Currie Cup Alive And Well
Aug 12,2012
The decision to revert to the strength-versus-strength format will boost the sustainability and authenticity of the Currie Cup this season.
The opening round of the ‘new’ six-team Currie Cup Premier Division is in the book and how refreshing it was to see the oldest rugby competition in the world return to its glory days with three intriguing games kicking off the 2012 season.
The strength-versus-strength format is what Currie Cup rugby should be - the six top unions in the country battling it out for the crown jewel of South African rugby. No squash matches, no formalities, simply exciting, competitive matches week in, week out.
I have fond memories watching Uli Schmidt help Transvaal capture the Sir Donald Currie Cup; speedsters like Cobus van der Westhuizen, Deon Oosthuizen and Chris Badenhorst score scorching tries and future legends Os du Randt, John Smit, Victor Matfield and Fourie du Preez make a name for themselves in the Currie Cup.
Granted, with the country’s leading players on Springbok duty, the ‘old lady’ of South African rugby has lost her greatest drawing card. This was evident at the weekend with three scarce crowds making the effort to watch the action live, although the inclement Cape Town weather played a major part in the low attendance for the main game between Western Province and the Sharks.
However, it remains the ultimate stage for up-and-coming stars to announce themselves to the rugby-mad South African audience. It’s unfortunate that the lack of big-name players and the ever-increasing length of the Super Rugby season mean only die-hard supporters witness the emergence of the next generation of stars, with the casual fan having little interest in what they consider to be a watered-down version of the South African Super Rugby Conference.
A week into the 2012 campaign and already Jan Serfontein and Raymond Rhule, two key players in the IRB Junior World Championship-winning South African Under-20 side, have made their Currie Cup debuts.
The talented duo will only further develop their skills this season and enhance their reputations while lesser-known players will come through the ranks in a similar manner Marcell Coetzee and Siya Kolisi, both included in the Springbok Rugby Championship squad, did in last year’s Currie Cup.
Its role may have changed since the advent of Super Rugby, but the Currie Cup remains an integral part of South African rugby that should forever be treasured.
Comments (2)
Aug 15, 2012 at 05:13:30
The ‘old lady’ has become a feeder system for Super15 players.
To be honest we do not really need the Curry Cup anymore because of the Super15 national conference system- which is a league instead of a final play off final. So in theory the Stormers have won the "Curry Cup" this year as the conference winners of South Africa. The structure of the Super15 has changed to have more derbys- one home and away against each SA team. This is more than enough to be appointed as national champions.
It is not worth having our best players(Springboks) play more games in the Curry Cup along with Test Rugby given the heavy demands of the tour. We get to watch them during the extended Super15 in many local derbies and also against international teams.
The public wanted more derbies in all 3 countries and this has increased the popularity of rugby in all 3 counties measured by viewership. The viewership was also at record highs for local derbies this year- beating previous Curry cup records.
In Summary, The boks typically should not play Curry cup bar injuries, loss of form etc.
Putting the boks into this tournament will unbalance it completely. Rather have more teams play to develop depth for the Super 15. Then the Super 15 is the feeder system for the boks. It is better to have a tiered system of strength vs strength to raise the levels for the internationals.
Aug 14, 2012 at 09:43:29
Nice try Quintin but the reality it that our beloved "old lady" has turned into a glorified Vodacom cup up untill the time that the boks play a bigger role and this is fairly reflected by the crowd attendance