2023 Currie Cup Premier Division

2023 Currie Cup Premier Division
Countries	South Africa
Date	10 March – 24 June
Champions	Free State Cheetahs (7th title)
Runners-up	Pumas
Matches played	56
Tries scored	406 (average 7.3 per match)
Top point scorer	Tinus de Beer (126)
Top try scorer	Gideon van der Merwe, David Kriel, Fez Mbatha, Devon Williams (7)
← 2022 2024 →

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 Union.^[1]

The tournament was played from Friday 10 March 2023 to Saturday 24 June 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 Free State Cheetahs won the tournament final 25-17 against the Pumas to claim their 7th overall Currie Cup title

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

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
1	Free State Cheetahs	14	9	1	4	439	324	+115	63	39	11	2	51
2	Sharks	14	10	0	4	370	310	+60	50	37	7	2	48
3	Pumas	14	8	0	6	439	292	+144	58	38	5	3	40
4	Blue Bulls	14	7	0	7	399	415	−16	57	53	8	2	38
5	Western Province	14	7	0	7	377	335	42	49	47	7	2	37
6	Golden Lions	14	6	0	8	386	390	−4	52	51	8	4	36
7	Griquas	14	7	1	6	364	399	−35	45	53	5	0	35
8	Griffons	14	1	0	13	288	594	−306	33	89	5	1	10
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 by tournament points. Had two or more teams tied on points the tie would have been broken 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.

Fixtures

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

Round 4

Round 5

Round 6

Round 7

Round 8

Round 9

Round 10

Round 11

Round 12

Round 13

Round 14

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[5]

See also

• 2023 Currie Cup First Division

References

External links

• SARU website