The 2008 Absa Currie Cup First Division season was contested from 27 June through to 10 October. The Currie Cup is an annual domestic competition for provincial rugby union teams in South Africa.

History The Absa Currie Cup First Division, as it is today known, is the ninth season of the competition. The competition was first contested in 2000 when it was known as the Bankfin Cup and played alongside the Bankfin Currie Cup. It later became known as the Absa Cup and, from 2004, the Absa Currie Cup First Division. The first winners of the competition were the Vodacom Blue Bulls who, just two seasons later, would go on to win the Absa Currie Cup title three years in succession. Boland Kavaliers have won the title three times. Boland Kavaliers and the Platinum Leopards have met in the final three times – 2001, 2003 and 2006 – with the Platinum Leopards winning all three matches.

No of First Division titles Pos.TeamChampionRunner-up1stBoland Kavaliers4 (2001, 2003, 2004, 2006)2ndSWD Eagles2 (2002, 2007)3rdVodacom Blue Bulls1 (2000)Pumas1 (2005)Griffons1 (2008)4thPlatinum Leopards - 4 (2001, 2003, 2006, 2008)5thMighty Elephants - 2 (2000, 2007)Border Bulldogs - 2 (2002, 2004)6thValke - 1 (2005)

Overview The winner of the final plays against the team that are at the bottom of the Absa Currie Cup Premier Division standings and the runner-up plays the 2nd last team on the log for a chance to be promoted to the Premier Division. The SWD Eagles won the final of the 2007 Currie Cup First Division 38 – 3 against the Mighty Elephants, and faced the Valke in the playoff matches. The Mighty Elephants faced the Boland Kavaliers in their two leg matches.

Teams The SWD Eagles and the Mighty Elephants did not get promoted to the Premier Division. They both lost both their matches against the Valke and the Boland Kavaliers.

The teams are listed in alphabetical order: Mighty Elephants from Port Elizabeth Border Bulldogs from East London Griffons from Welkom Platinum Leopards from Potchefstroom Pumas from Witbank SWD Eagles from George

Final standings 2008 Absa Currie Cup First DivTeamPWDLPFPAPDTFTABPPts Platinum Leopards108024382621765729941 Griffons10703303214893023432 SWD Eagles10505307262454128929 Pumas10406268362-943348824 Border Bulldogs10406232366-1342647319 Mighty Elephants10208238320-822739513 Updated 29 September 2008:

Points Breakdown Four points for a win Two points for a draw One bonus point for a loss by seven points or less One bonus point for scoring four or more tries in a match

Table Notes P = points W = Won D = Drawn L = Lost PF = points for P = Points Against PD = Points Difference (PF - PA) TF = Tries For TA = Tries Against BP = Bonus points Pts = Total Points

Fixtures and results Compulsory Friendlies

Week One

! align=centre colspan=100| Bye |- bgcolor="#FFFFFF" | Platinum Leopards | Border Bulldogs

Week Two

! align=centre colspan=100| Bye |- bgcolor="#FFFFFF" | Pumas | SWD Eagles

Week Three

! align=centre colspan=100| Bye |- bgcolor="#FFFFFF" | Griffons | Mighty Elephants

Week Four

Week Five

Week Six

Week Seven

Week Eight

! align=centre colspan=100| Bye |- bgcolor="#FFFFFF" | SWD Eagles | Pumas

Week Nine

! align=centre colspan=100| Bye |- bgcolor="#FFFFFF" | Griffons | Mighty Elephants

Week Ten

Week Eleven

Week Twelve

! align=centre colspan=100| Bye |- bgcolor="#FFFFFF" | Platinum Leopards | Border Bulldogs

Knock Out Stage

Semi finals

Finals

2008 Absa Currie Cup First Division ChampionsGriffons1st title

Promotion/relegation

Round 1

Round 2

Promotion/relegation Table Promotion/relegationTeamPWDLPFPAPDTFTABPPts Platinum Leopards22005643134408 Boland Kavaliers210196653114926 Griffons21016596-3191415 Valke20024356-134411

Results Boland Kavaliers manage to stay in the Absa Currie Cup Premier Division. Platinum Leopards are promoted to the Absa Currie Cup Premier Division. The Griffons just lost out to the Boland Kavaliers to remain in the First Division. The Valke are relegated to the Absa Currie Cup First Division after losing both their matches against the Platinum Leopards.

Statistics

Top 5 point scorers Name Team Tries Conversions Penalties Drop goals Total Clayton Durand Platinum Leopards 0 43 29 1 176 Kennedy Tsimba Griffons 4 14 24 0 120 Jeff Taljard Border Bulldogs 3 14 16 0 91 Ambrose Barends SWD Eagles 0 15 18 0 84 Rudi Vogt Pumas 1 14 16 0 81

Top 5 try scorers Name Team Tries Deon van Rensburg Platinum Leopards 11 Jan van Zyl Platinum Leopards 10 Vuyo Zangqa Platinum Leopards 10 Cecil Afrika Griffons 8 Norman Nelson Mighty Elephants 7

Disciplinary Records by Team Team Red Cards Yellow Cards Total Cards Pumas 0 9 9 Mighty Elephants 1 6 7 Border Bulldogs 0 5 5 Platinum Leopards 0 5 5 Griffons 0 4 4 SWD Eagles 1 2 3

Top 5 Disciplinary Records by Player Name Team Red Cards Yellow Cards Total Cards Michael Vermaak Mighty Elephants 1 0 1 Doppies le Roux SWD Eagles 1 0 1 Shaun Jacques Nel Mighty Elephants 0 3 3 Nomani Tonga Border Bulldogs 0 2 2 Jacques Coetzee Pumas 0 2 2

See also 2008 Currie Cup Premier Division ABSA Currie Cup

References

External links