The 2018 Currie Cup Premier Division was the top tier of the 2018

Currie Cup The Currie Cup is South Africa's premier domestic rugby union competition, played each winter and spring (June to October), featuring teams representing either entire provinces or substantial regions within provinces. Although it is the premier ...

, the 80th edition of the annual South African rugby union competition organised by the

South African Rugby Union The South African Rugby Union (SARU) is the governing body for rugby union in South Africa and is affiliated to World Rugby. It was established in 1992 as the South African Rugby Football Union, from the merger of the South African Rugby Board ...

. It was played between 17 August and 27 October 2018 and featured the same seven teams as in

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. The competition was won by the , who beat 17–12 in the final played on 27 October 2018.

Competition rules and information

There were seven participating teams in the 2018 Currie Cup Premier Division. They played each other once during the

pool stage Pool may refer to: Water pool * Swimming pool, usually an artificial structure containing a large body of water intended for swimming * Reflecting pool, a shallow pool designed to reflect a structure and its surroundings * Tide pool, a rocky po ...

, either at home or away. Teams received four points for a win and two points for a draw. Bonus points were awarded to teams that scored four or more tries in a game, as well as to teams that lost a match by seven points or less. Teams were ranked by log points, then points difference (points scored less points conceded). The top four teams in the pool stage qualified for the

semifinals A single-elimination, knockout, or sudden death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final mat ...

, which were followed by a

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: * Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of con ...

Teams

The teams that played in the 2018 Currie Cup Premier Division are:

Pool stage

Standings

The final log for the 2018 Currie Cup Premier Division was:

Round-by-round

The table below shows a team's progression throughout the season. For each round, each team's cumulative points total is shown with the overall log position in brackets.

Matches

The following matches were played in the 2018 Currie Cup Premier Division:

Round One

The 2018 Currie Cup kicked off with a match between the two teams that finished in the bottom two spots in

; the and in

Nelspruit Mbombela (also known as Nelspruit) is a city in northeastern South Africa. It is the capital of the Mpumalanga province. Located on the Crocodile River, Mbombela lies about by road west of the Mozambique border, east of Johannesburg and north ...

. The won the match 42–19, with fly-half Chris Smith having a Currie Cup debut to remember, scoring 22 points in his side's victory. In the other match, the beat the 34–12 in

Bloemfontein Bloemfontein, ( ; , "fountain of flowers") also known as Bloem, is one of South Africa's three capital cities and the capital of the Free State province. It serves as the country's judicial capital, along with legislative capital Cape ...

, with their fly-half

Manie Libbok Immanuel Libbok (born 15 July 1997) is a South African International rugby union player for the Springboks and in United Rugby Championship in the Currie Cup. He is a utility back that can play as a fullback, fly-half, winger or centre. Rugby ...

scoring 17 points, including his team's opening try.

Round Two

The three teams that has byes in

Round One Round or rounds may refer to: Mathematics and science * The contour of a closed curve or surface with no sharp corners, such as an ellipse, circle, rounded rectangle, cant, or sphere * Rounding, the shortening of a number to reduce the number ...

all secured home victories in Round Two. Defending champions got their title defense underway with a 32–0 victory over the , while the beat the 26–10 in

Durban Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...

; both teams scored four tries in their victories to secure a bonus point. The highest-scoring match of the round was the Friday evening match between the and , with the team from

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a Megacity#List of megacities, megacity, and is List of urban areas by p ...

winning 62–41. Winger

Courtnall Skosan Courtnall Douglas Skosan (born 24 July 1991) is a South African rugby player for Northampton Saints. Club career He played for the at Under–19 and Under–21 level, earning a call-up to the South Africa Under-20 team for the 2011 IRB Junior ...

scored a

hat-trick A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three. Origin The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three wi ...

and

Hacjivah Dayimani Hacjivah Graham Dayimani (born 23 September 1997) is a South African rugby union player for the in the United Rugby Championship and the in the Currie Cup . His regular position is number eight or flanker. Personal life Dayimani is Jewish. H ...

got a

brace Brace(s) or bracing may refer to: Medical * Orthopaedic brace, a device used to restrict or assist body movement ** Back brace, a device limiting motion of the spine *** Milwaukee brace, a kind of back brace used in the treatment of spinal cu ...

as the Golden Lions ran in nine tries, with fly-half Shaun Reynolds kicking 17 points. Griquas fly-half George Whitehead scored 16 points for the losing team, who scored five tries of their own.

