Matches played 94 | ||
 | ||
Date 28 May – 23 October 1997 Champions Western Province (29th title) | ||
The 1997 Currie Cup was the 59th season of the Currie Cup, South Africa's premier domestic rugby union competition, since it started in 1889. The competition was known as the Bankfin Currie Cup for sponsorship reasons and was contested from 28 May to 23 October 1997.
Contents
The competition was won by Western Province for the 29th time in their history; they beat the Free State Cheetahs 14–12 in the final played on 23 October 1997.
Competition rules and information
There were fourteen participating teams in the 1997 Currie Cup. These teams played all the other teams once over the course of the season, either at home or away.
Teams received four points for a win and two points for a draw. Bonus points were awarded to teams that scored four or more tries in a game, as well as to teams that lost a match by seven points or less. Teams were ranked by log points, then points difference (points scored less points conceded). The top 4 teams qualified for the title play-offs. In the semi-finals, the team that finished first had home advantage against the team that finished fourth, while the team that finished second had home advantage against the team that finished third. The winners of these semi-finals advanced to the final, at the home venue of the higher-placed team.
Changes from 1996
The two sections used in 1996, Section A and Section B, were merged into a single division for 1997, with all teams playing each other once. The team also adopted the new rugby union bonus points system, which was previously used in the 1996 Super 12 season.
Also, there were several name changes:
Log
The final log of the round-robin stage of the 1997 Currie Cup:
Matches
The following matches were played in the 1997 Currie Cup:
Honours
The honour roll for the 1997 Currie Cup was: