2021 Currie Cup Premier Division Explained

2021 Currie Cup Premier Division
Countries:	South Africa
Date:	18 June – 11 September
Count:	25
Matches:	45
Attendance:	0
Tries:	301
Top Point Scorer:	George Whitehead (Griquas, 165)
Top Try Scorer:	Evan Roos (Western Province) & Simon Westraadt (Pumas) (both 8)
Prevseason:	2020–21
Nextseason:	2022

The 2021 Currie Cup Premier Division was the 83rd edition of the top tier of the Currie Cup, the premier domestic rugby union competition in South Africa. It was sponsored by beer brand Carling Black Label and organised by the South African Rugby Union.^[1]

The tournament returned to its usual dates, following being played from November to January in 2020/21 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The tournament also returned to its usual length of 14 rounds followed by finals, following a shortened 7 round competition in 2020/21.

The First Division of the Currie Cup also returned in 2021, having been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.^[2]

Teams

The seven competing teams were:

Team	Sponsored name
+ 2021 Currie Cup Premier Division
	Vodacom Blue Bulls
	Toyota Free State Cheetahs
	Xerox Golden Lions (until 1 July) Sigma Golden Lions (from 1 July)
	Tafel Lager Griquas
	New Nation Pumas
	Cell C Sharks
	DHL Western Province

Regular season

Round-by-round

The table below shows the progression of all teams throughout the Currie Cup season. Each team's tournament points on the standings log is shown for each round, with the overall log position in brackets.