Round Three

Round Three saw the , and all winning their away games to make it two wins out of two. Western Province remain top on points differential after a 57–28 victory over the Pumas, with

Sergeal Petersen Sergeal Phillipe Petersen (born 1 August 1994) is a South African rugby union player for the in Super Rugby and in the Currie Cup. His regular position is winger. Rugby Youth Rugby Petersen played for the at all youth levels, representing ...

scoring two of his side's eight tries, and winger

SP Marais Sarel Petrus Marais (born 16 March 1989) is a South African professional rugby union player for the in Super Rugby and in the Currie Cup. His position he plays is Fullback. Career Youth and Varsity rugby Marais played for the in youth com ...

contributing 22 points through one try, seven conversions and a penalty. The other two matches were closer affairs, with both home teams getting a bonus point for a loss by less than seven points; Louis Fouché scored two tries and 17 points in the ' 29–33 loss to a side for whom captain

Chiliboy Ralepelle Mahlatse Chiliboy Ralepelle (born 11 September 1986 in Tzaneen, South Africa), is a former rugby union player for the in Super Rugby and in the Currie Cup. His usual position is at hooker. Career Youth rugby As a pupil at Pretoria Boys High ...

also scored a brace, while

Ruan Steenkamp Ruan Steenkamp (born 2 February 1993) is a South African rugby union player for the in Super Rugby, the Griquas (rugby union) in the Currie Cup and the in the Rugby Challenge. His regular position is flanker or number eight. Career Golden ...

had a memorable match for the , scoring a

before getting sin-binned, but ended on the losing side against the , whose eighth man

scored two tries to secure a 38–35 win for the team from

in the trans-

Jukskei Jukskei is a 270-year-old folk sport ( af, Boeresport) developed and played in South Africa. History Jukskei is believed to have originated around 1743 in the Cape of Good Hope, South Africa, developed by "transport riders" who traveled with ox- ...

derby.

Round Four

The and the both maintained their perfect record, making it three bonus point wins out of three. The Sharks secured a 28–12 victory over the in the Friday night game, while the Golden Lions scored seven tries in a 47–14 victory over the , with fly-half Shaun Reynolds scoring 22 points through two tries and six conversion, with winger

Sylvian Mahuza Sylvian Mahuza (born ) is a South African professional rugby union player. He can play as a winger, centre or fullback. Career Youth and Varsity Cup rugby In 2009, he was called up to represent the Under-16 side at the Grant Khomo Week compet ...

also scoring two tries. The highest-scoring game of the weekend saw the move up to third after a 45–40 victory over . Two tries from Griquas centre André Swarts was not enough as the side from

Pretoria Pretoria () is South Africa's administrative capital, serving as the seat of the executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to South Africa. Pretoria straddles the Apies River and extends eastward into the foot ...

scored seven tries to secure the win. A bye weekend saw drop from first to fourth on the log.

Round Five

In the biggest match of the weekend, two previously-unbeaten sides in the and met in

. The side from

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second larges ...

secured a 65–38 win, scoring nine tries in the process with

Dillyn Leyds Dillyn Yullrich Leyds (born 12 September 1992 in Somerset West, South Africa) is a South African rugby union player for the South Africa national team and Stade Rochelais in the French Top 14. He can play as a fullback, fly-half or wing. Career ...

and

scoring two each, while

contributed 25 of his side's points through one try, seven conversions and two penalties. The result saw Western Province move up to third on the log, one place behind the Golden Lions. The moved to the top of the log following a 39–29 win over the in

, with

Jade Stighling Jade Kyle Stighling (born 27 May 1993) is a South African professional rugby union player for the in Super Rugby, the in the Currie Cup and the in the Rugby Challenge. He usually plays as a left or right winger and occasionally as an outsid ...

contributing two tries. In the weekend's other match, 17 points from George Whitehead and two tries from lock

FP Pelser Floris Petrus Pelser (born ) is a South African rugby union player for in the Currie Cup and the Rugby Challenge. His regular position is lock. References South African rugby union players Living people 1995 births Bethlehem Rugby ...

saw move up to fifth spot by beating the 52–24, a result which confirmed that the team from

won't take part in the

Round Six

The and both maintained their perfect starts to the season, each winning their fourth consecutive match ahead of their meeting in

Round Seven Round or rounds may refer to: Mathematics and science * The contour of a closed curve or surface with no sharp corners, such as an ellipse, circle, rounded rectangle, cant, or sphere * Rounding, the shortening of a number to reduce the numbe ...

. Western Province secured a 38–12 victory over , with wing

scoring two of his side's six tries to move joint-top of the try-scoring charts. Loose-forward Dan du Preez also scored a brace, for the Sharks in their 37–21 victory over a side that lost their second match in a row, with Sharks fly-half Robert du Preez scoring 17 points with the boot. In the other match of the weekend,

Ryan Nell Ryan Desmond Nell (born 4 September 1990 in Port Elizabeth) is a South African rugby union player for the in the Currie Cup and Rugby ATL in Major League Rugby (MLR) in the United States. He is a utility back that can play as a centre, winger o ...

scored two tries as the picked up their second win of the season, beating the 42–14 to condemn the team from

to a winless season, having lost all six of their matches. The Sharks and Western Province mathematically assured their semifinal berths, while the Blue Bulls, Golden Lions and Pumas remained in the race for the other two spots.

Round Seven

The only match of the round saw the top two sides, the and meet in

. The home side won the match 50–28 with

contributing 20 of his side's points, securing a home

semi-final A single-elimination, knockout, or sudden death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final mat ...

in the process.

