<P> The Currie Cup is one of the oldest rugby competitions , with the first games played in 1889 but it was only in 1892 that it became officially known as the Currie Cup . The competition had its humble beginnings as an inter-province competition in 1884 , but when the South African Rugby Board was founded in 1889 it decided to organize a national competition that would involve representative teams from all the major unions . The original participating unions were Western Province , Griqualand West , Transvaal and Eastern Province . The first tournament was held in Kimberley and was won by Western Province . For a prize they received a silver cup donated by the South African Rugby Board , now displayed at the SA Rugby Museum in Cape Town . The story of how the Currie Cup came to be comes from the first overseas rugby team to tour South Africa in 1891 , The British Isles , who carried with them a particularly precious bit of cargo . Among the bags , boots and balls was a golden cup given to them by Sir Donald Currie , owner of Union - Castle Lines , the shipping company that transported them to the southern tip of Africa . Sir Donald was clear with his instructions -- hand this trophy over to the team in South Africa that gives you the best game ; and after a spirited display where the unbeaten British Lions narrowly won 3 - 0 , Griqualand West became the first ever holders of the Currie Cup . They then handed the trophy over to the South African rugby board and it became the floating trophy for the Currie Cup competition . The inaugural Currie Cup tournament was thus held in 1892 with Western Province earning the honour of holding it aloft as the first official winners . </P>
<P> The Currie Cup is one of the oldest rugby competitions , with the first games played in 1889 but it was only in 1892 that it became officially known as the Currie Cup . The competition had its humble beginnings as an inter-province competition in 1884 , but when the South African Rugby Board was founded in 1889 it decided to organize a national competition that would involve representative teams from all the major unions . The original participating unions were Western Province , Griqualand West , Transvaal and Eastern Province . The first tournament was held in Kimberley and was won by Western Province . For a prize they received a silver cup donated by the South African Rugby Board , now displayed at the SA Rugby Museum in Cape Town . The story of how the Currie Cup came to be comes from the first overseas rugby team to tour South Africa in 1891 , The British Isles , who carried with them a particularly precious bit of cargo . Among the bags , boots and balls was a golden cup given to them by Sir Donald Currie , owner of Union - Castle Lines , the shipping company that transported them to the southern tip of Africa . Sir Donald was clear with his instructions -- hand this trophy over to the team in South Africa that gives you the best game ; and after a spirited display where the unbeaten British Lions narrowly won 3 - 0 , Griqualand West became the first ever holders of the Currie Cup . They then handed the trophy over to the South African rugby board and it became the floating trophy for the Currie Cup competition . The inaugural Currie Cup tournament was thus held in 1892 with Western Province earning the honour of holding it aloft as the first official winners . </P>
where did the currie cup get its name
where did the currie cup get its name
Sir Donald Currie
Sir Donald Currie