2021 Currie Cup team progression
Team	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	R7	R8	R9	R10	R11	R12	R13	R14	Semi	Final
Blue Bulls	style="background:#FFCCCC;padding:0;"	1 (4th)	style="background:#E8FFD8;"	6 (3rd)	style="background:#97DEFF;padding:0;"	10 (3rd)	style="background:#ECECEC;"	10 (5th)	style="background:#97DEFF;padding:0;"	14 (4th)	style="background:#97DEFF;padding:0;"	18 (3rd)	style="background:#E8FFD8;"	23 (2nd)	style="background:#E8FFD8;"	28 (1st)	style="background:#FFCCCC;padding:0;"	29 (2nd)	style="background:#E8FFD8;"	34 (1st)	style="background:#E8FFD8;"	39 (1st)	style="background:#E8FFD8;"	44 (1st)	style="background:#ECECEC;"	44 (1st)	style="background:#E8FFD8;"	49 (1st)	style="background:#E8FFD8;"	Won	style="background:#E8FFD8;"	Won
Free State Cheetahs	style="background:#ECECEC;"	0 (5th)	style="background:#FFCCCC;padding:0;"	0 (7th)	style="background:#97DEFF;padding:0;"	0 (7th)	style="background:#E8FFD8;"	4 (7th)	style="background:#97DEFF;padding:0;"	8 (7th)	style="background:#E8FFD8;"	13 (6th)	style="background:#FFCCCC;padding:0;"	14 (6th)	style="background:#ECECEC;"	14 (7th)	style="background:#FFCCCC;padding:0;"	16 (7th)	style="background:#97DEFF;padding:0;"	19 (7th)	style="background:#FFCCCC;padding:0;"	21 (7th)	style="background:#E8FFD8;"	26 (6th)	style="background:#FFCCCC;padding:0;"	26 (6th)	style="background:#FFCCCC;padding:0;"	28 (6th)	style="line-height:1.2;padding:3px;"	DNQ	style="line-height:1.2;padding:3px;"	DNQ
Golden Lions	style="background:#FFCCCC;padding:0;"	0 (7th)	style="background:#E8FFD8;"	5 (6th)	style="background:#ECECEC;"	5 (6th)	style="background:#97DEFF;padding:0;"	9 (6th)	style="background:#97DEFF;padding:0;"	13 (5th)	style="background:#FFCCCC;padding:0;"	14 (5th)	style="background:#FFCCCC;padding:0;"	14 (7th)	style="background:#FFCCCC;padding:0;"	16 (6th)	style="background:#E8FFD8;"	21 (5th)	style="background:#97DEFF;padding:0;"	24 (5th)	style="background:#FFCCCC;padding:0;"	24 (6th)	style="background:#FFCCCC;padding:0;"	24 (7th)	style="background:#FFCCCC;padding:0;"	24 (7th)	style="background:#ECECEC;"	24 (7th)	style="line-height:1.2;padding:3px;"	DNQ	style="line-height:1.2;padding:3px;"	DNQ
Griquas	style="background:#FFCCCC;padding:0;"	0 (6th)	style="background:#E8FFD8;"	5 (5th)	style="background:#FFCCCC;padding:0;"	6 (5th)	style="background:#E8FFD8;"	10 (4th)	style="background:#97DEFF;padding:0;"	14 (3rd)	style="background:#E8FFD8;"	19 (2nd)	style="background:#ECECEC;"	19 (3rd)	style="background:#E8FFD8;"	24 (3rd)	style="background:#FFCCCC;padding:0;"	26 (3rd)	style="background:#FFCCCC;padding:0;"	26 (3rd)	style="background:#ECECEC;"	26 (4th)	style="background:#FFCCCC;padding:0;"	28 (5th)	style="background:#E8FFD8;"	33 (3rd)	style="background:#97DEFF;padding:0;"	35 (3rd)	style="background:#FFCCCC;padding:0;"	Lost	style="line-height:1.2;padding:3px;"	DNQ
Pumas	style="background:#E8FFD8;"	5 (1st)	style="background:#FFCCCC;padding:0;"	6 (2nd)	style="background:#E8FFD8;"	10 (2nd)	style="background:#FFCCCC;padding:0;"	11 (2nd)	style="background:#97DEFF;padding:0;"	15 (1st)	style="background:#ECECEC;"	15 (4th)	style="background:#FFCCCC;padding:0;"	15 (5th)	style="background:#E8FFD8;"	20 (4th)	style="background:#ECECEC;"	20 (6th)	style="background:#97DEFF;padding:0;"	24 (4th)	style="background:#97DEFF;padding:0;"	27 (3rd)	style="background:#FFCCCC;padding:0;"	28 (4th)	style="background:#E8FFD8;"	32 (4th)	style="background:#97DEFF;padding:0;"	34 (5th)	style="line-height:1.2;padding:3px;"	DNQ	style="line-height:1.2;padding:3px;"	DNQ
Sharks	style="background:#E8FFD8;"	5 (3rd)	style="background:#ECECEC;"	5 (4th)	style="background:#FFCCCC;padding:0;"	7 (4th)	style="background:#97DEFF;padding:0;"	11 (3rd)	style="background:#97DEFF;padding:0;"	15 (2nd)	style="background:#97DEFF;padding:0;"	19 (1st)	style="background:#E8FFD8;"	24 (1st)	style="background:#FFCCCC;padding:0;"	25 (2nd)	style="background:#E8FFD8;"	30 (1st)	style="background:#97DEFF;padding:0;"	30 (2nd)	style="background:#E8FFD8;"	35 (2nd)	style="background:#ECECEC;"	35 (2nd)	style="background:#E8FFD8;"	40 (2nd)	style="background:#FFCCCC;padding:0;"	40 (2nd)	style="background:#E8FFD8;"	Won	style="background:#FFCCCC;padding:0;"	Lost
Western Province	style="background:#E8FFD8;"	5 (2nd)	style="background:#FFCCCC;padding:0;"	7 (1st)	style="background:#E8FFD8;"	11 (1st)	style="background:#FFCCCC;padding:0;"	12 (1st)	style="background:#ECECEC;"	12 (6th)	style="background:#FFCCCC;padding:0;"	12 (7th)	style="background:#E8FFD8;"	17 (4th)	style="background:#FFCCCC;padding:0;"	17 (5th)	style="background:#E8FFD8;"	22 (4th)	style="background:#ECECEC;"	22 (6th)	style="background:#97DEFF;padding:0;"	25 (5th)	style="background:#E8FFD8;"	30 (3rd)	style="background:#FFCCCC;padding:0;"	30 (5th)	style="background:#E8FFD8;"	35 (4th)	style="background:#FFCCCC;padding:0;"	Lost	style="line-height:1.2;padding:3px;"	DNQ

Key:	Win	Draw	Loss	No match	Bye

Matches

Listed below are all matches for the double round-robin, played for the 2021 Currie Cup Premier Division.^[3]

