2026 Currie Cup Premier Division
| 2026 Currie Cup Premier Division | |
|---|---|
| Countries | South Africa |
| Date | 17 July – 12 September |
The 2026 Currie Cup Premier Division will be the 88th edition of the Currie Cup, the premier domestic rugby union competition in South Africa, and the oldest provincial rugby competition in the world. The competition is sponsored by beer brand Carling Black Label and organized by the South African Rugby Union.[1][2]
The competition featured the four teams associated with the teams playing in the United Rugby Championship, as well as the four teams finishing top of the 2026 SA Cup.[3] The same teams that qualified for the 2025 Currie Cup Premier Division all qualified again.[4][5] The competition's most successful team, Western Province, was rebranded as the Stormers XXIII, to consolidate their United Rugby Championship and Currie Cup brands.[6]
Teams
[edit]
The eight competing teams are:
| Team | Sponsored name | Stadium | Sponsored stadia name | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boland Cavaliers | Sanlam Boland Kavaliers | Boland Stadium, Wellington | N/a | 12,000 |
| Bulls XV | Vodacom Bulls XV | Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria | N/a | 51,762 |
| Cheetahs | Toyota Cheetahs | Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein | Toyota Stadium | 48,000 |
| Griquas | Suzuki Griquas | Griqua Park, Kimberley | Suzuki Stadium | 11,000 |
| Lions | Fidelity ADT Lions | Ellis Park, Johannesburg | 10bet Ellis Park | 62,567 |
| Pumas | Airlink Pumas | Mbombela Stadium, Mbombela | N/a | 43,500 |
| Sharks XV | Hollywoodbets Sharks XV | Kings Park Stadium, Durban Princess Magogo Stadium, KwaMashu Woodburn Stadium, Pietermaritzburg |
Hollywoodbets Kings Park N/A N/A |
54,000 12,000 12,000 |
| Stormers XXIII | DHL Stormers XXIII | Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town Athlone Stadium, Cape Town |
DHL Stadium N/A |
55,000 34,000 |
Regular season
[edit]Standings
[edit]| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TF | TA | B | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cheetahs | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 27 | +2 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 5 | Semifinals |
| 2 | Sharks XV | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 24 | +2 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 5 | |
| 3 | Boland Cavaliers | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 10 | +14 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| 4 | Stormers XXIII | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 19 | +6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 4 | |
| 5 | Lions | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 27 | 29 | −2 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | |
| 6 | Pumas | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 24 | 26 | −2 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | |
| 7 | Griquas | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 19 | 25 | −6 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | |
| 8 | Bulls XV | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 24 | −14 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
Source: SA Rugby
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
[edit]Round 1
[edit]| 17 July 2026 | Pumas (2 BP) | 24–26 | Sharks XV (1 BP) | Mbombela Stadium, Mbombela | |
| 17:00 SAST | Try: Msenge 8' Van Zyl 55' Swanepoel 62' Scheepers 67' Con: Fleurs (2/4) 63', 67' |
Report | Try: Matthews (3) 22', 29', 40' Van Vuuren 44' Con: Swiel (3/4) 23', 40+1', 45' |
Referee: Juan de Bod |
| 17 July 2026 | Stormers XXIII | 25–19 | Griquas (1 BP) | Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town | |
| 19:05 SAST | Try: Paulo 38' Ndhlovu 45' Ungerer 79' Con: Malgas (2/2) 47', 80' Pen: Du Plessis 3' Malgas 52' Cards: Grobler  17'Smit 22'Fuller 58' |
Report | Try: Makata 10' Oosthuizen 28' Lange 55' Con: Whitehead (2/3) 10', 56' Cards: Pretorius  58'Van der Merwe 74' |
Referee: Stephan Geldenhuys |
