2018 Currie Cup First Division

2018 Currie Cup First Division
Countries South Africa
Date 24 August – 19 October 2018
Matches played 18
Tries scored 179
(average 9.9 per match)
Top point scorer Anrich Richter
(Falcons, 53)
Top try scorer Etienne Taljaard
(Falcons, 9)

The 2018 Currie Cup First Division is the second tier of the 2018 Currie Cup, the 80th edition of the annual South African rugby union competition organised by the South African Rugby Union. It is played between 24 August and 19 October 2018 and will feature seven of the eight teams that played in 2017, following Namibian side Welwitschias' withdrawal.

Competition rules and information

There are seven participating teams in the 2018 Currie Cup First Division. They played each other once during the pool stage, either at home or away. Teams receive four points for a win and two points for a draw. Bonus points were awarded to teams that scored four or more tries in a game, as well as to teams that lost a match by seven points or less. Teams were ranked by log points, then points difference (points scored less points conceded).

The top four teams in the pool stage qualified for the semifinals, which were followed by a final.[1]

Financial crisis and withdrawal of Welwitschias

The start of the 2018 Currie Cup First Division was marred by financial problems following the South African Rugby Union's announcement that First Division teams' budgets would be cut by 52%. The Griffons announced that they would reduce player contracts to 8-month contracts[2] and the Leopards intimated that they might forfeit away matches to save on travel costs.[3] and there were serious concerns about the participation of teams like the Border Bulldogs and Eastern Province Elephants. Namibian side Welwitschias were informed that they would have to pay the travel costs for teams travelling to games in Windhoek, but — after initial reports indicated that they raised the money with the help of World Rugby[4] — they could not raise the required funds and announced their withdrawal from the competition.[5]

Teams

The teams that played in the 2018 Currie Cup First Division are:[6]

Location of teams in the 2018 Currie Cup First Division
2018 Currie Cup First Division teams
Team Sponsored Name Stadium/s Sponsored Name
Boland CavaliersBoland CavaliersBoland Stadium, WellingtonBoland Stadium
Border BulldogsBorder BulldogsBuffalo City Stadium, East LondonBuffalo City Stadium
Eastern Province ElephantsEastern Province ElephantsNelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port ElizabethNelson Mandela Bay Stadium
FalconsHino ValkeBarnard Stadium, Kempton ParkBarnard Stadium
GriffonsDown Touch GriffonsNorth West Stadium, WelkomHT Pelatona Projects Stadium
LeopardsLeopardsFanie du Toit Sport Ground, PotchefstroomFanie du Toit Stadium
SWD EaglesSWD EaglesOuteniqua Park, GeorgeOuteniqua Park

Pool stage

Standings

The final log for the 2018 Currie Cup First Division was:[7]

2018 Currie Cup First Division log
Pos Team P W D L PF PA PD TF TA TB LB Pts
1SWD Eagles5401184118+6625164121
2Leopards5401166120+4623174020
3Falcons5302264164+10040244117
4Boland Cavaliers6303195177+1827262115
5Griffons5203179187−827264214
6Border Bulldogs5203134193−5921293011
7Eastern Province Elephants5005110273−1631641213
Correct as at 30 September 2018.

Round-by-round

The table below shows a team's progression throughout the season. For each round, each team's cumulative points total is shown with the overall log position in brackets.

Team Progression – 2018 Currie Cup First Division
Team R1 R2 R3 R4 R5 R6 R7 SF F
SWD Eagles 1
(4th)
6
(3rd)
11
(2nd)
16
(1st)
16
(2nd)
21
(1st)
Leopards 4
(3rd)
9
(2nd)
14
(1st)
14
(2nd)
19
(1st)
20
(2nd)
Falcons 5
(2nd)
10
(1st)
10
(3rd)
12
(3rd)
12
(4th)
17
(3rd)
Boland Cavaliers 5
(1st)
5
(4th)
6
(4th)
11
(4th)
15
(3rd)
15
(4th)
15
Griffons 0
(6th)
2
(5th)
2
(6th)
4
(6th)
9
(6th)
14
(5th)
Border Bulldogs 1
(5th)
1
(6th)
6
(5th)
11
(5th)
11
(5th)
11
(6th)
Eastern Province Elephants 0
(7th)
0
(7th)
1
(7th)
2
(7th)
2
(7th)
3
(7th)
(7th) N/A N/A
Key: win draw loss bye

