The 2003 Currie Cup was the 2003 season of the South African domestic rugby union competition, the Absa Currie Cup premier division, played from 26 July 2003 – 1 November 2003. The 2003 Currie Cup saw the implementation of a new format for the tournament with the Cup being split into two divisions, the Premier Division and a lower division. The Premier Division consisting of the top six provincial teams and the lower division consisting of eight teams for a total of 14 teams participating in the Currie Cup. The teams in the divisions played matches among themselves with top teams progressing to the finals.[1] The finals were played at Loftus Versfeld Stadium where the Blue Bulls beat the Sharks 40–19 to win the cup. This was the second in a streak of three consecutive Currie Cup wins for the Blue Bulls between 2002 and 2004.[2] The Blue Bulls' Ettienne Botha scored two tries in the final. This equalled the record for tries scored in a Currie Cup final at the time.[3]

2003 Currie Cup Premier Division
CountriesSouth Africa
Date26 July – 1 November 2003
ChampionsBlue Bulls (20th title)
Runners-upSharks
← 2002
2004 →

Team standings

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2003 Currie Cup Premier Division standings
Pos Team Pld W D L PF PA PD TF TA TB LB Pts Qualification
1 Blue Bulls 14 11 0 3 538 372 +166 73 44 9 2 55 Grand Final
2 Sharks 15 10 0 5 462 329 +133 61 45 9 3 52
3 Western Province 16 8 3 5 576 447 +129 79 48 12 1 51
4 Golden Lions 14 8 1 5 530 428 +102 63 52 7 3 44
5 Free State Cheetahs 15 5 2 8 530 470 +60 66 55 9 2 35
6 Pumas 15 6 0 9 447 488 −41 47 69 7 2 33
7 Griquas 12 3 0 9 355 613 −258 48 80 7 1 20
8 SWD Eagles 14 2 0 12 382 673 −291 48 92 7 2 17
Source: [citation needed]
Rules for classification: 4 points for a win; 2 points for a draw; 1 bonus point for a loss by seven points or less; 1 bonus point for scoring four or more tries in a match

Fixtures

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Round 1

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Source of matches [4]

25 July 2003
Natal Sharks45–13SWD Eagles
Durban

Round 2

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2 August 2003
Griquas32–47Natal Sharks
Kimberley

Round 3

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8 August 2003
Griquas24–47SWD Eagles
Kimberley
9 August 2003
Natal Sharks44–20Pumas
Durban

Round 4

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15 August 2003
Pumas40–26Griquas
Witbank
16 August 2003
SWD Eagles29–52Golden Lions
George

Round 5

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23 August 2003
Sharks35–28Blue Bulls
Absa Stadium
23 August 2003
Pumas49–17SWD Eagles
Witbank

Round 6

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30 August 2003
Western Province44–20Pumas
Cape Town

Round 7

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6 September 2003
Griquas25–24Golden Lions
Kimberley
6 September 2003
SWD Eagles41–59Western Province
George
6 September 2003
Pumas22–41Blue Bulls
@lantic Park

Round 8

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13 September 2003
Pumas31–33Golden Lions
Witbank
13 September 2003
Griquas19–75Free State Cheetahs
Kimberley
13 September 2003
SWD Eagles29–37Natal Sharks
George
13 September 2003
Western Province63–26Blue Bulls
Newlands

Round 9

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20 September 2003
Free State Cheetahs37–40Pumas
Bloemfontein
20 September 2003
Natal Sharks48–15Griquas
Durban
20 September 2003
Blue Bulls61–20SWD Eagles
Securicor Loftus

Round 10

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26 September 2003
SWD Eagles37–32Griquas
George
27 September 2003
Pumas35–27Natal Sharks
Witbank

Round 11

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3 October 2003
Griquas31–22Pumas
Kimberley

Round 12

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10 October 2003
SWD Eagles27–37Pumas
Outeniqua Park
11 October 2003
Western Province57–34Griquas
Cape Town
11 October 2003
Blue Bulls20–15Sharks
Securicor Loftus

Round 13

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17 October 2003
Natal Sharks17–20Golden Lions
Durban
18 October 2003
Griquas22–45Blue Bulls
Griqua Park
18 October 2003
Pumas24–38Western Province
Witbank

Round 14

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25 October 2003
Golden Lions42–19Griquas
Johannesburg
25 October 2003
Blue Bulls39–18Pumas
Securicor Loftus

Grand Final

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1 November 2003
Blue Bulls40–19Sharks
Securicor Loftus
Referee: Shaun Veldsman

References

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  1. ^ "Currie Cup format revised". News24. 27 June 2002. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
  2. ^ "Currie Cup Finals History - SuperSport - Rugby". www.supersport.com. Retrieved 7 January 2016.
  3. ^ "Ten Currie Cup final facts". News24. 29 October 2009. Retrieved 7 January 2016.
  4. ^ "2003 Currie Cup Premier Division". globalrugbyresults.com. Retrieved 21 October 2021.