue Bulls (a.k.a. Northern Transvaal): 16 semifinals, won 13
Free State Cheetahs (a.k.a. Orange Free State): 15 semifinals – won 6
Sharks (a.k.a. Natal): 16 semifinals – won 7
Western Province 17 semifinals – won 13
Golden Lions (a.k.a. Transvaal and Gauteng Lions): 14 semifinals – won 7

The Currie Cup system was frequently the plaything of administrators and changed from year to year, as it keeps on doing.

The first Currie Cup Final was in 1939, the first semifinal in 1969 and what a dramatic match it was!

In the list of semifinals below, you will find years when there was just one semifinal. 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 semifinals.

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 the best of the weaker teams played semifinals 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 Currie Cup Final and had to rush them to Durban on the Monday after Wynand Claassen’s B Section Natal side had beaten them.

In 1986 there were two sections, A and B, but only a single semifinal – 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 quarterfinals and then semifinals.

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

In 2003, the Rugby World Cup year, there were no semifinals.

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

In 2006 the teams were divided in two sections but Division 1, called the Currie Cup, had no chance at all of competing for the Currie Cup which suggests some kind of misnomer but instead the semifinals came from the Premier Division – 1 vs 4 and 2 vs 3. That situation obtains still in 2011.

There was a change in determining home venues. It used to go by age or previous matches. It changed so that position on the log determined home venues as it would for the final as well. That system continues in 2009.

That means this year that there are three possible venues for the Currie Cup Final:
If the Golden Lions win, the final will be Johannesburg.
If the Golden Lions win and the Sharks beat the Free State Cheetahs, the final will be in Durban.
If the Sharks and the Golden Lions lose, the final will be in Bloemfontein.

Only Newlands is sure of not having a Currie Cup final in 2011 – apart from Kimberley, Potchefstroom and Witbank, that is.

The semifinals are often forgotten affairs but the first one was one of the most memorable matches at Newlands since World War II.

That day Boland, captained by Dawie de Villiers were leading 11-3, after climbing into Western Province in the loose. Pietman Basson, Corné Krige’s father-in-law, and Pierre Ackerman had scored tries, Ackerman’s off an intercept followed by a thrilling 70-metre run.

The man who made the difference was the great, unique HO de Villiers, fullback for Western Province. He started running and it changed the game. He converted a try by Preston Robertson and then came into the line on the left of a scrum just inside Boland’s half. He made an overlap for speedster Andy van der Watt who scored in the left corner. From touch, HO converted and the final whistle went. People charged onto the ground, as they were allowed to do in those friendly days, and swamped HO the Hero.

The biggest upset was in 1984 when Natal of the B Section beat the Free State of the A Section to make the final at Newlands.

Semifinal matches and results:

1969:
Western Province vs Boland 13-11 at Newlands

1970:
Northern Transvaal vs Natal, 24-8 in Durban

1971:
Transvaal vs Natal, 16-9 in Johannesburg

1973
Northern Transvaal vs Rhodesia, 20-7 in Pretoria
Orange Free State vs Western Province, 19-15 at Newlands

1974:
Transvaal vs Eastern Province, 30-6 in Johannesburg

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

1980:
Northern Transvaal vs South Eastern Transvaal, 49-6 in Pretoria
Western Province vs Eastern Province, 21-13 in Port Elizabeth

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

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

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

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

1987:
Transvaal vs South West Africa, 12-9 in Windhoek

1988:
Western Province vs Northern Free State, 26-9 in Welkom

1989:
Western Province vs Western Transvaal, 71-9 in Potchefstroom

1996:
Natal vs Orange Free State, 35-20 in Durban
Transvaal vs Northern Transvaal, 31-21 in Pretoria

1997:
Western Province vs Gauteng Lions, 38-18 at Newlands
Free State Cheetahs vs Natal, 40-22 in Durban

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

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

2000:
Natal vs Free State Cheetahs, 29-15 in Durban
Western Province vs Golden Lions, 43-22 at Newlands

2001:
Natal vs Golden Lions, 16-9 in Durban
Western Province vs Free State Cheetahs, 40-18 at Newlands

2002:
Blue Bulls vs Natal, 22-19 in Durban
Golden Lions vs State Cheetahs, 43-29 in Bloemfontein

2004:
Blue Bulls vs Golden Lions, 40-33 in Pretoria
Free State Cheetahs vs Western Province 17-11 at Newlands

2005:
Blue Bulls vs Golden Lions, 31-23 in Pretoria
Free State Cheetahs vs Western Province, 16-11 at Newlands

2006:
Free State Cheetahs vs Sharks, 30-14 in Bloemfontein
Blue Bulls vs Western Province, 45-30 in Pretoria

2007:
Free State Cheetahs vs Blue Bulls, 11-6 in Bloemfontein
Golden Lions vs Sharks, 19-12 in Durban

2008:
Blue Bulls vs Free State Cheetahs, 31-19 in Pretoria
Sharks vs Golden Lions, 29-14 in Durban

2009:
Free State vs Sharks vs Cheetahs, 23-21 in Durban
Blue Bulls vs Western Province, 21-19 at Newlands

2010:
Sharks vs Blue Bulls, 16-12 in Durban
Western Province vs Free State Cheetahs, 31-7 at Newlands

2011:
Sharks vs Free State Cheetahs in Durban
Golden Lions vs Western Province in Johannesburg