Rugby
Is the Aura of the Currie Cup and Integrity of the Competition in Jeopardy?
The Currie Cup has reached the midway point of the regular season and attention that the Currie Cup has received this season has been worrying. The Currie Cup is one of the oldest club competitions in the world and is the cornerstone of South Africa’s rugby heritage.
Gone are the days of a full Kings Park or Newlands Stadium which featured South African marquee players. Since the move from Super Rugby to the United Rugby Championship, the Currie Cup teams have fielded a small group of URC players and stadiums have been close to empty. Currie Cup coaches and Directors of Rugby gave their opinions on the state of the Currie Cup.
Neil Powell (Director of Sharks Rugby)
“We still see the Currie Cup as the premier domestic competition, although we have challenges fielding marquee players or URC players due to the calendar and the compulsory 8 week rest period. We still see a lot of value in the Currie Cup, it still serves the purpose of blooding talent which is really important for us,” Powell told SportsBoom.com.
“The quality of the Currie Cup is the closest we can get to the URC, it is an ideal opportunity for us to blood our youngsters and build for the future.”
Frans Steyn (Director of Cheetahs Rugby)
“I think the team that wins this year’s Currie Cup deserves it. The bigger teams [Sharks, Bulls, Western Province and Lions] really did their homework.”
If you look at the Bulls team that is running out every week, there are some massive rugby names in that team. If you look at the Sharks and Province [Western Province] I think they did their homework and planning really well.
“It was always like this, closer to the end [playoffs] the competition takes a bit of turn upwards and everyone gets in the Currie Cup fever. Later on, you will see the fans getting back into the stands.”
Dawie Snyman (Western Province Coach)
“It is obviously a great competition. It’s just a matter of finding the right time to play the Currie Cup where marquee players will be available. This weekend, Canan Moodie is playing for the Bulls and we are going to have Steven Kitshoff playing a little bit later.”
“It is also a great stepping stone for young players and if you get the timing right where some of the United Rugby Championship players can maybe play some of the Currie Cup that would be great. We believe in the Currie Cup, it’s a strong competition not just for us but for South Africa. Hopefully we can sort of get it right and make sure it can be competitive.”
Phiwe Nomlomo (Bulls Currie Cup Head Coach)
hope the Currie Cup never loses the value that it has. We’ve spoken a lot about what it means to the individual, what it means to the union.
Phiwe Nomlomo
“That is one competition we really pride ourselves in. Chatting to some of the season-campaigners, they still say that it’s still their favourite competition to play because its home grown and means a lot closer to us.”
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Nathan has over a decade of knowledge and experience, both as a former professional sportsperson and journalist. Nathan, a former radio sports presenter and producer is an award-winning community radio sports producer/presenter.