Round Eight

Round Eight saw a full round of three matches being played, with the first of these finalising the

semifinal A single-elimination, knockout, or sudden death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final matc ...

lineup; the beat the 33–21 in

Mbombela Mbombela (also known as Nelspruit) is a city in northeastern South Africa. It is the capital of the Mpumalanga province. Located on the Crocodile River, Mbombela lies about by road west of the Mozambique border, east of Johannesburg and north ...

— with both

Corné Fourie Corné Fourie (born 2 September 1988) is a South African rugby union player. He can play as a loosehead prop or hooker. He previously played for the , the , the and domestically, for the and in Super Rugby, the Panasonic Wild Knights in th ...

and

scoring a brace of tries — to end the latter's involvement in the competition and ensuring the Golden Lions and the advanced to the knockout stage. The clinched a home semifinal by easily beating in

Kimberley Kimberly or Kimberley may refer to: Places and historical events Australia * Kimberley (Western Australia) ** Roman Catholic Diocese of Kimberley * Kimberley Warm Springs, Tasmania * Kimberley, Tasmania a small town * County of Kimberley, a ...

, with wingers

Lwazi Mvovo Lwazi Ncedo Mvovo is a South African professional rugby union player for the in Super Rugby and in the Currie Cup and the in the Rugby Challenge.Leolin Zas Leolin Lucien Zas (born 20 October 1995) is a South African rugby union player for the in Super Rugby and in the Currie Cup and the in the Rugby Challenge. His regular position is winger and centre. Career Youth / Boland / South African ...

each scoring two tries in a 41–11 win. The final match of the round between the and lasted just 40 minutes; after a delayed start in the match due to lightning, some play was possible before the match was abandoned at half-time due to ever-worsening weather conditions. Western Province were leading 34–7, and this was declared the final result of the match following the abandonment.

Play-offs

Title play-offs

Semifinals

The semifinal matches went according to form, with the top two teams from the

and home semifinalists and both winning. Dan du Preez and

S'busiso Nkosi S'busiso Romeo Nkosi (born 21 January 1996 is a South African professional rugby union player for the South Africa national team and the in United Rugby Championship. His regular position is winger. Rugby career 2012–2014 : Youth rugby ...

each scored two tries in the Sharks' 33–24 victory over the , for whom

also scored a brace. Western Province and the met for the second week in a row, but unlike the Round Eight match that saw Western Province win in a 40-minute match, this encounter finished 32–all during normal time, with the Blue Bulls'

Dylan Sage Dylan Michael Sage (born 24 January 1992) is a South African rugby union player for the in Super Rugby, the in the Currie Cup and the in the Rugby Challenge. He was a member of the South African Sevens team that won a bronze medal at the 2 ...

scoring a try after the final hooter to level the scores and send the match into extra time. Western Province recovered and retained their lead to win 35–32 after extra time, thanks to a penalty from

, who scored 30 of his side's points in the victory.

Final

The won their first title since 2013 after beating 17–12 in

. The only points in the first half came from the boot of Western Province kicker

, who slotted penalties in the 19th and 35th minutes to secure a 6–0 half-time lead for the home side. A try for Sharks hooker

Akker van der Merwe Armand H P 'Akker' van der Merwe (born 17 June 1991) is a South African professional rugby union player for English Premiership side . His regular position is hooker. Career Youth Although born in Vanderbijlpark, Van der Merwe grew up in Geo ...

, converted by fly-half Robert du Preez, saw the Sharks take a 7–6 lead shortly after the interval. A Marais penalty in the 49th minute restored Western Province's lead, but Du Preez responded in kind two minutes later to restore the Sharks' lead. The decisive score came in the 70th minute, when Sharks flank

Tyler Paul Tyler Warne Paul (born in Duiwelskloof, South Africa) is a South African rugby union player for the in Super Rugby and the in the Rugby Challenge. He can play as a lock or a flanker. Career Youth In 2013, Paul was named in the Eastern Pro ...

scored a try — again converted by Du Preez — to make the scoreline 17–9. A penalty from

Damian Willemse Damian Willemse (born 7 May 1998) is a South African rugby union player for the South Africa national team and the in the United Rugby Championship and in the Currie Cup. His regular position is fullback, but he can also play as a fly-half, w ...

wasn't enough for the home side, and the Sharks secured the eighth Currie Cup title in their history.

Relegation play-off

* remained in the Currie Cup Premier Division for 2019. * remained in the Currie Cup First Division for 2019.

Honours

The honour roll for the 2018 Currie Cup Premier Division was as follows:

Players

The squads and player appearance and scoring statistics for the 2018 Currie Cup Premier Division are as follows:

Referees

The following referees officiated matches in the 2018 Currie Cup Premier Division:

References

External links

SARU website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Currie Cup 2018 Currie Cup

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2018 in South African rugby union 2018 rugby union tournaments for clubs