2008 Currie Cup First Division

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 Ã¢ÂÂ 2001, 2003 and 2006 Ã¢ÂÂ with the Platinum Leopards winning all three matches.

No of First Division titles

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 Ã¢ÂÂ 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

<small>Updated 29 September 2008:</small>

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