Matches

The following matches were played in the 2018 Currie Cup First Division:[8]

Round One

The 2018 Currie Cup First Division season kicked off with an away victory for the Leopards in George, beating home side SWD Eagles 27–25 in a close affair. The other two matches of the round was far more comprehensive; the Boland Cavaliers scored ten converted tries in their 70–12 victory over the Eastern Province Elephants in Robertson, with Zandré Jordaan, Tapiwa Tsomondo and Valentino Wellman scoring two each, and the Falcons also scored ten tries in their 66–27 victory over the Border Bulldogs in Kempton Park, where Friedle Olivier and Etienne Taljaard scored braces.[9]

Bye/s: Griffons

Round Two

The Falcons moved to the top of the log after a 56–52 victory over defending champions the Griffons. For the second match in succession, Friedle Olivier and Etienne Taljaard each scored two tries for the Falcons, while a hat-trick from prop Danie van der Merwe was not enough for the team from Welkom. The Leopards kept in touch with the Falcons, securing their second win of the competition after beating the Boland Cavaliers 35–12 in Potchefstroom, while the SWD Eagles outscored the Border Bulldogs 37–22 in East London, with three players – Ruben Schoeman and Marlo Weich for the SWD Eagles and Sonwabiso Mqalo for the Border Bulldogs – getting two tries in the match.[13]

Bye/s: Eastern Province Elephants

Round Three

A bye for leaders the Falcons saw the Leopards take over top spot in the competition following their 28–21 bonus point victory over the Eastern Province Elephants in Port Elizabeth. Defending champions the Griffons suffered their second loss in a row, being beaten 7–32 by a SWD Eagles side for whom Marlo Weich scored two tries for the second match in a row, moving into second place on the log in the process. The weekend's other match saw the Border Bulldogs beat the Boland Cavaliers 24–17 in Bredasdorp in their first victory of the season.[17]

Bye/s: Falcons

Round Four

A fourth different team moved to the top of the log in as many weeks as the SWD Eagles moved into top spot following a 36–34 victory over the Falcons in a match that saw the teams share 12 tries. The Boland Cavaliers kept up the pressure by also securing a narrow away win, beating the Griffons 48–45 in Welkom, with Charlie Mayeza scoring two tries and Elgar Watts contributing 15 points in the match for the visitors, while a hat-trick for Japie Nel and a brace for Cody Basson was in vain for the home side. The Border Bulldogs emerged victorious in the Eastern Cape derby, with doubles from Sonwabiso Mqalo and Sipho Nofemele helping their team to a 39–26 win over the Eastern Province Elephants.[21]

Bye/s: Leopards

Round Five

The Leopards returned to the top of the log after beating the Border Bulldogs 47–22, with fullback Gerhard Nortier scoring two tries for the team from Potchefstroom. The Boland Cavaliers moved into third place following a low-scoring 20–7 win over the Falcons in Lambert's Bay, while the Griffons won the match between the two winless teams, beating the Eastern Province Elephants 35–22 with wing Rodney Damons scoring a hat-trick for the winning team.[25]

Bye/s: SWD Eagles

Round Six

Bye/s: Border Bulldogs

Round Seven

Bye/s: Boland Cavaliers

Play-offs

Title play-offs

Semifinals

Final

Players

The squads and player appearance and scoring statistics for the 2018 Currie Cup First Division are as follows:

    Referees

    The following referees officiated matches in the 2018 Currie Cup First Division:

