Qualification

The six franchise teams automatically qualified for the 2016 Currie Cup Premier Division, and were joined by the three highest-placed non-franchise teams from the 2016 Currie Cup qualification stage. Points will not be carried over to the Premier Division.

Regular season and title playoffs

The nine teams that qualified for the Premier Division will play against each other over the course of the competition, either at home or away. Teams will receive four points for a win and two points for a draw. Bonus points will be awarded to teams that score four or more tries in a game, as well as to teams that lose a match by seven points or less. Teams will be ranked by log points, then points difference (points scored less points conceded).

The top four teams will qualify for the semifinals, which will be followed by a final.^[1]

Relegation

In March 2017, the South African Rugby Union decided to reduce the competition to seven teams for 2017 Currie Cup Premier Division. The seven teams with the best record over the past five years were selected to remain in the Premier Division, which resulted in the Boland Cavaliers and Eastern Province Kings being relegated to the 2017 Currie Cup First Division.^[2]

Team Listing

Round-by-round

The table below shows a team's progression throughout the season. For each round, each team's cumulative points total is shown with the overall log position in brackets.

Round one

The 2016 Currie Cup Premier Division got off to a turbulent start after the Lions reached the 2016 Super Rugby final and requested that the Golden Lions be given a bye in Round One of the competition. In addition, the Eastern Province Kings were liquidated the day before the competition was due to kick off. They were reformed with the help of their local municipal council, but with no coaches or players in place, their Round One match against Griquas was also postponed.^{[lower-alpha 1]} On the field, the action got underway in Pretoria, where the Blue Bulls beat 2015 losing finalists Western Province 45–26. They scored six tries, with Tian Schoeman kicking 15 points, while Western Province responded with four tries, all in the final twenty minutes of the match. In the other match played on the Friday evening, the Sharks beat the Pumas 33–10 in Nelspruit, outscoring the hosts by five tries to one. The biggest victory of the weekend came in the Saturday match, with the Free State Cheetahs beating Boland Cavaliers 44–16 in Wellington, also scoring five tries to one to go top of the log. Fred Zeilinga scored nineteen points in that match, the most by any player in Round One.^[9]

	5 August 2016	Blue Bulls	45–26	Western Province	Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
	17:10	Try: Piet van Zyl  18' Jason Jenkins  32' Marvin Orie  34' Jade Stighling  47' Jamba Ulengo  54' Bjorn Basson  79' Con: Tian Schoeman  20', 33', 36', 48', 55', 80' (6/6) Pen: Tian Schoeman  7' (1/1)	Report[10] Scoreboard[11]	Try: Johnny Kôtze  61' Leolin Zas  70' Huw Jones  71' Scott van Breda  77' Con: Brandon Thomson  62', 71', 77' (3/4) Pen: Robert du Preez (0/1) Drop: Brandon Thomson (0/1)	Attendance: 3,498 Referee: Stuart Berry

	5 August 2016	Pumas	10–33	Sharks	Mbombela Stadium, Mbombela
	19:20	Try: Frank Herne  27' Con: Francois Brummer  28' (1/1) Pen: Francois Brummer  4' (1/1)	Report[12] Scoreboard[13]	Try: Franco Marais  13' Odwa Ndungane  18' S'bura Sithole  50' Ruan Botha  66' André Esterhuizen  72' Con: Curwin Bosch  14', 19', 51', 73' (4/5) Pen: Curwin Bosch (0/1)	Attendance: 2,890 Referee: Pro Legoete

	6 August 2016	Boland Cavaliers	16–44	Free State Cheetahs	Boland Stadium, Wellington
	15:00	Try: Danwel Demas  68' Con: Nico Scheepers  69' (1/1) Pen: Nico Scheepers  19', 26', 40' (3/3)	Report[14] Scoreboard[15]	Try: Sergeal Petersen  9' Raymond Rhule  47' William Small-Smith  50' Shaun Venter  55' Francois Venter  78' Con: Fred Zeilinga  10', 48', 51', 56', 79' (5/5) Pen: Fred Zeilinga  5', 44', 53' (3/4)	Attendance: 1,250 Referee: Rodney Boneparte

Round two

The Free State Cheetahs retained their spot at the top of the Currie Cup after outscoring the Blue Bulls by six tries to two in a 43–20 victory in their match in Bloemfontein, while the Sharks kept pace with them by also securing a bonus-point victory in their match against Griquas, scoring six tries in a 46–24 victory in Durban. The Golden Lions started their title defense in style, with lock Lourens Erasmus scoring a try just 8.5 seconds into their match against the Pumas, a new Currie Cup record for the fastest-ever try. The Golden Lions won the match 68–26 to move into third position on the log, scoring ten tries in the process, of which winger Anthony Volmink scored two. In the other match of the weekend, the Boland Cavaliers secured their first win of the season, winning 28–10 in their first match against the Eastern Province Kings in the Currie Cup Premier Division since 1999.^[16]

