LEGENDS, MYTHS & LORE OF THE ABSA CURRIE CUP

Jul 14 • National • 2290 Views • Comments Off on LEGENDS, MYTHS & LORE OF THE ABSA CURRIE CUP

South Africa’s premier national rugby competition, the Absa Currie Cup, is the oldest contest of its kind anywhere in the world and belongs to all of us by birthright. Crammed full of heroes, bravery and some of the greatest sporting stories ever told, the Absa Currie Cup is truly a South African event, filled with the blood, sweat and tears of generations of rugby players and fans.

About to kick off in earnest on 15 July, the Absa Currie Cup is defined by this year’s rallying cry of “My Team, My Passion” (www.absacurriecup.co.za). Filled with centuries old rivalry, the competition dates all the way back to 1889 and is brimming with tradition, heritage and intense regional pride.

The very first, inaugural Currie Cup (originally named the Board Trophy) was held over 122 years ago in Kimberley with the participating unions of Western Province, Griqualand West, Transvaal and Eastern Province going head-to-head in South Africa’s first ever national competition. Western Province emerged as the eventual winners and went on to dominate those early years of the championship, apart from 1899, when honours went to Griquas, and the roaring supremacy of the legendary Transvaal side of 1922.

From 1939 the format changed, with finals thrown into the mix, and the Absa Currie Cup became an annual celebration from 1968 onwards. That is when the Blue Bulls of Northern Transvaal came into their own and heralded their period of dominance that has seen the men from Pretoria win the Absa Currie Cup 17 times between 1968 and 2009 and share it on three occasions.

From the late 1960s until the mid-1980s, only one team seriously challenged the Bulls’ supremacy – arch rivals Western Province. Wild parties broke out all over Cape Town when Western Province thrashed Northern Transvaal in the 1982 final to kick-start their own golden age of five consecutive victories in finals – to this day still a record.

In 1990, Natal’s Banana Boys came into the limelight as they trumped the Blue Bulls in Pretoria nogal to much delight. The 1990’s saw further improvement by Natal and the rise of Francois Pienaar’s Transvaal. Just looking at the toothy grins in the Blue Bulls camp as the team lifted the trophy for the third time in a row in 2004 and it’s clear that getting your hands on Sir Donald Currie’s golden cup is mighty special.

The year after that, in 2005, the Free State Cheetahs won the Absa Currie Cup for the first time in 29 years and held the title for three consecutive years, including sharing it with the Blue Bulls in 2006.

Our current champions are The Sharks who trounced Western Province in the 2010 final and one can see that the coveted gold trophy remains to this day the most prestigious prize in South African rugby. Our national tournament will always remain the cornerstone of South Africa’s rugby heritage as it is as local and as lekker as it gets, filling fan and player alike with extreme pride, honour and passion.

So don’t miss out on action-packed weekends when the Absa Currie Cup officially starts on the 15th of July. Witnessing all the thrills and spills of the live-action is incomparable, and it’s an engaging, exciting and affordable day – and a great excuse to get everyone out of the house and supporting your local team.

This year’s Absa Currie Cup tournament promises to be a nail-biting, thrilling experience that everybody can support. Stadium tickets start at a reasonable R30, giving you access to the spirit of camaraderie, an incontestable bond and sheer passion that the championship is renowned for both locally and internationally.

Come watch your team reach for the holy grail of South African rugby, see future Springboks in the making and celebrate a provincial competition that is as South African as braai’s and biltong – it’s our heritage and undeniably in our blood.