First Division champs will be crowned as Premier Division action heats up

The Carling Currie Cup Premier Division shifts into the second round this weekend when four more intriguing games will be staged, while the Carling Currie Cup First Division champions for 2026 will be crowned on Friday evening when hosts DotSure SWD Eagles face Valke from 7.15pm at Outeniqua Park in George in what promises to be an exciting 2026 Carling Currie Cup First Division Final. The match will be broadcast live on SuperSport.

The action starts in the Premier Division with a top-of-the-table clash on Friday afternoon between the Toyota Cheetahs and Hollywoodbets Sharks XV in Bloemfontein, which kicks off at 5pm at the Toyota Stadium. But more on that later.

Both the Eagles and Valke have built good momentum during the SA Cup earlier in the season, where the Eagles secured fifth and the Valke sixth spots, with coming close to the semi-finals and agonisingly Premier Division qualification.

SWD have carried that form into their First Division campaign, finishing top of the log, while Valke finished in third spot. They booked their spots in the decider with dominant semi-final performances.

The Eagles scored a comprehensive home win over the Leopards, scoring nine tries in the process to qualify for the final, while in Gqeberha, JP Immelman’s Valke delivered a clinical second-half display as they outplayed Eastern Province by 44-12 to qualify for a second final in a row.

The Valke, who suffered a heartbreaking loss to the Griffons in the 2025 final, will be hoping for a similar good performance in George to topple Heyneke Meyer’s Eagles, who have been in great form this season.

The attention then moves back to the Premier Division, with two fixtures on Saturday – between the Fidelity ADT Lions and Airlink Pumas at Ellis Park (3pm), followed by Suzuki Griquas’ home game in Kimberley against the Vodacom Bulls XV (5.05pm).

The second round will conclude on Sunday in Wellington, where the Sanlam Boland Kavaliers are playing home for a second weekend in a row, this time against neighbours the DHL Stormers XXIII at the Boland Stadium. The Western Cape derby starts at 3pm and like the other three Premier Division encounters, will be broadcast live on SuperSport.

Friday night’s battle in Bloem sees the Cheetahs host the Sharks. Although it’s still early days, the two sides top the standings after the opening round, which saw KwaZulu-Natalians beat the Pumas 26-24, while the Free Staters edged the Lions 29-27.

Heading into this meeting, the team from Durban hold a 3-2 advantage in the last five games between the two, with the Cheetahs edging a close encounter 7-5 in Durban when the two team previously met in August last year.

The Cheetahs are topping the early log as they have scored more points than the Sharks and with Springbok scrumhalf Faf de Klerk now pulling the strings in the No 9 jersey, they will be hoping to continue their early momentum.

In Saturday’s early match, the Lions will be aiming to bounce back immediately from their two-point loss last weekend in Bloemfontein when they host thePumas in Johannesburg.

The Lions have a 4-1 head-to-head advantage in this meeting, with their only loss to the team from Mpumalanga happening three years ago when the Pumas won in Nelspruit. Last year’s encounter between the sides, also played at Mbombela Stadium, ended in a one-point 36-35 win for the Gautengers.

Saturday’s second game is in Kimberley, where Griquas and the Bulls will be hoping to open their 2026 account after both sides lost on the road last weekend although judging by last weekend’s form and their big 42-21 win in Pretoria last year, the hosts from the Northern Cape – the defending Carling Currie Cup champions – will run out as favourites.

But they will also not make the mistake of writing off the Bulls team, who boast a number of exciting younger players in their ranks.

The final match of the weekend is on Sunday afternoon in Wellington, where the Kavaliers and Stormers are aiming for their second successive victories of the season after kicking off with wins last weekend. They currently occupy third and fourth on the log.

The Capetonians won their battle last year by a margin of 22 points in Cape Town but Stefan Ungerer’s team can expect a hot reception and a huge on-field challenge in Wellington, with an expected packed stadium backing their Boland boys and giving the home side a lift.

Carling Currie Cup First Division Final

DotSure SWD Eagles v Valke - Friday @ Outeniqua Park, George (7.10pm)

Referee: Jonathan Lottering

Broadcast: SuperSport

Carling Currie Cup Premier Division

Toyota Cheetahs v Hollywoodbets Sharks XV - Friday @ Toyota Stadium, Bloemfontein (5pm)

Referee: Hanru van Rooyen

Broadcast: SuperSport

Fidelity ADT Lions v Airlink Pumas - Saturday @ Ellis Park (3pm)

Referee: Griffin Colby

Broadcast: SuperSport

Suzuki Griquas v Vodacom Bulls XV - Saturday @ Suzuki Stadium, Kimberley (5.05pm)

Referee: Morne Ferreira

Broadcast: SuperSport

Sanlam Boland Kavaliers v DHL Stormers XXIII - Sunday @ Boland Stadium, Wellington (3pm)

Referee: AJ Jacobs

Broadcast: SuperSport