	12 August 2016	Eastern Province Kings	10–28	Boland Cavaliers	Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth
	17:00	Try: Johann Tromp  74' Con: Lungelo Gosa  75' (1/1) Pen: Kobus Marais  36' (1/3) Cards: Tazz Fuzani 18' to 28' Alcino Izaacs 59' to 69'	Report[17] Scoreboard[18]	Try: Sergio Torrens  24' Zandré Jordaan  46' Christopher Bosch  64' Kenan Cronjé  69' Con: Nico Scheepers  25', 47', 65', 70' (4/4) Pen: Nico Scheepers (0/1)	Attendance: 464 Referee: Rodney Boneparte

	12 August 2016	Sharks	46–24	Griquas	Kings Park Stadium, Durban
	19:10	Try: Etienne Oosthuizen  2' S'bura Sithole  8' André Esterhuizen  33' Stefan Ungerer  40' Tera Mtembu  60' Jean Deysel  76' Con: Curwin Bosch  3', 9', 34', 40', 77' (5/6) Pen: Curwin Bosch  27', 68' (2/2)	Report[19] Scoreboard[4]	Try: Rudi van Rooyen  28' Alshaun Bock  54' JW Jonker  64' Con: Clinton Swart  29', 55', 64' (3/3) Pen: Clinton Swart  21' (1/1) Cards: AJ le Roux 39' to 49'	Attendance: 9,659 Referee: Jaco van Heerden

	13 August 2016	Golden Lions	68–26	Pumas	Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg
	15:00	Try: Lourens Erasmus  1' Jaco van der Walt  9' Anthony Volmink  22', 78' Cyle Brink  28' Sylvian Mahuza  38' Akker van der Merwe  45' Howard Mnisi  49' Koch Marx  63' Marnitz Boshoff  71' Con: Jaco van der Walt  2', 10', 23', 29', 39', 46' (6/7) Marnitz Boshoff  63', 72', 79' (3/3) Cards: Akker van der Merwe 7' to 17' Jacques van Rooyen 11' to 22'	Report[20] Scoreboard[21]	Try: Marlou van Niekerk  25' Khwezi Mona  32' Justin van Staden  55' Devon Williams  81' Con: Francois Brummer  26', 33', 82' (3/4) Pen: Francois Brummer (0/1)	Attendance: 2,730 Referee: Stuart Berry

	13 August 2016	Free State Cheetahs	43–20	Blue Bulls	Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein
	17:10	Try: Francois Venter  2' Clayton Blommetjies  8' Ox Nché  28' Uzair Cassiem  55' William Small-Smith  60' Rayno Benjamin  74' Con: Fred Zeilinga  3', 9', 29', 61' (4/5) Niel Marais  75' (1/1) Pen: Fred Zeilinga  40' (1/1)	Report[22] Scoreboard[23]	Try: Jannes Kirsten  25' Ruan Steenkamp  71' Con: Tian Schoeman  26' (1/1) Joshua Stander  72' (1/1) Pen: Tian Schoeman  5', 50' (2/3)	Attendance: 14,251 Referee: Pro Legoete

Round three

The Sharks secured their third consecutive bonus-points victory against the Boland Cavaliers in Wellington, scoring six tries in a 41–20 win to leap-frog the Free State Cheetahs into top spot on the log. Although the Cheetahs also won their third match in the competition – a 32–25 victory over Western Province with fly-half Fred Zeilinga contributing 22 points – their two tries were not enough to secure a bonus point. The Blue Bulls remained in third position on the log after a high-scoring victory over the Eastern Province Kings; two tries from Jamba Ulengo and 19 points from Tian Schoeman's boot helped the side to a 49–35 victory over an EP Kings side who secured their first log point of the season by scoring five tries of their own. In the other match, the Golden Lions lost their first match since the 2014 Currie Cup Final, with Kimberley-based side Griquas beating them 30–24.^[24]

	19 August 2016	Boland Cavaliers	20–41	Sharks	Boland Stadium, Wellington
	15:00	Try: Danwel Demas  48' Sergio Torrens  61' Ryan Nell  79' Con: Theuns Kotzé  80' (1/3) Pen: Nico Scheepers  14' (1/2) Drop: Adriaan Carelse (0/1) Cards: Marnus Hugo 9' to 20'	Report Scoreboard[25]	Try: Odwa Ndungane  10' Inny Radebe  16' André Esterhuizen  28' Chiliboy Ralepelle  37' Hanco Venter  65' Franco Marais  78' Con: Curwin Bosch  11', 17', 38' (3/4) Garth April  65' (1/2) Pen: Curwin Bosch  23' (1/1)	Attendance: 1,000 Referee: Marius van der Westhuizen

	19 August 2016	Western Province	25–32	Free State Cheetahs	Newlands Stadium, Cape Town
	17:10	Try: Huw Jones  10' Kobus van Wyk  27' Leolin Zas  65' Con: Brandon Thomson  11' (1/2) Robert du Preez  65' (1/1) Pen: Brandon Thomson  6', 33' (2/2)	Report[26] Scoreboard[27]	Try: Nico Lee  21' Tian Meyer  43' Con: Fred Zeilinga  22', 44' (2/2) Pen: Fred Zeilinga  14', 17', 56', 60', 72', 79' (6/6)	Attendance: 6,533 Referee: Craig Joubert

	19 August 2016	Blue Bulls	49–35	Eastern Province Kings	Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
	19:20	Try: Tian Schoeman  12' Jamba Ulengo  19', 64' Jannes Kirsten  28' Bjorn Basson  32' Burger Odendaal  59' Joshua Stander  70' Con: Tian Schoeman  13', 20', 29', 33', 60', 65', 71' (7/7) Cards: RG Snyman  32'	Report[28] Scoreboard[29]	Try: Mike Willemse  1' Berton Klaasen  5' Johann Tromp  39' Siviwe Soyizwapi  54' Martin Bezuidenhout  67' Con: Kobus Marais  2', 6' (2/4) Lungelo Gosa (0/1) Pen: Kobus Marais  24', 32' (2/2)	Attendance: 2,800 Referee: Rasta Rasivhenge

	20 August 2016	Griquas	30–24	Golden Lions	Griqua Park, Kimberley
	14:10	Try: AJ Coertzen  21' Stephan Kotzé  30' Rudi van Rooyen  50' Con: Clinton Swart  22', 31', 50' (3/3) Pen: Clinton Swart  16', 25' (2/3) André Swarts  68' (1/1)	Report[30] Scoreboard[31]	Try: Akker van der Merwe  1' Howard Mnisi  34' Cyle Brink  41' Corné Fourie  74' Con: Jaco van der Walt  2' (1/2) Marnitz Boshoff  42' (1/2) Pen: Marnitz Boshoff (0/1) Cards: Jaco van der Walt 38' to 48'	Attendance: 2,000 Referee: Quinton Immelman

Round four

The Sharks extended their lead at the top of the Currie Cup log to four points after securing a 26–19 victory over the Blue Bulls, with fullback Curwin Bosch getting a "full house" – scoring points through all four methods (try, conversion, penalty and drop goal) – for a personal points tally of 21 points. The Free State Cheetahs remained in second position on the log despite having a bye, while the Golden Lions moved ahead of the Blue Bulls following a 60–12 victory over the Boland Cavaliers in Johannesburg, with Selom Gavor scoring two of the Lions' nine tries and fly-half Marnitz Boshoff kicking 15 points. Griquas maintained their play-off push with a 41–35 victory over the Pumas in Nelspruit, with both teams scoring four tries. Griquas centre Clinton Swart matched Bosch's 21 points in the match, eclipsing Pumas fly-half Francois Brummer's 15 points, while Rudi van Rooyen scored two tries for the visitors. In the other match of the round, Western Province moved up to sixth place after beating bottom side Eastern Province Kings 36–6, with Huw Jones getting a hat-trick of tries for the team from Cape Town.^[32]

	26 August 2016	Golden Lions	60–12	Boland Cavaliers	Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg
	17:00	Try: Selom Gavor  5', 54' Anthony Volmink  13' Dillon Smit  30' Jacques Nel  40' Victor Sekekete  45' Howard Mnisi  64' JW Bell  76' Dylan Smith  80' Con: Marnitz Boshoff  6', 31', 46', 55', 65', 81' (6/9) Pen: Marnitz Boshoff  24' (1/1) Cards: Bobby de Wee  71'	Report[33] Scoreboard[34]	Try: Joubert Horn  27' Wayne Wilschut  36' Con: Theuns Kotzé  27' (1/2) Cards: Clemen Lewis  72'	Attendance: 1,000 Referee: Rasta Rasivhenge

	26 August 2016	Pumas	35–41	Griquas	Mbombela Stadium, Mbombela
	19:10	Try: JP Lewis  10' Jannie Stander  24' Marnus Schoeman  51' Frank Herne  56' Con: Francois Brummer  25', 51', 57' (3/4) Pen: Francois Brummer  4', 19', 77' (3/3) Cards: Frank Herne 28' to 39'	Report[35] Scoreboard[36]	Try: Rudi van Rooyen  12', 40' Alshaun Bock  42' Wendal Wehr  73' Con: Clinton Swart  13', 40', 43' (3/4) Pen: Clinton Swart  7', 28', 37', 68', 72' (5/5) Drop: Clinton Swart (0/1)	Referee: Stuart Berry

	27 August 2016	Eastern Province Kings	6–36	Western Province	Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth
	16:00	Pen: Kobus Marais  3', 32' (2/2) Cards: Christiaan de Bruin 23' to 33' Etienne Oosthuizen  39'	Report[37] Scoreboard[38]	Try: Leolin Zas  11' Huw Jones  18', 72', 75' Sikhumbuzo Notshe  40' Jano Vermaak  58' Con: Brandon Thomson  12', 59', 76' (3/6)	Referee: Pro Legoete

	27 August 2016	Sharks	26–19	Blue Bulls	Kings Park Stadium, Durban
	18:10	Try: Ruan Botha  38' Curwin Bosch  55' Con: Curwin Bosch  39', 56' (2/2) Pen: Curwin Bosch  21', 29', 77' (3/5) Drop: Curwin Bosch  40' (1/1)	Report[39] Scoreboard[40]	Try: Jamba Ulengo  9' Con: Tian Schoeman  10' (1/1) Pen: Tian Schoeman  25', 50', 63', 67' (4/4) Cards: Ruan Steenkamp 33' to 43'	Referee: Marius van der Westhuizen

Round One (rescheduled)

A midweek match saw Griquas secure their third consecutive victory in the competition to move into third position on the log, while cementing the Eastern Province Kings' last place. Griquas also picked up a bonus point by virtue of scoring seven tries, with fullback AJ Coertzen getting two.

