The 2023 Currie Cup First Division is the 85th edition of the

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 ...

. As the second-tier of the competition, it runs alongside the

2023 Currie Cup Premier Division The 2023 Currie Cup Premier Division was the 85th edition of the Currie Cup, the premier domestic rugby union competition in South Africa the competition was sponsored by beer brand Carling Black Label and organised by the South African Rugby U ...

. It is sponsored by beer brand

Carling Black Label Carling Black Label is a lager distributed by Carling Brewing Company. History Although its original focus was on ale, Carling has brewed lager-style beers since the 1870s. In 1927, as part of a corporate re-branding under new president J ...

and 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 ...

. The tournament will be played from February to June in a single round-robin format, following the realignment of the South African domestic rugby union calendar to dovetail with the northern hemisphere and the

United Rugby Championship The United Rugby Championship (URC) is an annual rugby union competition involving professional teams from Ireland, Italy, Scotland, South Africa, and Wales. The current name was adopted in 2021 when the league expanded to include four South Afr ...

, which features four South African sides. The competition ran concurrently with the Mzansi Challenge, which, in addition to the six South African sides, featured four additional international sides; the

Welwitschias The Welwitschias, currently known as the Windhoek Draught Welwitschias due to sponsorship by Namibia Breweries Limited, are a Namibian rugby union team that often participates in South African domestic competitions. As of 2021, they are regul ...

from Namibia, the Zimbabwe Goshawks, the Simbas from Kenya and the San Clemente Rhinos from the USA. Initially, the

Tel Aviv Heat The Tel Aviv Heat () is the first professional Israeli rugby union team. Based in Tel Aviv, the team competes annually in the Eastern Conference of the Rugby Europe Super Cup, alongside RC Batumi and The Black Lion of Georgia as well as the Ro ...

from Israel were due to play. However, after pressure from the South African BDS,

SARU 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 a ...

withdrew their invitation to the Heat, who were replaced by the Rhinos. Heat accused

of discrimination and took the case to

World Rugby World Rugby is the world governing body for the sport of rugby union. World Rugby organises the Rugby World Cup every four years, the sport's most recognised and most profitable competition. It also organises a number of other international rug ...

, who ruled that the withdrawal of the invitation was not discriminatory. The top South African side in the 2023 Currie Cup First Division will be promoted to the Premier Division for 2024, forming an eight team competition. The 2023 Currie Cup Premier Division began in January and was completed in June. South Western District Eagles and the

Falcons Falcons () are birds of prey in the genus ''Falco'', which includes about 40 species. Falcons are widely distributed on all continents of the world except Antarctica, though closely related raptors did occur there in the Eocene. Adult falcons ...

qualified for the Mzansi Challenge final, with the Falcons winning 55-38 and taking their first title since 2006.

Boland Cavaliers The Boland Cavaliers (Boland Kavaliers in Afrikaans), are a South African rugby union team that participates in the annual Currie Cup tournament. They draw players from the Cape Winelands and West Coast districts of Western Cape Province, and ...

and the

qualified for the Currie Cup First Division final, with Boland winning 43–21.

Teams

The ten competing teams are:

Regular season

Standings - Mzansi Challenge

Standings - Currie Cup First Division

Play-offs: Mzansi Challenge

On the eve of the playoffs, South Western Districts Eagles threatened to pull out of their semifinal, disputing the decision to award the

points after they refused to play against the San Clemente Rhinos.

Semifinals

Final

Play-offs: Currie Cup First Division

Final

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2023 Currie Cup First Division 2023 Currie Cup

2023 Events Predicted and scheduled events * January 1 ** In the United States, books, films, and other works published in 1927 will enter the public domain, assuming there are no changes made to copyright law. ** Croatia will adopt the eu ...

Currie Cup 2023 Currie Cup 2023

Teams

Regular season

Standings - Mzansi Challenge

Standings - Currie Cup First Division

Play-offs: Mzansi Challenge

Semifinals

Final

Play-offs: Currie Cup First Division

Final

See also

References