The Carling Currie Cup Premier Division returns this weekend, with some big clashes between traditional rivals that will no doubt deliver thrilling action in South Africa’s oldest domestic provincial competition.

The Premier Division kicks off on Friday 5 July and will reach its climax with the final on 21 September. In an exciting new feature, the competition will be staged over one-and-a-half rounds, followed by two semi-finals and the grand finale.

This season, the eight teams are divided into two groups of four each by virtue of last year’s standings.

The one group will consist of the Toyota Cheetahs (No 1 ranked last year), the Vodacom Bulls (4), DHL Western Province (5) and the NovaVit Griffons (8), while the second group are the Hollywoodbets Sharks XV (ranked No 2), Airlink Pumas (3), Fidelity ADT Lions (6) and Suzuki Griquas (7).

Teams will play home and away matches within their respective groups plus a single round of games against sides in the opposite group. In the end, the top four sides on the combined log will progress to the semi-finals on the weekend of 14 September (1 v 4, and 2 v 3), with the two winners set to battle it out for the famous Currie Cup in the 21 September final.

To kick off matters, the Suzuki Griquas and Airlink Pumas meet on Friday, 5 July in Kimberley in a repeat of the recently held SA Cup final, which the Northern Cape side won to capture the crown. Starting time in the Diamond City for the campaign opener is at 15h00.

However, the Carling Currie Cup Premier Division is another beast altogether and the men from Mpumalanga will be a transformed team from the one that lost the SA Cup final in Kimberley.

Friday afternoon’s match will be followed by the game in Durban between the Hollywoodbets Sharks XV and Fidelity ADT Lions, which gets underway at 17h15.

Following Friday’s two matches, the action then moves to Bloemfontein on Saturday, when the 2023 champions, the Toyota Cheetahs open their title defence at home against the NovaVit Griffons in a big Free State derby.

Nowadays without their former talisman and skipper Ruan Pienaar, who retired a few months ago, the Bloemfontein outfit still run out as slight favourites to open their season with a win, even though the team from Bloemfontein beat their neighbours to the south in the SA Cup.

The first-round action concludes on Sunday with the traditional South vs North derby between hosts DHL Western Province and arch-rivals the Vodacom Bulls in Cape Town.

After a lukewarm performance last season, the Cape faithful will be hoping for a positive start from Province, while the Pretoria outfit will be in no mood to surrender early bragging rights to their traditional adversary.

Sunday’s tasty encounter starts at 15h00 in the DHL Stadium, and like all other Premier Division action, will be televised live on SuperSport.

Match information:

Suzuki Griquas vs Airlink Pumas
Date: Friday, 5 July
Venue: Suzuki Stadium, Kimberley
Time: 15h00
Referee: Stephan Geldenhuys
TV: Supersport

Hollywoodbets Sharks XV vs Fidelity ADT Lions
Date: Friday, 5 July
Venue: Hollywoodbets Kings Park, Durban
Time: 17h15
Referee: AJ Jacobs
TV: Supersport

Toyota Cheetahs vs NovaVit Griffons
Date: Saturday, 6 July
Venue: Toyota Stadium, Bloemfontein
Time: 13h00
Referee: Paul Mente
TV: Supersport

DHL Western Province vs Vodacom Bulls
Date: Sunday, 7 July
Venue: DHL Stadium, Cape Town
Time: 15h00
Referee: Griffin Colby
TV: Supersport

First Division action continues

Two Carling Currie Cup First Division games will be played on Friday afternoon to kick off the fourth-round action. Phangela SWD Eagles welcome the Valke to Outeniqua Park in George, with the side from Kempton Park eager to add another win on the standings after a comprehensive victory last week at home over Border.

Border Bulldogs have home ground advantage in the battle for bragging rights in the Eastern Cape derby with neighbours Eastern Province. This clash will be staged from 15h00 in Mthatha on Friday.

Both these teams suffered losses during last week’s third round and a nice open game is expected between the traditional rivals as they both favour an attacking style of rugby.

Saturday sees log leaders, the Sanlam Boland Kavaliers, play their second home game on the bounce when they welcome the Leopards to Wellington, with the action kicking off at 15h00.

The Kavaliers have been in prolific form so far this campaign which have netted them three impressive bonus-point wins.

Their try scoring exploits and unbeaten status mean the hosts go into the encounter as clear favourites, however, the visiting Leopards showed last week during a tough away win over EP in Kariega that they have great tenacity, something they will certainly need against the Kavaliers and their passionate supporters.

Match information:

Phangela SWD Eagles vs Valke
Date: Friday, 5 July
Venue: Outeniqua Park, George
Time: 15h00
Referee: Phumzile Mbewu

Border Bulldogs vs Eastern Province
Date: Friday, 5 July
Venue: Mthatha Stadium, Mthatha
Time: 15h00
Referee: Ruhan Meiring

Sanlam Boland Kavaliers vs Leopards
Date: Saturday, 6 July
Venue: Boland Stadium, Wellington
Time: 15h00
Referee: Christopher Allison