	31 August 2016 [lower-alpha 1]	Griquas	47–24	Eastern Province Kings	Griqua Park, Kimberley
	17:00	Try: Wandile Putuma  17' Jono Janse van Rensburg  29' Ederies Arendse  46' Alshaun Bock  49' AJ Coertzen  52', 68' Eric Zana  74' Con: Clinton Swart  18', 30', 47', 50', 53' (5/5) André Swarts  75' (1/2)	Report[41] Scoreboard[42]	Try: Alcino Izaacs  21', 38' Cullen Collopy  79' Con: Lungelo Gosa  22', 39' (2/2) Pieter-Steyn de Wet  80' (1/1) Pen: Lungelo Gosa  36' (1/1) Cards: Siviwe Soyizwapi  73'	Attendance: 1,200 Referee: AJ Jacobs

Round Five

Despite suffering their first defeat of the season to Western Province, a bonus point in a 27–34 defeat saw the Sharks maintain top spot in the competition. Curwin Bosch was again the Sharks' main points contributor with 18 points through five penalties and converting one of the Sharks' two tries, but Western Province secured the victory after scoring five tries, with outside centre EW Viljoen scoring two in his first start of the season. The Free State Cheetahs made it four wins out of four with a 57–25 win over a Eastern Province Kings team that played their third match in a week, to move to within a single log point of the Sharks, with Nico Lee, Charles Marais and Paul Schoeman each scoring two of the Cheetahs' nine tries. The Blue Bulls moved into the top four with a 31–17 victory over Gauteng rivals the Golden Lions, with the help of 16 points from the boot of Tian Schoeman, pushing Griquas into fourth position and the Lions out of the play-off spots into fifth. In the other match of the round, the Boland Cavaliers secured a narrow 25–22 win over the Pumas in Wellington to secure their second victory of the season, with the Pumas remaining winless.^[43]

	2 September 2016	Boland Cavaliers	25–22	Pumas	Boland Stadium, Wellington
	15:00	Try: Adriaan Carelse  20' Shaun Adendorff  63' Robbie Louw  72' Con: Theuns Kotzé  21', 73' (2/3) Pen: Theuns Kotzé  12' (1/1) Drop: Theuns Kotzé  40' (1/1) Cards: Shaun Adendorff 17' to 27' Clemen Lewis  90'	Report[44] Scoreboard[45]	Try: Frank Herne  8' Renaldo Bothma  48' Leighton van Wyk  55' Kevin Luiters  78' Con: Francois Brummer  56' (1/3) Devon Williams (0/1) Cards: Tyler Fisher  27'	Attendance: 1,000 Referee: Marius van der Westhuizen

	2 September 2016	Blue Bulls	31–17	Golden Lions	Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
	19:00	Try: Travis Ismaiel  31' Marvin Orie  45' Joshua Stander  73' Con: Tian Schoeman  32', 74' (2/3) Pen: Tian Schoeman  2', 15', 24', 64' (4/4)	Report[46] Scoreboard[47]	Try: Howard Mnisi  25' Kwagga Smith  60' Con: Marnitz Boshoff  26', 61' (2/2) Pen: Marnitz Boshoff  19' (1/2)	Attendance: 7,896 Referee: Craig Joubert

	3 September 2016	Free State Cheetahs	57–25	Eastern Province Kings	Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein
	15:00	Try: Nico Lee  20', 71' Tom Botha  26' Paul Schoeman  32', 53' Charles Marais  59', 78' Niel Marais  68' Ox Nché  75' Con: Fred Zeilinga  27' (1/4) Niel Marais  72', 75' (2/5) Pen: Fred Zeilinga  14', 18' (2/3)	Report[48] Scoreboard[49]	Try: JC Greyling  11' Berton Klaasen  76' Vince Jobo  82' Con: Pieter-Steyn de Wet  12' (1/1) Kobus Marais  83' (1/2) Pen: Pieter-Steyn de Wet  31' (1/1) Drop: Pieter-Steyn de Wet  58' (1/1)	Attendance: 3,710 Referee: Jaco van Heerden

