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TimesLIVE
4 days ago
- Sport
- TimesLIVE
Lions looking to avoid mistakes of the past in Currie Cup opener against Sharks
The last time there was a Zulu on the Lions' proverbial stoep it ended up being a blockbusting horror for the home team. The Lions claim they are no longer spooked by the events that unfolded in last year's Currie Cup final when they let slip the opportunity to lift the trophy by performing post full-time siren hara-kiri against the Sharks. Holding a slender lead after the siren they won a line-out and opted not to kick the ball into touch. The Sharks turned over possession and new recruit Jordan Hendrickse kicked his former team in the teeth by raising the flags with a monster penalty to snatch the title. 'Ya, those type of things are not unique to us,' said Lions coach Mziwakhe Nkosi. 'We have to get over ourselves. The game of rugby moves on. It hurt afterwards but over the course of time we engaged with each other and tried to understand what happened.
The Citizen
22-07-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
Watch: No clear favourite for the Currie Cup 2025 title
The Currie Cup has seen four different winners in five seasons, including the Pumas in 2022 – a true underdog success story that injected fresh energy and drama into the competition. Only the Vodacom Blue Bulls have been repeat winners – the during South Africa's Covid-19 lockdown in 2020 and 2021. But since then, it's been a bit of a lottery underlining the unpredictable nature of South Africa's oldest rugby competition. Also read: One more before I'm done – Scarra In the 2020 season, which had been extended due to the pandemic, it was the Bulls who edged the Sharks 26-19 in a tense and tight final at Loftus Versfeld. Going into the final quarter, it looked for all money that the Sharks would claim another title with a healthy 10-point margin. But the home side staged a famous comeback. In the 2021 season, the Blue Bulls backed up their title-winning credentials – but this time the result was far more emphatic. The Bulls retained the cup with a commanding 44–10 win over the Sharks – the biggest ever winning margin in a Currie Cup final. The 2022 Currie Cup final saw two unlikely teams contest for top honours. Griquas hosted the Pumas, looking to win the Currie Cup for the first time in 52 years. But the Pumas – in their very first final – showed their class to defeat their hosts 26-19 and claim the silverware. In 2023, the defending champion Pumas again showed good, consistent form throughout the competition and deservedly made it into their second consecutive final. But on that day, they couldn't quite match the Free State Cheetahs who were 25-17 victors in Bloemfontein. And then in 2024, in slippery conditions at Ellis Park, the Lions were looking to cap an impressive Currie Cup campaign and looked to have done enough when they scored and converted to take the lead five minutes from full-time. But Springbok Jordan Hendrickse's 59m penalty in injury time, snatched victory away from the home side. The post Currie Cup 2025: No clear favourite for the title appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
