Currie Cup preview | Round One

The Carling Currie Cup reaches a crossroads this weekend when the Premier Division kicks off, with the defending champion Suzuki Griquas starting their campaign in Cape Town, and four of the six First Division teams fight it out for a spot in the final.

 

The four Premier Division games are scheduled for Friday and Sunday, while the two First Division semi-finals take place on Saturday. SuperSport will broadcast five of these games live.

 

The first kick-off of the weekend is at 17h00 in Mbombela, where the Airlink Pumas – champions in 2022 – host the Hollywoodbets Sharks XV, who lifted the trophy two years ago.

 

The vastly experienced Jimmy Stonehouse is in charge of the Pumas yet again and they will be eager to build on their recent success in the SA Cup, where they not only successfully defended their title, but also lost only one of their 11 matches.

 

Last year, the Sharks – who will be coached by Mike Vowles this season – scraped through in the final round of league action against the Pumas in Durban, by 19-13, as they outscored their visitors by three tries to one, and the KwaZulu-Natalians will not mind a similar start to the competition in 2026.

 

Vowles is one of two new head coaches in the Carling Currie Cup Premier Division. He was an assistant coach previously and has also worked with the Sharks’ age-group teams for nearly a decade, including coaching their U21s to the provincial title in 2025.

 

Friday’s second match kicks off at 19h05 when the DHL Stormers XXIII host the defending champions, Suzuki Griquas, in Cape Town.

 

The DHL Stormers XXIII have a new head coach in Tom Dawson-Squibb, who has been involved with rugby in Cape Town – with UCT, Western Province and the Stormers – since 2010, and he will be keen to see his side start on a winning note at home.

 

It won’t be easy though, as Griquas arrive at DHL Stadium as defending champions and although they were just edged in the recent SA Cup final, their form book for 2026 says they’ve lost only twice in their 14 matches so far this season, which includes three strong performances in the Toyota Challenge against European opposition.

 

Last year, Suzuki Griquas beat the men from Cape Town comfortably in Kimberley, scoring seven tries to three in a 47-17 victory in their second-round encounter.

 

Still playing at Western Province in 2025, the DHL Stormers XXIII had a tough season in which they won only one game, and Dawson-Squibb’s mandate will be to change that and make them contenders for the playoffs. He could not have wished for a tougher start though, and it will be interesting to see how the Capetonians respond to the expected physical challenge from their visitors on Friday evening.

 

The focus then moves to Saturday at 15h00, when the two teams to contest the Carling Currie Cup First Division final will be determined. Eastern Province host the Valke in Gqeberha, and the Dotsure SWD Eagles welcome the Leopards to George in the semi-finals. The Griffons, last year’s champions, failed to qualify for the playoffs.

 

Although SWD suffered a narrow 52-45 defeat to Eastern Province in their final league fixture last weekend, the Eagles finished top of the standings on 22 points after five rounds of action. EP secured second place on 20 points and, with it, a valuable home semi-final.

 

The Valke claimed third position on 18 points after ending the Griffons' title defence with a crucial victory in Kempton Park, while the Leopards secured the fourth and final play-off berth with a hard-fought three-point away win over Border in East London. That result proved decisive, as the Leopards leapfrogged the Griffons on the standings.

 

Despite last weekend's setback against EP, the Eagles enter the knock-out phase as one of the competition's form teams. Guided by former Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer, the George-based side have developed into one of the competition's most impressive outfits and will relish the advantage of playing at home.

 

SWD will, however, expect a stern challenge from Riaan van Straten’s Leopards, who have shown plenty of character in securing their place in the semi-finals and will travel to George determined to upset the odds.

 

The other semi-final sees Eastern Province take on the Valke in what promises to be a closely contested encounter.

 

Under the guidance of former Springbok coach Allister Coetzee, EP have emerged as one of the competition's most improved sides. The Elephants have displayed resilience and consistency throughout the campaign, earning several important victories to secure a home play-off.

 

JP Immelman’s Valke, meanwhile, will arrive in Gqeberha full of confidence after another strong season. Last year's runners-up are eager to go one better in 2026 after falling just short in the previous campaign, and their physical, attacking style of play makes them a dangerous proposition in knockout rugby.

 

On Sunday, Frans Steyn’s Toyota Cheetahs will be looking to start their Carling Currie Cup campaign on a high note when they welcome to Fidelity ADT Lions to Bloemfontein, where kick-off is at 13h00.

 

The Cheetahs won the competition in 2023 and despite some wobbles in the SA Cup, they bounced back strongly in the Toyota Challenge, with three strong victories.

 

Bolstered by the arrival of experienced Springbok scrumhalf Faf de Klerk, the Free Staters – who won last year’s corresponding fixture by 47-31 – will be looking to heap more misery on the Lions, who lost the last two Premier Division finals at home.

 

But Mziwakhe Nkosi has also added a number of experienced players to his Lions squad. They will also bring some momentum with them, as the Johannesburgers not only won the SA Shield in the recent Vodacom United Rugby Championship, but also progressed to the playoffs for the first time.

 

The final match of the weekend kicks off at 15h00 in Wellington, where a festive atmosphere is expected when the Sanlam Boland Kavaliers – last season’s surprise package – welcome to the Vodacom Bulls XV to the Boland Stadium.

 

Sunday afternoon games have become a thing in the Boland, and a near-capacity crowd is expected for this clash.

 

Hawies Fourie’s Bolanders have been playing great rugby in the last two seasons. Last year, they qualified for the Premier Division from the SA Cup and went on to play in the semi-finals.

 

Bulls coach Phiwe Nomlomo knows the Kavaliers are a tough customer, and as the men from Pretoria start their campaign with three games on the road, they will go full tilt to get some points on the board in Wellington on Sunday.

 

Last year, the Bulls came up short at Boland Stadium by 28-20, and Nomlomo will have looked at that game again in the hope of finding the answers they will need to start the new season on a winning note.

 

Match information:

 

Carling Currie Cup Premier Division:

 

Airlink Pumas vs Hollywoodbets Sharks XV

Date: Friday, 17 July

Venue: Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit

Time: 17h00

Referee: Juan de Bod

Broadcast: SuperSport

 

DHL Stormers XXIII vs Suzuki Griquas

Date: Friday, 17 July

Venue: DHL Stadium, Cape Town

Time: 19h05

Referee: Stephan Geldenhuys

Broadcast: SuperSport

 

Toyota Cheetahs vs Fidelity ADT Lions

Date: Sunday, 19 July

Venue: Toyota Stadium, Bloemfontein

Time: 13h00

Referee: Dylen November

Broadcast: SuperSport

 

Sanlam Boland Kavaliers vs Vodacom Bulls XV

Date: Sunday, 19 July

Venue: Boland Stadium, Wellington

Time: 15h05

Referee: Griffin Colby

Broadcast: SuperSport

 

Carling Currie Cup First Division semi-finals:

 

Eastern Province vs Valke

Date: Saturday, 18 July

Venue: NMU Madibaz Stadium, Gqeberha

Time: 15h00

Referee: Paul Mente

 

Dotsure SWD Eagles vs Leopards

Date: Saturday, 18 July

Venue: Outeniqua Park, George

Time: 15h00

Referee: Caleb Hibbert

Broadcast: SuperSport