The 2025 edition of the Currie Cup got under way last weekend with the Bulls, Lions, Pumas and Boland all recording important first-up wins.

With the competition being played over just one round – that is seven matches each, home or away – there is little room for slipping up.

The Pumas, winners of the competition in 2022, started with a bang, with a 49-28 win against Griquas in Mbombela, while the Bulls registered an excellent away win in Cape Town, when they downed Western Province 48-23.

The Lions also impressed with a big 46-5 win against the travelling Sharks, while newcomers this season, Boland, edged the Cheetahs in a nail-biting close affair, 37-35.

Weekend round two fixtures

There are likely to be a few more close encounters this weekend.

On Friday at 19:00, the Cheetahs host the Pumas in Bloemfontein, and they’ll be desperate to pick up a first win after their slip up in Wellington last Sunday.

On Saturday at 15:00, the Lions host Western Province in what should be an exciting game if the men from the Cape can produce a better performance than they did at home last weekend, while the Bulls at home in Pretoria (Saturday 17:10) should be the favourites against the Sharks, who struggled in Joburg last weekend.

In the final game of the second round, Griquas welcome Boland to Kimberley on Sunday at 15:00, also in need of a ‘bounceback’ after stumbling in Mbombela.

While the teams are all backing their youngsters over the coming weeks, with the ‘seniors’ resting after the United Rugby Championship, the good news is the coaches will from this week also include some of the World Rugby U20 Championship-winning Junior Boks players in their teams.

This article first appeared in The Citizen.

Breaking news at your fingertips… Follow Caxton Network News on Facebook and join our WhatsApp channel.

Nuus wat saakmaak. Volg Caxton Netwerk-nuus op Facebook en sluit aan by ons WhatsApp-kanaal.