	3 September 2016	Western Province	34–27	Sharks	Newlands Stadium, Cape Town
	17:10	Try: Johnny Kôtze  3' Werner Kok  10' EW Viljoen  44', 67' Kobus van Dyk  57' Con: Robert du Preez  4', 11', 67' (3/5) Pen: Robert du Preez  17' (1/2)	Report[50] Scoreboard[51]	Try: Jean-Luc du Preez  26' Rhyno Smith  69' Con: Curwin Bosch  70' (1/2) Pen: Curwin Bosch  6', 14', 23', 36', 38' (5/5) Drop: Curwin Bosch (0/1) Cards: Jean-Luc du Preez 46' to 56'	Attendance: 14,751 Referee: Rasta Rasivhenge

Round Six

The Free State Cheetahs moved into top spot on the log after beating the Sharks 38–30 in a top-of-the-log clash in Durban. They scored five tries, with Fred Zeilinga successfully converting them all, while 20 points from the boot of Curwin Bosch was not enough for the Sharks, who dropped to second place. The Blue Bulls secured their fourth win of the season to remain in third place, scoring six tries in a 41–14 win over the Pumas in Nelspruit, with winger Jamba Ulengo scoring a brace. Griquas remained in the final semi-final spot after securing a fourth consecutive victory, with 21 points from Clinton Swart and a brace of tries by Elgar Watts helping the team to a 46–22 victory over the Boland Cavaliers. The Golden Lions remained two points behind Griquas after beating Western Province 58–32 in the most high-scoring match of the round. They scored eight tries (with Kwagga Smith scoring two) and Jaco van der Walt kicked 18 points, while Jacques Vermeulen scored two tries for Western Province.^[52]

	8 September 2016	Griquas	46–22	Boland Cavaliers	Griqua Park, Kimberley
	19:00	Try: AJ Coertzen  12' Ederies Arendse  24' Elgar Watts  30', 59' Clinton Swart  46' Wendal Wehr  62' Con: Clinton Swart  25', 31', 47', 60', 63' (5/6) Pen: Clinton Swart  4', 16' (2/3)	Report[53] Scoreboard[54]	Try: Clemen Lewis  51' Craig Pheiffer  69' Adriaan Carelse  73' Con: Theuns Kotzé  52' (1/1) Adriaan Carelse  74' (1/2) Pen: Theuns Kotzé  22' (1/2) Cards: Shaun Adendorff 29' to 39'	Attendance: 2,000 Referee: Jaco van Heerden

	9 September 2016	Golden Lions	58–32	Western Province	Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg
	19:00	Try: Jacques Nel  1' Robbie Coetzee  15' Andries Coetzee  18' JP du Preez  37' Rohan Janse van Rensburg  40' Anthony Volmink  46' Kwagga Smith  57', 74' Con: Jaco van der Walt  19', 38', 40', 47', 58', 75' (6/8) Pen: Jaco van der Walt  13', 22' (2/2)	Report[55] Scoreboard[56]	Try: Leolin Zas  33' Jacques Vermeulen  63', 80' Dewaldt Duvenage  71' Con: Robert du Preez  34', 63', 72' (3/4) Pen: Robert du Preez  6', 11' (2/2)	Attendance: 4,000 Referee: Jaco Peyper

	10 September 2016	Sharks	30–38	Free State Cheetahs	Kings Park Stadium, Durban
	17:00	Try: Francois Kleinhans  59' Thomas du Toit  69' Con: Curwin Bosch  60' (1/2) Pen: Curwin Bosch  4', 13', 20', 40', 43', 52' (6/7) Cards: Jean-Luc du Preez 52' to 64'	Report[57] Scoreboard[58]	Try: penalty try  11' Michael van der Spuy  28' Tian Meyer  47' Uzair Cassiem  52' Shaun Venter  62' Con: Fred Zeilinga  12', 29', 48', 53', 63' (5/5) Pen: Fred Zeilinga  37' (1/3)	Attendance: 10,565 Referee: Rasta Rasivhenge

	10 September 2016	Pumas	14–41	Blue Bulls	Mbombela Stadium, Mbombela
	19:10	Try: Ruwellyn Isbell  70' Con: Francois Brummer (0/1) Pen: Francois Brummer  11', 25', 33' (3/4) Cards: Leighton van Wyk 59' to 69'	Report[59] Scoreboard[60]	Try: Ulrich Beyers  7' Travis Ismaiel  35' Nick de Jager  39' Hanro Liebenberg  44' Jamba Ulengo  50', 66' Con: Tian Schoeman  8', 36', 40' (3/5) Joshua Stander  67' (1/1) Pen: Tian Schoeman  21' (1/2)	Attendance: 4,736 Referee: Stuart Berry

Round Seven

The Free State Cheetahs became the first team to secure a semi-final berth after winning their sixth consecutive match, beating the Golden Lions 37–29 in Bloemfontein. The Cheetahs had different try scorers for all five of their tries, while the Golden Lions relied on the boot of Jaco van der Walt, who kicked 16 of his side's points. After two consecutive defeats, the Sharks returned to winning ways, securing the first whitewash of the season after beating bottom side Eastern Province Kings 53–0, scoring nine tries in the match. The Blue Bulls remained level on log points with the Sharks after scoring a half-century of their own, beating Griquas 57–20 in Pretoria. Piet van Zyl scored two if his side's eight tries, while Tian Schoeman kicked 17 points. While Griquas remained in the final semi-final position despite the defeat, fifth-placed Western Province closed the gap by beating the Pumas 31–23 in Cape Town.^[61]

