Currie Cup weekend was filled with drama and excitement

In the most dramatic finish of the opening round of the 2025 Carling Currie Cup Premier Division, the Sanlam Boland Kavaliers edged the Toyota Cheetahs in a pulsating encounter in Wellington on Sunday afternoon, while there were also convincing wins for the Airlink Pumas in Nelspruit, Fidelity ADT Lions in Johannesburg and the Vodacom Bulls in Cape Town.

Meanwhile, the NovaVit Griffons were crowned as the 2025 Carling Currie Cup First Division champions after they beat Valke 51-44 in a dramatic final played in freezing conditions in Kempton Park on Saturday.

Like two heavyweight boxers slugging it out for the prestigious crown, the Valke and Griffons delivered a match for the ages when the final finished 37-37 after 80 minutes of pulsating rugby.

Each side managed a converted try to level matters 44-44 at the halfway stage of extra-time, however, a try by Griffons No 8 Ulrich Stander in the second period of extra-time clinched the game and the crown for the visitors, who outscored their hosts by seven tries to five.

The Pumas kicked off the Premier Division with a deserved 49-28 triumph over Suzuki Griquas at the Mbombela Stadium on Friday evening.

On Saturday, the Bulls had too much firepower for DHL Western Province and easily won their North-South derby 48-23 at the DHL Stadium on Saturday, after the Lions had comprehensively outplayed the Hollywoodbets Sharks XV 46-5 at Ellis Park.

On Sunday, Blitzbok speedster Donavan Don broke through the Cheetahs’ defence to score the match-winning try in the 87th minute of their encounter at Sanlam Boland Stadium, sending the home crowd into raptures and sealing a famous 37-35 win for the Kavaliers.

The 2025 Carling Currie Cup Premier Division kicked off with the Pumas securing a commanding victory over the Griquas at the Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit on Friday evening. Although they led by just two points at halfway stage, 25-23, the team from Mpumalanga managed to pull away in the second stanza to run out comfortable winners.

In a match filled with their trademark attacking flair and physical intensity, the hosts outscored their visitors by six tries to three, with flyhalf Danrich Visagie delivering a standout performance by scoring a try, five conversions and three penalties for a personal tally of 24 points.

The Pumas struck early through centre Sango Xamlashe, setting the tone for a fast-paced first half. The Griquas responded with tries from Gustav Erlank and Caleb Abrahams, while stalwart George Whitehead kept the scoreboard ticking with accurate goal-kicking. A late first-half try from Eddie Swart gave the Pumas a narrow half-time lead.

In the second half, the home side capitalized on Griquas’ ill-discipline – with three yellow cards proving costly – as Wian Van Niekerk, JJ Scheepers and Darren Adonis crossed the line to seal a comfortable bonus-point win.

In Saturday’s first game, the Lions delivered a commanding performance to roar past the Sharks XV at Ellis Park. The Highvelders scored seven tries in total while their KZN opponents could only manage a single reply in the second half.

The Joburg outfit opened the scoring through Jarod Cairns, followed by a brace from Rabz Maxwane and a penalty try that gave them a comfortable 24-point half-time cushion. Unfortunately, the Durbanites’ discipline faltered, with yellow cards to Phiko Sobahle and Jean Smith compounding their struggles.

In the second half, the Joburg hosts continued their dominance with tries from Angelo Davids, Rynhardt Jonker and Layton Horn, while the Durbanites managed a solitary response through Sobahle.

The Bulls opened their campaign with a commanding victory over Western Province in Cape Town on Saturday afternoon, with the visitors outscoring their hosts by six tries to two.

The men from Pretoria dominated the first half, racing to a 38-16 lead thanks to clinical finishing and a well-structured game plan. The Bulls wasted no time asserting dominance, with Joe van Zyl and Zak Burger crossing early. Boeta Chamberlain was flawless from the tee, converting all six tries and adding two penalties.

WP responded through Shilton van Wyk but three yellow cards in the first half – to skipper Zain Davids, Gary Porter and Alex Groves – disrupted their momentum.

Despite a well-worked second-half try from Courtnall Skosan, Province struggled to recover and they struggled to contain the physicality and intensity of the Bulls. The visitors remained in control, with Jeandre Rudolph adding his second try as they sealed a comfortable win.

The Kavaliers started strong on Sunday, building a 27-14 half-time lead through tries from Ashlon Davids, David Brits and Don, with James Tedder adding valuable points from the tee.

The Free Staters mounted a fierce second-half comeback, scoring three tries – two from powerful line-out mauls – and took the lead right at the end.

But in a heart-stopping finale, Don crossed the line well after the final hooter, securing a dramatic victory for the Bolanders to celebrate their return topflight action. The side from Bloemfontein received two yellow cards, to Gideon van der Merwe in the first half and Vernon Paulo shortly before the hooter sounded.

In next week’s second-round fixtures, the Cheetahs host the Pumas on Friday evening from 7pm in Bloemfontein; in the first of two Saturday fixtures, the Lions entertain Western Province at Ellis Park in Johannesburg (3pm) and that encounter is followed by the 5.10pm fixture at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria between the Bulls and Sharks XV. On Sunday afternoon from 3pm, Griquas host the Kavaliers at Suzuki Stadium in Kimberley.

Scores

Carling Currie Cup First Division Final

Valke 44 (21), NovaVit Griffons 51 (24)

Valke – Tries: Ezrick Alexander (2), Theuns Pretorius, Mbembe Payi, Valentino Wellman. Conversions: Keagan Fortune (4), Sergio Stalmeester. Penalties: Fortune (2), Stalmeester.

Griffons – Tries: Duan Pretorius (2), Matt Gray, Kyle Syster, Jandre de Beer, Keanu Vers, Ulrich Stander. Conversions: Andrew Kota (5). Penalties: Kota (2).

Carling Currie Cup Premier Division Round 1

Airlink Pumas 49 (25), Suzuki Griquas 28 (23)

Pumas – Tries: Sango Xamlashe, Danrich Visagie, Eddie Swart, Wian van Niekerk, JJ Scheepers, Darren Adonis. Conversions: Visagie (5). Penalties: Visagie (3).

Griquas – Tries: Gustav Erlank, Caleb Abrahams, Mnombo Zwelendaba. Conversions: George Whitehead (2). Penalties: Whitehead (3).

Fidelity ADT Lions 46 (24), Hollywoodbets Sharks XV 5 (0)

Lions – Tries: Rabz Maxwane (2), Jarod Cairns, Angelo Davids, Rynhardt Jonker, Layton Horn, Penalty Try. Conversions: Lubabalo Dobela (2), Kade Wolhuter. Penalty: Dobela.

Sharks XV – Try: Phiko Sobahle.

DHL Western Province 23 (16), Vodacom Bulls 48 (38)

WP – Tries: Shilton Van Wyk, Courtnall Skosan. Conversions: Kyle Smith (2). Penalties: Kyle Smith (3).

Bulls – Tries: Zak Burger (2), Jeandre Rudolph (2), Sintu Manjezi, Joe van Zyl. Conversions: Boeta Chamberlain (6). Penalties: Chamberlain (2).

Sanlam Boland Kavaliers 37 (27), Toyota Cheetahs 35 (14)

Boland – Tries: Donavan Don (2), Ashlon Davids, David Brits, Marcqiewn Titus. Conversions: James Tedder (3). Penalties: Tedder (2).

Cheetahs – Tries: Marko Janse van Rensburg, Rewan Kruger, Carel-Jan Coetzee, Gideon van der Merwe, Vernon Paulo. Conversions: Ntokozo Makhaza (3), Cohen Jasper (2).