Round 14

Play-offs

Final

The Blue Bulls became the first team in the 130-year history of the Currie Cup competition to lift the trophy twice in the same year having beaten the Sharks in the final of last season’s competition that was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic to January 2021. The Blue Bulls led 19–3 at halftime and also went on to record the biggest margin of victory ever in a Currie Cup final, beating their 39–9 win over in 1980. The Blue Bulls managed 44 points in this final which is their highest ever points tally in a Currie Cup final beating their previous highest 42 in the 42–33 win against the in 2004.^[4]


Blue Bulls:
FB	15
RW	14
OC	13
IC	12
LW	11
FH	10
SH	9
N8	8
BF	7
OF	6	Marcell Coetzee (c)
RL	5
LL	4
TP	3
HK	2
LP	1
Substitutes:
HK	16
PR	17
PR	18
BR	19
BR	20
SH	21
OB	22
OB	23
Coach:
Jake White


Sharks:
FB	15
RW	14
OC	13
IC	12
LW	11
FH	10
SH	9
N8	8	Phepsi Buthelezi (c)
BF	7
OF	6
RL	5
LL	4
TP	3
HK	2
LP	1
Substitutes:
HK	16
PR	17
PR	18
BR	19
LK	20
SH	21	Lucky Dlepu
CE	22
OB	23
Coach:
Sean Everitt

Assistant Referees:
AJ Jacobs
Aimee Barrett-Theron
Television match official:
Stuart Berry

Players

Player statistics

Top 10 point scorers ^[5]
No	Player	Team	Points<	-- Pos	Player	Team	Points-->
1			165
2	Tim Swiel		150
3	Eddie Fouché		107
4	Johan Goosen		99
5	Ruan Pienaar		97
6	Jordan Hendrikse		73
7	Curwin Bosch		67
8	Chris Smith		51
9	Evan Roos		40
9	Simon Westraadt		40

Top 5 try scorers
No	Player	Team	Tries<	-- Pos	Player	Team	Tries-->
1			8
1	Simon Westraadt		8
3	Eduan Keyter		7
	JJ Kotze
	Kerron van Vuuren

Team rosters

The respective team squads for the 2021 Currie Cup Premier Division are:

squad^[6]
Forwards
Backs
Coach

squad^[7]
Forwards
Backs
Coach

squad^[8]
Forwards
Backs
Coach

squad^[9]
Forwards
Backs
Coach

squad^[10]
Forwards
Backs
Coach

squad^[11]
Forwards
Backs
Coach

squad^[12]
Forwards
Backs
Coach

Referees

The following referees officiated matches in the competition:

2021 Currie Cup Premier Division referees

Champions Match

On 6 October, the South African Rugby Union announced that fans would get a chance to vote and select their own Currie Cup Select XV.^[13] The invitational side played Kenya who used the match a preparation ahead of their international matches in November 2021. The selected Currie Cup XV side was announced on 4 November.^[14]

External links

SARU website

Notes and References

News: Midweek games for Currie Cup as SA rugby confirms 2021 schedule. Sport24. 3 June 2021. 18 June 2021.
News: Currie Cup reverts to double-round fixtures. SA Rugby Magazine. 3 June 2021. 18 June 2021.
Web site: Carling Currie Cup Fixtures. Supersport. 18 June 2021.
Web site: Rugby-Six try Bulls make history with Currie Cup final win. 2021-10-03. www.reuters.com. en.
Web site: CARLING CURRIE CUP PREMIER DIVISION . SA Rugby . 2 October 2021.
Web site: Blue Bulls squad . SA Rugby . 16 June 2021.
Web site: Currie Cup Players. 11 June 2021. Free State Cheetahs.
Web site: Golden Lions squad . SA Rugby . 16 June 2021.
Web site: Griquas squad . SA Rugby . 17 June 2021.
Web site: Pumas squad . SA Rugby . 17 June 2021.
Web site: Sharks squad . SA Rugby . 16 June 2021.
Web site: Western Province squad . SA Rugby . 16 June 2021.
https://www.springboks.rugby/news-features/articles/2021/10/06/kenya-lined-up-as-carling-champions-match-opponents/ Kenya lined up as Carling Champions Match opponents
https://www.springboks.rugby/news-features/articles/2021/11/04/final-team-for-carling-champions-match-confirmed/ Final team for Carling Champions Match confirmed