DHL Western Province will face the defending champion Toyota Free State Cheetahs in their first Currie Cup encounter this season.

With a bye in the first round of South Africa’s premier domestic rugby competition which will see teams playe each other home and away this year, DHL Western Province will enter the fray on Saturday, July 30 when they travel to Bloemfontein.

The semifinals in the Premier Division are scheduled for the weekend of 21 October and the Final – as well as the finals of the Provincial U19 and U21 competitions – will be on Saturday, 28 October. The First Division semifinals are on 14 October and the final on 20 October.

“The recent changes to the Currie Cup format are hugely exciting and the countdown has now truly begun to what promises to be another thrilling competition of high-class South African provincial rugby,” said SA Rugby CEO Jurie Roux.

“Returning to a seven-team Premier Division format, with all teams facing each other home and away, will bring about a more intense, strength-versus-strength competition, and the fact that we’ve re-introduced a promotion challenge series between the winner of the First Division against the last-placed Premier Division team, will add to the excitement.”

Roux explained the decision to start the Currie Cup earlier than originally planned and to do away with the proposed midweek matches: “The opening rounds of the Currie Cup overlap with the Vodacom Super Rugby playoffs, but that is a decision that was taken following a recommendation by the Franchise Committee to Exco as to the scheduling of the competition.

“One of the positive outcome of the constitutional changes made last year was to streamline our governance processes and put unions closer to the decision-making process. The CEOs of the premier Division teams were central to deciding on the format of the Currie Cup.

“As the Premier Division will be played by seven teams over a double round of matches, it was difficult to fit all of the encounters into the existing playing window. The Franchise Committee’s recommendation was to bring the kick off of the competition forward – even though there may be an overlap with Vodacom Super Rugby play-offs for some teams.

“They preferred this model to playing multiple midweek matches, which had also been on the table. The franchise teams that are likely to be affected have factored it into their planning.”

DHL Western Province 2017 Currie Cup fixtures:

Sunday, July 30 v Toyota Free State Cheetahs in Bloemfontein
Saturday, August 5 v Steval Pumas at DHL Newlands
Wednesday, August 9 v Tafel Lager Griquas in Kimberley
Saturday, August 12 v Vodacom Blue Bulls at DHL Newlands
Friday, August 18 v Xerox Golden Lions at DHL Newlands
Saturday, August 26 v Cell C Sharks at DHL Newlands
Saturday, September 9 v Toyota Free State Cheetahs at DHL Newlands
Friday, September 15 v Steval Pumas in Nelspruit
Saturday, September 23 v Tafel Lager Griquas at DHL Newlands
Sunday, October 1 v Vodacom Blue ulls in Pretoria
Sunday, October 8 v Xerox Golden Lions in Johannesburg
Saturday, October 14 v Cell C Sharks in Durban