Currie Cup winners down the years

Provincial competition in South Africa dates back to 1889. That was the year the South African Rugby Board was founded, and it was founded for two purposes - to standardise the laws amongst South African provinces and to organise tan interprovincial competition.

The Board was founded in Kimberley and the first provincial tournament was held in Kimberley, the country's business centre at the time.

The first competition was in 1889. Four teams took part - Western Province, Griqualand West, Transvaal and Eastern Province. The trophy was presented by the SA Rugby Board, and Western Province were the winners. 

Then came the British in 1891. They sailed out on the Dunottar Castle, a ship belonging to Sir Donald Currie, a man who made a fortune through South Africa's gold and diamonds and through his shipping line. Currie's ship brought not only the rugby team but also a cup, intended to become a rugby floating trophy, as had happened for cricket in 1888. It was the Currie Cup, from the start a sponsor's trophy. The first time it was in provincial competition was in 1892, again in Kimberley where the money was.

The first time the Currie Cup was presented for an interprovincial competition was in 1892 when both the Board's Trophy and the Currie Cup were presented to the winners, again Western Province.

The Currie Cup continued as a centralised tournament, held from time to time in the days when international rugby was rare in South Africa - seven times in 50 years as against six Tests this year. 

Before 1939 and 1957-59,  when the Currie Cup was played over two years, 1964 and 1966, the Currie Cup was decided at a tournament or by way of logs. In 1939 there was a final, as there has been every year since 1968.

Western Province dominated the early competitions, winning nine times on the first 10 occasions and in the year they did not win they did not take part because the Anglo-Boer War had started.

That was in 1899. The year before the tournament had been at Newlands. A horrible accident dominated the tournament.

Davey Cope, the first South African to kick a conversion in a Test match, and Boy Tait were travelling together by train to Cape Town. Cope had booked into third class because that was all he could afford and Tait, who was in first class, moved down to be with his team-mate. At Mostert's Hoek, between Laingsberg and Matjiesfontein, the train collided with a goods train and Cope was killed on the spot. Tait was taken to Somerset Hospital in Cape Town where he died. Transvaal's first match, against Eastern Province was cancelled.

The 1911 tournament was again at Newlands and this time Western Province lost 12-0 to Griquas. It was the first time that they had lost a Currie Cup match.

The last tournament was in 1920. There were nine teams at this tournament - Western Province, Griquas, Orange Free State, Transvaal, Western Transvaal, Eastern Province, South Western Districts, Border and North Eastern Districts. For this reason, the tournament was shared between Kimberley and Bloemfontein. After this, the tournament was played on a league system over a single round. This lasted till 1936 with the number of teams varying and on four other occasions. From then on it was decided by a final.

In 1932, Western Province lost its second match - again at Newlands but this time to Border with whom they shared the Currie Cup as they did again in 1934 when Border beat Western Province in East London. In 1932, Border lost to Transvaal and in 1934 to Natal.

Currie Cup Winners Down the Years

1889: Western Province at a tournament in Kimberley 

1892: Western Province at a tournament in Kimberley

1894: Western Province at a tournament at Newlands 

1895: Western Province at a tournament in Johannesburg

1897: Western Province at a tournament in Port Elizabeth

1898: Western Province at a tournament at Newlands

1899: Griquas at a tournament in Kimberley

1904: Western Province at a tournament in East London

1906: Western Province at a tournament in Johannesburg

1908: Western Province at a tournament in Port Elizabeth

1911: Griquas at a tournament at Newlands

1914: Western Province at a tournament in Durban

1920: Western Province at a tournament in Bloemfontein & Kimberley

1922: Transvaal

1925: Western Province

1927: Western Province

1929: Western Province

1932: Western Province & Border

1934: Western Province & Border 

1936: Western Province

1939: Transvaal - the first final

1946: Northern Transvaal

1947: Western Province

1950: Transvaal

1952: Transvaal

1954: Western Province

1956: Northern Transvaal

1957-59: Western Province

1964: Western Province

1966: Western Province

1968: Northern Transvaal

1969: Northern Transvaal

1970: Griquas

1971: Northern Transvaal & Transvaal

1972: Transvaal

1973: Northern Transvaal

1974: Northern Transvaal

1975: Northern Transvaal

1976: Free State

1977: Northern Transvaal

1978: Northern Transvaal

1979: Western Province &  Northern Transvaal

1980: Northern Transvaal

1981: Northern Transvaal

1982: Western Province

1983: Western Province

1984: Western Province

1985: Western Province

1986: Western Province

1987: Northern Transvaal

1988: Northern Transvaal

1989: Northern Transvaal & Western Province

1990: Natal

1991: Northern Transvaal

1992: Natal

1993: Transvaal

1994: Transvaal

1995: Natal

1996: Natal

1997: Western Province

1998: Blue Bulls

1999: Lions

2000: Western Province

2001: Western Province

2002: Blue Bulls

2003: Blue Bulls

2004: Blue Bulls

2005: Free State

2006: Blue Bulls & Free State

2007: Free State

2008: Natal Sharks

2009: Blue Bulls

2010: Natal Sharks

2011: Golden Lions

2012: Western Province

2013: Sharks

2014: Western Province

2015: Golden Lions

2016: Free State Cheetahs

Number of Titles

33 Western Province including 4 shared

23 Blue Bulls including 4 shared

11 Golden Lions including 1 shared

7 Natal

5 Free State including 1 shared

3 Griquas

2 Border both shared