| 19 July 2026 | Cheetahs (1 BP) | 29–27 | Lions (2 BP) | Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein | |
| 13:00 SAST | Try: Janse van Rensburg 12' R. Uys 21' Sekekete 57' Jasper 68' Pen: Van der Walt (3) 4', 38', 75' |
Report | Try: Finca (3) 15', 40', 44' Nela 70' Con: Francis (2/4) 45', 72' Pen: Francis 7' |
Referee: Dylen November |
| 19 July 2026 | Boland Cavaliers | 24–10 | Bulls XV | Boland Stadium, Wellington | |
| 15:05 SAST | Try: Eras 6' Van der Westhuizen 26 Penalty try 74' Con: Tedder (1/1) 7' Bantom (1/1) 27' Pen: Bantom 48' Cards: September 80' |
Report | Try: Schurmann 58' Con: Johannes (1/1) 59' Pen: Johannes 40+2' Cards: Janse van Rensburg 15'Xaba 74' |
Referee: Griffin Colby |
Round 2
[edit]| 24 July 2026 | Cheetahs | v | Sharks XV | Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein | |
| 17:00 SAST |
| 25 July 2026 | Lions | v | Pumas | Ellis Park, Johannesburg | |
| 15:00 SAST |
| 25 July 2026 | Griquas | v | Bulls XV | Griqua Park, Kimberley | |
| 17:05 SAST |
| 26 July 2026 | Boland Cavaliers | v | Stormers XXIII | Boland Stadium, Wellington | |
| 15:00 SAST |
Round 3
[edit]| 31 July 2026 | Griquas | v | Cheetahs | Griqua Park, Kimberley | |
| 19:00 SAST |
| 1 August 2026 | Stormers XXIII | v | Sharks XV | Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town | |
| 15:00 SAST |
| 1 August 2026 | Lions | v | Bulls XV | Ellis Park, Johannesburg | |
| 17:05 SAST |
| 2 August 2026 | Boland Cavaliers | v | Pumas | Boland Stadium, Wellington | |
| 15:00 SAST |
Round 4
[edit]| 8 August 2026 | Griquas | v | Lions | Griqua Park, Kimberley | |
| 13:00 |
| 8 August 2026 | Bulls XV | v | Pumas | Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria | |
| 15:05 SAST |
| 8 August 2026 | Sharks XV | v | Boland Cavaliers | Princess Magogo Stadium, KwaMashu | |
| 17:15 SAST |
| 9 August 2026 | Stormers XXIII | v | Cheetahs | Athlone Stadium, Cape Town | |
| 15:00 SAST |
Round 5
[edit]| 14 August 2026 | Lions | v | Boland Cavaliers | Ellis Park, Johannesburg | |
| 15:00 SAST |
| 14 August 2026 | Griquas | v | Sharks XV | Griqua Park, Kimberley | |
| 17:05 SAST |
| 15 August 2026 | Pumas | v | Stormers XXIII | Mbombela Stadium, Mbombela | |
| 17:00 SAST |
| 16 August 2026 | Bulls XV | v | Cheetahs | Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria | |
| 15:00 SAST |
Round 6
[edit]| 21 August 2026 | Pumas | v | Griquas | Mbombela Stadium, Mbombela | |
| 15:00 SAST |
| 21 August 2026 | Bulls XV | v | Stormers XXIII | Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria | |
| 17:05 SAST |
| 21 August 2026 | Sharks XV | v | Lions | Woodburn Stadium, Pietermaritzburg | |
| 19:05 SAST |
| 23 August 2026 | Cheetahs | v | Boland Cavaliers | Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein | |
| 15:00 SAST |
Round 7
[edit]| 28 August 2026 | Lions | v | Stormers XXIII | Ellis Park, Johannesburg | |
| 17:05 SAST |
| 28 August 2026 | Sharks XV | v | Bulls XV | Kings Park Stadium, Durban | |
| 19:15 SAST |
| 29 August 2026 | Pumas | v | Cheetahs | Mbombela Stadium, Mbombela | |
| TBC |
| 30 August 2026 | Boland Cavaliers | v | Griquas | Boland Stadium, Wellington | |
| 15:00 |
Semi Finals
[edit]| 4 September 2026 | Log Position 1 | v | Log Position 4 | TBC | |
| TBC |
| 4 September 2026 | Log Position 2 | v | Log Position 3 | TBC | |
| TBC |
Final
[edit]| 12 September 2026 | TBC | v | TBC | TBC | |
| TBC |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ "Carling Currie Cup is Announced". WP Rugby. 30 January 2021. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
- ↑ "Currie Cup and Women's Super League headlines packed 2026 domestic schedule". rugby365.com. Retrieved 22 May 2026.
- ↑ "Currie Cup set for major shake-up". SABC. 17 January 2024. Retrieved 11 May 2025.
- ↑ "Boland, Cheetahs clinch SA Cup semifinal spots". SuperSport. 10 May 2026. Retrieved 22 May 2026.
- ↑ Mostert, Herman. "Status quo remains for 2026 SA Cup and Currie Cup". News24. Retrieved 22 May 2026.
- ↑ "Stormers to replace Western Province in Currie Cup under single brand | rugby". SABC. 6 March 2026. Retrieved 22 May 2026.