	15 September 2016	Free State Cheetahs	37–29	Golden Lions	Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein
	19:00	Try: Raymond Rhule  26' Reniel Hugo  37' Shaun Venter  52' Rayno Benjamin  54' Tian Meyer  79' Con: Niel Marais  38', 55', 80' (3/5) Pen: Niel Marais  16', 60' (2/3) Cards: Clayton Blommetjies 18' to 29'	Report[62] Scoreboard[63]	Try: Rohan Janse van Rensburg  32' Robbie Coetzee  35' Con: Jaco van der Walt  33', 36' (2/2) Pen: Jaco van der Walt  3', 7', 12', 66' (4/4) Andries Coetzee  23' (1/1) Cards: Jaco van der Walt 15' to 27' Fabian Booysen 49' to 59'	Attendance: 6,312 Referee: Jaco van Heerden

	16 September 2016	Blue Bulls	57–20	Griquas	Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
	19:00	Try: Nick de Jager  16' Jamba Ulengo  20' RG Snyman  26' Piet van Zyl  41', 59' Ulrich Beyers  54' penalty try  73' Bjorn Basson  81' Con: Tian Schoeman  17', 21', 27', 55', 60', 74', 82' (7/8) Pen: Tian Schoeman  39' (1/2) Cards: RG Snyman 46' to 58'	Report[64] Scoreboard[5]	Try: Alshaun Bock  6' Wandile Putuma  66' Con: Clinton Swart  7', 67' (2/2) Pen: Clinton Swart  11', 32' (2/3) Cards: Mzwanele Zito 38' to 48'	Referee: Quinton Immelman

	17 September 2016	Sharks	53–0	Eastern Province Kings	Kings Park Stadium, Durban
	15:00	Try: André Esterhuizen  4' Chiliboy Ralepelle  13' Jean-Luc du Preez  18' Inny Radebe  31' Michael Claassens  44' Francois Kleinhans  48' Etienne Oosthuizen  54' Wandile Mjekevu  60' Khaya Majola  80' Con: Curwin Bosch  14', 32' (2/5) Patrick Lambie  50', 81' (2/4)	Report[65] Scoreboard[66]		Attendance: 5,186 Referee: Cwengile Jadezweni

	17 September 2016	Western Province	31–23	Pumas	Newlands Stadium, Cape Town
	17:10	Try: Werner Kok  21' Huw Jones  56' Leolin Zas  68' Jan de Klerk  71' Con: Robert du Preez  22', 57', 69', 72' (4/4) Pen: Robert du Preez  18' (1/1) Cards: Stefan Willemse 51' to 61'	Report[67] Scoreboard[68]	Try: JP Lewis  58' Tyler Fisher  74' Renaldo Bothma  80' Con: Francois Brummer (0/1) Devon Williams  75' (1/2) Pen: Francois Brummer  34' (1/3) Drop: Francois Brummer  4' (1/1) Cards: De-Jay Terblanche 48' to 58'	Referee: Alexandre Ruiz

Round Eight

The Free State Cheetahs made it sevens wins in a row after a 52–10 victory over the Pumas in Nelspruit. Rayno Benjamin scored a hat-trick of tries in the match with Paul Schoeman getting a brace, as the Cheetahs ensured that they would top the log and have home advantage in the semifinal and possible final. A 48–26 victory by the Blue Bulls over the Boland Cavaliers in Wellington meant that they would join the Cheetahs in the play-offs. Hanro Liebenberg scored two of the Blue Bulls' seven tries in their final match of the regular season, while Theuns Kotzé also scored two tries for the home side. The biggest margin of victory came in the match between the Eastern Province Kings and the Golden Lions in Port Elizabeth, with the visitors winning 71–7. Golden Lions captain Kwagga Smith scored a hat-trick, with Howard Mnisi and Jacques Nel each contributing two of the Lions' eleven tries. Western Province also won their match against Griquas in Kimberley, meaning all four fixtures resulted in away wins. Six different try scorers and 22 points kicked by Robert du Preez saw Western Province move into the top four, behind a Sharks team that enjoyed a bye weekend, while Griquas dropped to sixth place despite picking up a bonus point for scoring four tries of their own.^[69]

	23 September 2016	Boland Cavaliers	26–48	Blue Bulls	Boland Stadium, Wellington
	15:00	Try: Theuns Kotzé  26', 55' Danwel Demas  32' Zandré Jordaan  54' Con: Theuns Kotzé  27', 55', 55' (3/3) Cards: Francois Hanekom  71'	Report[70] Scoreboard[71]	Try: Ulrich Beyers  8' Bjorn Basson  20' Tian Schoeman  50' Roelof Smit  63' Hanro Liebenberg  65', 72' Lizo Gqoboka  77' Con: Tian Schoeman  9', 51', 64', 73', 78' (5/7) Pen: Tian Schoeman  46' (1/1)	Attendance: 4,280 Referee: Shuhei Kubo

