The 2015 Currie Cup Premier Division was the 77th season in the competition since it started in 1889 and was contested from 7 August to 24 October 2015. The tournament (known as the Absa Currie Cup Premier Division for sponsorship reasons) was the top tier of South Africa's premier domestic rugby union competition.
The competition was won by the for the eleventh time in their history; they beat 32–24 in the final played on 24 October 2015.
Competition rules and information
There were eight participating teams in the 2015 Currie Cup Premier Division.
Qualification
The six franchise 'anchor' teams automatically qualified to the 2015 Currie Cup Premier Division, as did the by virtue of finishing in the top six teams in the 2014 Currie Cup Premier Division. , who finished 7th in 2014, as well as the six teams in the 2014 Currie Cup First Division, took part in a qualification tournament to determine the final participant.
The qualification competition was won by Griquas for the second year in succession.
Regular season and title playoffs
The eight teams were divided into two sections, based on their 2014 positions. Teams in each section played each other twice over the course of the season, once at home and once away. Teams also played cross-section matches, playing one match (either home or away) against the teams in the other section.
Teams received four points for a win and two points for a draw. Bonus points were awarded to teams that scored 4 or more tries in a game, as well as to teams that lost a match by 7 points or less. Teams were ranked by points, then points difference (points scored less points conceded).
The top 4 teams qualified for the title play-offs. In the semifinals, the team that finished first had home advantage against the team that finish fourth, while the team that finished second had home advantage against the team that finished third. The winners of these semi-finals played each other in the final, at the home venue of the higher-placed team.
Teams
Team Listing
2015 Currie Cup Premier Division teams Team Sponsored Name Stadium/s Sponsored Name Vodacom Blue Bulls Loftus Versfeld Eastern Province Kings Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium Toyota Free State Cheetahs Free State Stadium Xerox Golden Lions Emirates Airline Park ORC Griquas Griqua Park Steval Pumas Mbombela Stadium Cell C Sharks Growthpoint Kings Park DHL Western Province DHL Newlands
Log The final log of the round-robin stage of the 2015 Currie Cup Premier Division was:
Round-by-round
The table below shows each team's progression throughout the season. For each round, their cumulative points total is shown with the overall log position in brackets:
Team Progression – 2015 Currie Cup Premier Division Team R1 R2 R3 R4 R5 R6 R7 R8 R9 R10 Semi Final 5 (2nd) 10 (2nd) 15 (2nd) 20 (1st) 25 (1st) 29 (1st) 33 (1st) 38 (1st) 43 (1st) 48 (1st) Won Won 5 (1st) 10 (1st) 15 (1st) 20 (2nd) 24 (2nd) 25 (2nd) 25 (2nd) 29 (2nd) 34 (2nd) 39 (2nd) Lost 5 (3rd) 9 (3rd) 9 (3rd) 10 (3rd) 15 (3rd) 20 (3rd) 24 (3rd) 29 (3rd) 30 (3rd) 35 (3rd) Won Lost 0 (8th) 1 (6th) 6 (5th) 10 (4th) 11 (5th) 12 (5th) 17 (4th) 18 (4th) 21 (4th) 24 (4th) Lost 0 (5th) 5 (4th) 5 (6th) 9 (5th) 13 (4th) 13 (4th) 13 (5th) 14 (5th) 19 (5th) 22 (5th) 4 (4th) 4 (5th) 8 (4th) 8 (6th) 9 (6th) 9 (6th) 13 (6th) 13 (6th) 16 (6th) 17 (6th) 0 (7th) 1 (7th) 2 (7th) 3 (7th) 3 (7th) 7 (7th) 7 (7th) 12 (7th) 12 (7th) 12 (7th) 0 (6th) 0 (8th) 0 (8th) 1 (8th) 1 (8th) 6 (8th) 6 (8th) 8 (8th) 8 (8th) 8 (8th) Key: win draw loss bye
Fixtures and results
The following matches were played for the 2015 Currie Cup Premier Division:
Round one
Defending champions began their defence of the title with a 43–19 win over qualifier in Kimberley. They ran in six tries, with South Africa Sevens international Seabelo Senatla getting two tries, while Demetri Catrakilis scored 13 points for the winning side. The won their home match against the for the second year in a row, prevailing 33–24 in Nelspruit. Both teams scored three tries, two of those from Pumas loose-forward Marnus Schoeman, with the boot of Pumas fly-half JC Roos proving decisive, kicking 18 points by successfully converting all seven of his attempts at goal. 2014 losing finalists the won 51–14 against the 2014 bottom side, the . Golden Lions loose-forward Kwagga Smith scored a hat-trick of tries to help secure a four-try bonus points as early as the 16th minute of the match, while fly-half Marnitz Boshoff contributed 21 points, by successfully converting all nine kicks at goal during the match. The biggest win of the weekend came in Bloemfontein, where the ran in six tries to beat the 57–19. Blue Bulls fly-half Tian Schoeman topped the scoring charts after Round One, kicking five conversions and four penalties for a total of 22 points in the match, while scrum-half Francois Hougaard scored two tries for the Blue Bulls to send them top of the log.