    See also

    References

    1. "Action-packed Currie Cup Premier Division lined up" (Press release). South African Rugby Union. 14 May 2018. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
    2. "Griffons gaan sy spelers net vir 8 maande betaal". Netwerk24 (in Afrikaans). 21 July 2018. Retrieved 25 August 2018.
    3. "Luiperds wil nie weg speel oor geldknyp". Netwerk24 (in Afrikaans). 15 August 2018. Retrieved 25 August 2018.
    4. "Currie Cup finally gets underway". The Namibian. 24 August 2018. Retrieved 25 August 2018.
    5. "Welwitschias withdraw from Currie Cup First Division" (Press release). South African Rugby Union. 24 August 2018. Retrieved 25 August 2018.
    6. "2018 Currie Cup First Division : Teams". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
    7. "2018 Currie Cup First Division : Log". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
    8. "2018 Currie Cup First Division : Matches". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
    9. "Winning starts for home teams in Currie Cup" (Press release). South Africa Rugby Union. 26 August 2018. Retrieved 28 August 2018.
    10. "Currie Cup First Division - Match 1, Pool Stage". South African Rugby Union. 25 August 2018. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
    11. "Currie Cup First Division - Match 2, Pool Stage". South African Rugby Union. 25 August 2018. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
    12. "Currie Cup First Division - Match 3, Pool Stage". South African Rugby Union. 25 August 2018. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
    13. "Three teams remain unbeaten in Currie Cup" (Press release). South Africa Rugby Union. 2 September 2018. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
    14. "Currie Cup First Division - Match 4, Pool Stage". South African Rugby Union. 1 September 2018. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
    15. "Currie Cup First Division - Match 6, Pool Stage". South African Rugby Union. 1 September 2018. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
    16. "Currie Cup First Division - Match 8, Pool Stage". South African Rugby Union. 1 September 2018. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
    17. "Full house for Lions, Sharks in Currie Cup" (Press release). South Africa Rugby Union. 9 September 2018. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
    18. "Currie Cup First Division - Match 9, Pool Stage". South African Rugby Union. 8 September 2018. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
    19. "Currie Cup First Division - Match 10, Pool Stage". South African Rugby Union. 8 September 2018. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
    20. "Currie Cup First Division - Match 11, Pool Stage". South African Rugby Union. 8 September 2018. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
    21. "DHL WP lay down massive Currie Cup marker" (Press release). South Africa Rugby Union. 16 September 2018. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
    22. "Currie Cup First Division - Match 12, Pool Stage". South African Rugby Union. 14 September 2018. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
    23. "Currie Cup First Division - Match 13, Pool Stage". South African Rugby Union. 15 September 2018. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
    24. "Currie Cup First Division - Match 14, Pool Stage". South African Rugby Union. 15 September 2018. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
    25. "WP, Sharks continue fine Currie Cup form" (Press release). South Africa Rugby Union. 23 September 2018. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
    26. "Currie Cup First Division - Match 17, Pool Stage". South African Rugby Union. 22 September 2018. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
    27. "Currie Cup First Division - Match 20, Pool Stage". South African Rugby Union. 22 September 2018. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
    28. "Currie Cup First Division - Match 19, Pool Stage". South African Rugby Union. 22 September 2018. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
    29. "Currie Cup First Division - Match 22, Pool Stage". South African Rugby Union. 28 September 2018. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
    30. "Currie Cup First Division - Match 21, Pool Stage". South African Rugby Union. 28 September 2018. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
    31. "Currie Cup First Division - Match 23, Pool Stage". South African Rugby Union. 29 September 2018. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
    32. "Currie Cup First Division - Match 25, Pool Stage". South African Rugby Union. 6 October 2018. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
    33. "Currie Cup First Division - Match 26, Pool Stage". South African Rugby Union. 6 October 2018. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
    34. "Currie Cup First Division - Match 27, Pool Stage". South African Rugby Union. 6 October 2018. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
    35. "Currie Cup First Division - Match 29, Semi Final". South African Rugby Union. 13 October 2018. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
    36. "Currie Cup First Division - Match 30, Semi Final". South African Rugby Union. 13 October 2018. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
    37. "Currie Cup First Division - Match 31, Final". South African Rugby Union. 19 October 2018. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
    38. "Squad: Boland Cavaliers". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 27 September 2018.
    39. "Squad: Border Bulldogs". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 27 September 2018.
    40. "Squad: EP Elephants". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 27 September 2018.
    41. "Squad: Valke". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 27 September 2018.
    42. "Squad: Down Touch Griffons". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 27 September 2018.
    43. "Squad: Leopards". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 27 September 2018.
    44. "Squad: SWD Eagles". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 27 September 2018.
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