Currie Cup Final: Lions v Griquas Preview and Prediction

Will the Lions roar to glory, or will Griquas shock the South African rugby landscape when they collide in the Currie Cup final at Ellis Park on Saturday (15:00 kick-off)?

Those are the two burning questions as the 2025 edition of the world’s oldest domestic rugby competition, which has delivered tons of thrilling action, reaches a crescendo at the iconic Johannesburg stadium.

Fittingly, this season’s top two teams will vie for the coveted silverware after the Lions crushed the Boland Kavaliers 67-19 and Griquas claimed a 25-5 win over the Cheetahs in last weekend’s semi-finals.  

It’s interesting how something can be the same, yet, oh so different. These two sides have an identical 6-2 record this season; however, the Lions are overwhelming favourites to lift the Currie Cup for the first time in a decade.

That’s because for the last three weeks, they’ve fielded their United Rugby Championship stars. It’s a switch that’s been criticized by some, and an argument could be made that it spoils all that happened prior to the big guns’ arrival.

However, all’s fair in love and war, and the Lions, a side starved of silverware in recent times, are desperate to break their trophy drought and make up for last year’s heartache, when the Sharks snatched victory from the jaws of defeat in the final, also held at Ellis Park, via a 59-metre Jordan Hendrikse penalty goal in injury time.

With the memory of that agonising 16-14 loss still in the back of their minds, the Lions have made it clear that they’ll leave nothing to chance this year, and with none of the other URC franchises having made the playoffs, they’re left as a big fish in a small pond.

Since turning to their URC stars, the Pride have recorded three emphatic wins, including a 37-7 home triumph over Griquas two weeks ago. The Peacock Blues kept it relatively tight in the first half of that encounter, trailing just 15-7 at the break, but were outplayed in all departments in the second half.

Theirs is an Everest-esque mountain to climb, but Pieter Bergh’s troops will throw everything at their vaunted hosts. They looked nervous in the first half against the Cheetahs last weekend before they pulled away after the interval, and will be liberated by the fact that they’re being written off.

What they did extremely well in the semi-final win over their neighbours was slow their opposition’s ball down all game. If they can somehow replicate that against the Lions, they could give themselves a fighting chance. They’ll also hope that their great driving maul will be effective against Mziwakhe Nkosi’s men.   

Griquas are aiming to win their first Currie Cup title in 55 years. They teed themselves up perfectly in 2022 when they earned a home final, but were undone 26-19 by the Pumas, who clinched the crown for the first time ever.

As much as anything can happen in finals rugby, these Lions are a class above the men from Kimberley. Griquas will be game, but the Lions should storm to victory.

Prediction: Lions by 22.