Round two
The Friday night action saw both the and the extend their unbeaten runs in the competition by notching their second wins in a row. The Blue Bulls overturned a 6–12 deficit to score four second-half tries in a 36–12 victory over , who lost for the second consecutive match. Fly-half Tian Schoeman kicked 16 points for the Blue Bulls and also scored one of the Blue Bulls' tries. The Golden Lions scored five tries – two of those penalty tries – to the ' three to prevail 44–27 in Johannesburg in a clash between two previously unbeaten sides that saw three players sent to the sin-bin. All eight tries in the match were successfully converted by the Golden Lions' Marnitz Boshoff (who also scored two penalties and a drop goal for a personal tally of 19 points) and the Pumas' JC Roos. There were no tries in the match in Cape Town as won their second match in succession by edging the clash 9–3 against a side who had three players sin-binned, a result that saw the latter lose their second consecutive match, but gain a losing bonus point. The and the each scored four tries in their clash in Durban, which saw the hosts get their first win of the season to move into fourth position on the log while the EP Kings' bonus points kept them in seventh, one point clear of Griquas.
Round three
Despite scoring the only try of the match, the lost the first match of the weekend 13–15 to a side for whom fly-half JC Roos slotted five penalties in five attempts. In a battle between two teams without any victories in the competition this far, the ran out winners by beating 31–9 in Kimberley. The Cheetahs secured a bonus point by scoring four tries, with Fred Zeilinga scoring one of those in a personal contribution of 16 points, while Griquas remain bottom of the log with no log points to their name. The two teams from Gauteng remained the only unbeaten teams after victories in their matches – the scored four tries to beat the 31–16 in Durban, while the beat defending champions 47–29 in the highest-scoring match of the weekend, with Jamba Ulengo scoring two tries and fly-half Tian Schoeman contributing 19 points with the boot, the same points haul as Western Province's Demetri Catrakilis.
Round four
The overtook the at the top of the log on points difference after both teams extended their winning streaks to four matches. Kwagga Smith scored two tries and Marnitz Boshoff contributed 21 points with the boot as the Golden Lions scored a convincing 41–11 victory over a Pumas side that saw four of their players sin-binned during the course of the match. The Blue Bulls fought back from a 0–11 deficit after twenty minutes to secure a 46–32 victory over in Kimberley. Fly-half Tian Schoeman kicked 16 points to maintain his spot at the top of the points scoring charts, while winger Jamba Ulengo scored two tries in the match to top the try scoring charts. Dries Swanepoel also scored two tries as the visitors outscored Griquas by six tries to four. The secured their second consecutive win by beating 28–21 in a match in Bloemfontein to move into the semifinal spots for the first time this season. Western Province remain in third despite suffering their second consecutive defeat. The kept in touch with the play-off places by securing a narrow 24–20 victory over the in Port Elizabeth, fighting back from losing 0–13 shortly before half-time.
Round Five
The preserved their unbeaten status, winning their fifth consecutive match of the competition by beating the 37–21 in Johannesburg. They scored five tries – which included their fourth penalty try of the season – against the visitors' three, which included a brace from loose-forward Paul Schoeman. The Golden Lions moved one point ahead of the on the log after the latter failed to get a bonus point in their 24–17 victory over the . Both teams scored two tries, with the kicking by competition top-scorer Tian Schoeman and replacement Louis Fouché proving decisive for the Blue Bulls. The Free State Cheetahs also slipped out of the semifinal positions, with a 27–26 victory for the over the ensuring the team from Durban move up to fourth. Winger Wandile Mjekevu contributed two tries for the Sharks and full-back Joe Pietersen contributed 12 points with the boot against a Pumas side that remained in sixth position. In Cape Town, returned to winning ways after two consecutive defeats by beating 33–15. They also got a bonus point for scoring four tries in the match through four different try scorers, while the highest points contribution of the round came from Clinton Swart, who kicked five penalties for a team who remain bottom of the log with a single point to their name.
Round Six
The beat their trans-Jukskei rivals the 36–28 in the top-of-the-table match between two previously unbeaten teams. The Blue Bulls outscored the Golden Lions by four tries to three (with Blue Bulls winger Jamba Ulengo getting two tries), but it was not enough as 21 points from the boot of Marnitz Boshoff decided the match in the favour of the team from Johannesburg. This allowed to close the gap to the Blue Bulls after they beat the 37–27 in Durban and securing a bonus point for their four tries. At the bottom of the log, both the and picked up their first wins of the season. The Eastern Province Kings beat the 32–24 in Port Elizabeth despite playing the majority of the second half with just fourteen players following JP du Plessis' sending off for a punch. The Free State Cheetahs scored four tries, but Scott van Breda kicked 22 points to secure the victory for the home side. In Kimberley, two tries from Carel Greeff helped Griquas to a 32–15 win over the . Despite scoring four tries in the match, the result left Griquas bottom of the log, one point behind the Eastern Province Kings.
Round Seven
The beat the 26–18 in their clash in Johannesburg to extend their unbeaten run to seven matches and also ensuring a semi-final slot. Both sides scored two tries as 16 points from the boot of Marnitz Boshoff proved decisive for the home side. The got the biggest win of the weekend, beating their Super Rugby franchise partners 44–24 in Bloemfontein. The Free State Cheetahs were the only side to secure a four-try bonus point during the round, with Sergeal Petersen scoring two of their five tries as they leap-frogged the into fourth spot on the log, while Ruhan Nel got a brace for the visitors. closed the gap to the in second place, avenging their Round Three defeat in a 29–14 victory in Cape Town. The lowest-scoring match of the weekend saw the scoring two tries in a 20–9 victory over the in Nelspruit.
Round Eight