The Highlanders is a New Zealand professional rugby union team based in Dunedin that compete in Super Rugby. The team was formed in 1996 to represent the lower South Island in the newly formed Super 12 competition, and includes the Otago, North Otago and Southland unions. The Highlanders take their name from the Scottish immigrants that helped found the Otago, North Otago, and Southland regions in the 1840s and 1850s.
The Bulls, for sponsorship reasons known as the Vodacom Bulls, is a South African professional rugby union team based in Pretoria and they play their home matches at Loftus Versfeld. They compete in the United Rugby Championship, having competed in the Super Rugby competition until 2020. Prior to 1998, the Bulls competed in the then-Super 12 as Northern Transvaal, as in those years South Africa was represented in the competition by its top four Currie Cup sides from the previous season, instead of the modern Super Rugby teams.
The Stormers is a South African professional rugby union team based in Cape Town in the Western Cape that competes in the United Rugby Championship, a trans-hemispheric competition that also involves sides from Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales. They competed in the Super Rugby competition until 2020.
Western Province is a South African professional rugby union team based in Newlands, Cape Town, that participates in the annual Currie Cup and Vodacom Cup tournaments. Founded in 1883, the team has won multiple titles, a record of 34 Currie Cup titles including the inaugural competition, the Vodacom Cup, the Absa Nite Series, and the Lion Cup. The club has the most supporters of any Currie Cup team.
Johan "Rassie" Erasmus is a South African rugby union coach and former player. He was the head coach of the South African national team from 2018 to the end of their 2019 World Cup campaign, doubling up on his duties as the first ever SARU Director of Rugby, to which he was appointed towards the end of 2017. He led South Africa to win the 2019 Rugby World Cup, and he subsequently won the 2019 World Rugby Coach of the Year award.
The 2009 Absa Currie Cup Premier Division season was the 71st season in the competition since it started in 1889. The competition was contested from 10 July through to 31 October.
Wietz Tobias Botes in a South African-born rugby union player, who most recently played for the Eastern Province Kings. He normally plays as a scrum-half or fly-half.
Scott Alexander van Breda is a South African rugby union player for RFU Championship side Jersey Reds. He is a utility back, that can play as centre, full-back or winger.
Jacobus Petrus Adriaanse is a former South African rugby union player that played first class rugby between 2008 and 2019 and represented the Emerging Springboks internationally. His regular position is tighthead prop.
Timothy John Whitehead is a South African professional rugby union player who most recently played with Western Province. His regular position is centre.
Donovan Wade Armand is a former England international rugby union footballer. Originally from Zimbabwe, he played as a flanker for Exeter Chiefs in the English Premiership.
Petrus Willem van der Walt is a South African rugby union player who represents Japan at international level and is currently playing with NTT DoCoMo Red Hurricanes in the Japanese Top League. His regular position is lock or flanker.
Cornal Hendricks is a South African rugby union player for the Bulls in Super Rugby, the Blue Bulls in the Currie Cup and the Blue Bulls XV in the Rugby Challenge. His usual position is wing.
Elgar Graeme Watts is a South African professional rugby union player who played for the Boland Cavaliers, Pumas, Free State Cheetahs and Griquas domestically and for the Cheetahs and the Southern Kings in Super Rugby. His usual position is fly-half.
Sikhumbuzo Notshe is a South African professional rugby union player who currently plays for the Cell C Sharks in Super Rugby and Western Province in the Currie Cup. His regular playing position is flanker.
Godlen Herschelle Derrick Masimla is a South African rugby union player for Western Province in the Currie Cup and the Rugby Challenge. His regular position is scrum-half or winger.
Pieter Willem Gabriel Rossouw is a South African former professional rugby player and current coach. Rossouw played wing for Western Province in the Currie Cup and the Stormers in the Super Rugby competition. He played a total of 43 times for the Springboks, making him one of the most capped Springbok wingers after South Africa's readmission to international rugby. He was also one of South Africa's most prolific try-scoring wingers, post-isolation, with only Breyton Paulse(26) and Bryan Habana(53) scoring more tries. He is 7th on the all-time try-scoring list for the Springboks. Rossouw is currently the backline coach of the Bulls in Super rugby and the Blue Bulls in the Currie Cup. He was known as "Slaptjips", apparently because the sight of his running legs was like potato chips slapping together. Pieter is the older brother of Chris Rossouw, who played flyhalf for Western Province and the Free State Cheetahs.
Thorleif Halvorsen is a South African rugby union player for Rovigo Delta in the Top12 in Italy. He usually plays as a loose forward.
Damian Willemse is a South African rugby union player for the South Africa national team and the Stormers in the United Rugby Championship and Western Province in the Currie Cup. His regular position is fly-half, but he can also play as a fullback or inside centre.
Herschel Jerome Jantjies is a South African professional rugby union player for the South Africa national team and the Stormers in Super Rugby. His regular position is scrum-half.