	23 September 2016	Pumas	10–52	Free State Cheetahs	Mbombela Stadium, Mbombela
	18:40	Try: Frank Herne  71' Con: Heinrich Steyl  72' (1/1) Pen: Francois Brummer  21' (1/1)	Report[72] Scoreboard[73]	Try: Rayno Benjamin  7', 48', 58' Uzair Cassiem  24' Paul Schoeman  26', 37' Francois Venter  32' Elandré Huggett  77' Con: Niel Marais  8', 25', 38', 49', 59' (5/7) Fred Zeilinga  78' (1/1)	Attendance: 2,083 Referee: Pro Legoete

	23 September 2016	Griquas	31–52	Western Province	Griqua Park, Kimberley
	19:00	Try: JW Jonker  10' Rudi van Rooyen  27' André Swarts  36' Jonathan Adendorf  76' Con: Clinton Swart  11', 28' (2/2) André Swarts  37', 76' (2/2) Pen: Clinton Swart (0/2) André Swarts  49' (1/2) Drop: AJ Coertzen (0/1)	Report[74] Scoreboard[75]	Try: Juan de Jongh  25' Bongi Mbonambi  33' Huw Jones  51' Werner Kok  53' Nizaam Carr  70' Leolin Zas  80' Con: Robert du Preez  26', 34', 54', 71', 81' (5/6) Pen: Robert du Preez  40', 46', 66', 79' (4/4)	Attendance: 7,000 Referee: Jaco Peyper

	24 September 2016	Eastern Province Kings	7–71	Golden Lions	Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth
	17:10	Try: Sampie Mastriet  22' Con: Pieter-Steyn de Wet  23' (1/1)	Report[76] Scoreboard[77]	Try: Ruan Ackermann  18' Howard Mnisi  30', 69' Koch Marx  38' Kwagga Smith  40', 63', 66' Anthony Volmink  42' Jacques Nel  45', 80' Sylvian Mahuza  76' Con: Jaco van der Walt  19', 39', 40', 43', 64' (5/7) Andries Coetzee  70', 77', 81' (3/4)	Referee: Cwengile Jadezweni

Round Nine

In the first match of the weekend, defending champions the Golden Lions secured a place in the semifinals after beating the Sharks 28–16 in Johannesburg. The result meant that the Sharks needed the Boland Cavaliers to get an unlikely victory against Western Province a few hours later. Boland ran in four tries to lead 28–20 with 8 minutes to go, but Western Province scored a converted try and a 78th–minute penalty through fly-half Robert du Preez to secure the final semi-final spot in dramatic fashion, winning the match 30–28. The final match on the Friday night saw the Pumas travel to the Eastern Province Kings for a match between the bottom two teams on the log, both without a win to their name prior to this match. The Pumas edged the match 38–30, with hooker Frank Herne scoring a hat-trick of tries in his team's only win of the season. The final group match in the competition was a dead rubber; top side Free State Cheetahs outscored Griquas by 9 tries to 4 to win 63–26; scrum-half Shaun Venter got a brace, while fly-half Niel Marais contributed 17 points through one try and 6 conversions.^[78]

	30 September 2016	Golden Lions	28–16	Sharks	Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg
	17:05	Try: Kwagga Smith  46' Howard Mnisi  58' Sylvian Mahuza  70' Con: Jaco van der Walt  47' (1/2) Andries Coetzee  71' (1/1) Pen: Jaco van der Walt  51' (1/3) Andries Coetzee  63', 77' (2/2)	Report[79] Scoreboard[80]	Try: Michael Claassens  21' Con: Curwin Bosch  22' (1/1) Pen: Curwin Bosch  11', 44', 53' (3/5) Cards: Francois Kleinhans 50' to 60' André Esterhuizen  76'	Attendance: 13,201 Referee: Craig Joubert

	30 September 2016	Eastern Province Kings	30–38	Pumas	Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth
	18:00	Try: Johann Tromp  17' Brandon Brown  28' Ricky Schroeder  46' Con: Pieter-Steyn de Wet  18', 29', 47' (3/3) Pen: Pieter-Steyn de Wet  2', 8', 63' (3/3) Cards: Brandon Brown 38' to 48' Etienne Oosthuizen  70'	Report[81] Scoreboard[82]	Try: Brian Shabangu  11' Frank Herne  23', 38', 71' Kevin Luiters  58' JP Lewis  78' Con: Heinrich Steyl  24', 39' (2/3) Devon Williams  72', 79' (2/3) Cards: Carel Greeff 44' to 54'	Attendance: 791 Referee: Quinton Immelman

