2023 Currie Cup Premier Division

The 2023 Currie Cup Premier Division is the 85th edition of the Currie Cup, the premier domestic rugby union competition in South Africa. It is sponsored by beer brand Carling Black Label and organised by the South African Rugby Union.[1]

2023 Currie Cup Premier Division
CountriesSouth Africa
Date10 March – 24 June
ChampionsFree State Cheetahs (6th title)
Matches played56
Tries scored406
(average 7.3 per match)
Top point scorerTinus de Beer (126)
Top try scorerGideon van der Merwe, David Kriel, Fez Mbatha, Devon Williams (7)

The tournament will be played from March to June in 2023.[2] This follows the realignment of the South African domestic rugby union calendar to dovetail with the northern hemisphere and the United Rugby Championship, which features four South African sides.

The competition featured an increased eight teams this season, with Griffons earning promotion into the Currie Cup Premier Division, after winning the 2022 Currie Cup First Division.[3]

Teams
Team locations in the 2023 Currie Cup Premier Division

The eight competing teams are:[4]

2023 Currie Cup Premier Division
Team Sponsored name Stadium Capacity
Blue Bulls Vodacom Blue Bulls Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria 51,762
Free State Cheetahs Toyota Free State Cheetahs Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein 48,000
Golden Lions Sigma Golden Lions Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg
Wits Rugby Stadium, Johannesburg		 62,567
5,000
Griffons Novavit Griffons North West Stadium, Welkom 17,000
Griquas Tafel Lager Griquas Griqua Park, Kimberley 11,000
Pumas Airlink Pumas Mbombela Stadium, Mbombela 40,929
Sharks Cell C Sharks Kings Park Stadium, Durban 54,000
Western Province DHL Western Province Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town
Danie Craven Stadium, Stellenbosch		 55,000
16,000

Regular season

Standings
2023 Currie Cup Premier Division standings
Pos Team P W D L PF PA PD TF TA TB LB Pts
1Free State Cheetahs 14914439324+115633911251
2Sharks 141004370310+6050377248
3Pumas 14806439292+14458385340
4Blue Bulls 14707399415−1657538238
5Western Province 147073773354249477237
6Golden Lions 14607386390−452518436
7Griquas 14716364399−3545535035
8Griffons 141013288594−30633895110
Source: springboks.rugby

Key: P = matches played, W = Won, D = Drawn, L = Lost, PF = Points for, PA = Points against, PD = Points difference, TF = Tries for, TA = Tries against, TB = Tries bonus, LB = Loss Bonus, Pts = Tournament points

The top four teams qualified for the semifinals

Tournament points in the standings were awarded to teams as follows:

  • 4 points for a win.
  • 2 points for a draw.
  • 1 bonus point for a loss in a match by seven points or under.
  • 1 bonus point for scoring four tries or more.

Teams were ranked in the standings firstly by tournament points then by: (a) points difference from all matches (points scored less points conceded); (b) tries difference from all matches (tries scored less tries conceded); (c) points difference from the matches between the tied teams; (d) points scored in all matches; (e) tries scored in all matches; and, if needed, (f) a coin toss.

Play-offs

Semifinals
17 June 2023 Free State Cheetahs 37–10 Blue Bulls Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein  
15:00
17 June 2023 Sharks 20–26 Pumas Kings Park Stadium, Durban  
17:30

Final
24 June 2023 Free State Cheetahs 25–17 Pumas Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein  
Attendance: 33,804

See also

References
  1. "Carling Currie Cup is Announced". WP Rugby. 30 January 2021. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
  2. "SA Rugby confirms bumper domestic calendar". SA Rugby. 30 January 2023. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
  3. "Griffons Secured Promotion". Ruggas.co.za. 30 December 2022. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
  4. "Currie Cup Premier Division". SA Rugby. 30 January 2023. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.