	30 September 2016	Western Province	30–28	Boland Cavaliers	Newlands Stadium, Cape Town
	19:10	Try: Scott van Breda  23' Kobus van Dyk  36' David Ribbans  73' Con: Robert du Preez  24', 37', 73' (3/3) Pen: Robert du Preez  20', 55', 78' (3/3)	Report[83] Scoreboard[84]	Try: Shaun Adendorff  2' Adriaan Carelse  50' Francois Hanekom  63' Jacques Engelbrecht  65' Con: Theuns Kotzé  3', 51', 64', 66' (4/4)	Attendance: 6,131 Referee: AJ Jacobs

	1 October 2016	Free State Cheetahs	63–26	Griquas	Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein
	14:00	Try: penalty try  14' Uzair Cassiem  15' Shaun Venter  17', 58' Henco Venter  31' Niel Marais  34' Nico Lee  39' Torsten van Jaarsveld  78' Raymond Rhule  80' Con: Niel Marais  14', 16', 18', 32', 35', 40' (6/6) Fred Zeilinga  59', 79', 81' (3/3)	Report[85] Scoreboard[86]	Try: Johnathan Francke  1' Renier Botha  25' André Swarts  45' Jason Fraser  76' Con: André Swarts  25', 46' (2/3) Eric Zana  77' (1/1)	Attendance: 4,384 Referee: Cwengile Jadezweni

Semi-finals

The Free State Cheetahs maintained their unbeaten record in the season with an emphatic 55–17 victory over the Golden Lions. They scored six tries, with right winger Sergeal Petersen getting a hat-trick, while fly-half Niel Marais added 21 points, successfully kicking three conversions and five penalties in the match. Blue Bulls fly-half Tian Schoeman replicated Marais' kicking record in his side's 36–30 victory over Western Province in the second semi-final, which ended in dramatic fashion as the Blue Bulls scored a try in the 78th minute through replacement scrum-half Ivan van Zyl – in his first appearance of the season – to overturn Western Province's lead. These results meant that the Free State Cheetahs qualified for their first final since 2009, when they also met the Blue Bulls in the final, and their first home final since 2006, when the same two teams drew 28–all after extra time to share the title.^[87]

	15 October 2016	Free State Cheetahs	55–17	Golden Lions	Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein
	15:00	Try: Sergeal Petersen  15', 34', 76' Niell Jordaan  41' Rayno Benjamin  69' Clayton Blommetjies  72' Con: Niel Marais  16', 35', 42' (3/3) Fred Zeilinga  70', 73' (2/3) Pen: Niel Marais  6', 9', 24', 27', 54' (5/5) Cards: Rayno Benjamin 48' to 58' Paul Schoeman 61' to 71'	Report[88] Scoreboard[89]	Try: Sylvian Mahuza  49', 67' Ruaan Lerm  80' Con: Jaco van der Walt (0/1) Andries Coetzee  80' (1/2) Cards: Cyle Brink 26' to 38'	Attendance: 23,192 Referee: Rasta Rasivhenge

	15 October 2016	Blue Bulls	36–30	Western Province	Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
	18:00	Try: Travis Ismaiel  10' Jason Jenkins  63' Ivan van Zyl  78' Con: Tian Schoeman  11', 64', 79' (3/3) Pen: Tian Schoeman  24', 33', 37', 47', 55' (5/5) Drop: Tian Schoeman (0/1)	Report[90] Scoreboard[91]	Try: Nizaam Carr  19' Werner Kok  49' Jan de Klerk  58' Con: Robert du Preez  20', 50', 59' (3/3) Pen: Robert du Preez  40', 41', 73' (3/3)	Attendance: 17,968 Referee: Marius van der Westhuizen

Final

The Free State Cheetahs beat the Blue Bulls 36–16 to win the Currie Cup for the fifth time in their history and for the first time since 2007. The first half delivered no tries, with Free State Cheetahs fly-half Niel Marais kicking six penalties against Blue Bulls fly-half Tian Schoeman's three penalties for an 18–9 half-time lead. A converted Clayton Blommetjies try and two more penalties extended the Free State Cheetahs' lead to 31–9 by the 67th minute. A Piet van Zyl try in the 74th minute briefly gave the Blue Bulls some hope, but the Free State Cheetahs responded with a try of their own through Sergeal Petersen just two minutes later to put the result beyond any doubt. Niel Marais contributed 21 points for the home side by kicking seven penalties; a new Currie Cup final record, surpassing the six penalties scored by Thierry Lacroix in the 1995 final and by Patrick Lambie in the 2012 final.^[92]

	22 October 2016	Free State Cheetahs	36–16	Blue Bulls	Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein
	16:00	Try: Clayton Blommetjies  63' Sergeal Petersen  76' Con: Fred Zeilinga  64' (1/2) Pen: Niel Marais  4', 9', 12', 18', 26', 40', 53' (7/8) Fred Zeilinga  67' (1/1)	Report[92] Scoreboard[93]	Try: Piet van Zyl  74' Con: Joshua Stander  75' (1/1) Pen: Tian Schoeman  6', 13', 35' (3/3) Cards: Jamba Ulengo 8' to 18'	Attendance: 43,400 Referee: Jaco Peyper

Squads

The following squads were named for the 2016 Currie Cup Premier Division: