Lions adopt fresh approach for Currie Cup

The Currie Cup, it has often been noted, has lost its lustre. Try telling Lions coach Mziwakhe Nkosi and the team's captain Travis Gordon who says he wants to lay his hands on a commemorative mug the winning players get after the final.

Gordon leads the Lions in their Currie Cup opener against Western Province at Ellis Park on Saturday and he's on a mission to chart a different course for the team that was furthest removed from the competition's bling last season.

“I want to create a vibe and pull this group together. As a player, I want to perform,” he said succinctly next to a nodding Nkosi who noted he has a captain he can relate to. Gordon was 12 years old when Nkosi first coached him.

They are in agreement on the most salient points related to the Currie Cup. While Gordon believes the competition is still prestigious and provides players a stage on which to shine, Nkosi argues it is the competition's evolution that will see it stand the test of time.

“We have to evolve. We have created a lot of nostalgia, but this competition cannot become archaic. Like the National Provincial Championship in New Zealand, the Currie Cup remains important and special.”

This year's instalment is one which Nkosi should relish. Last year he was denied the firepower as the Lions observed a clear separation in player resources between the United Rugby Championship and the Currie Cup.

This season there will be a lot more, as Nkosi puts it, cross pollination.

“It creates competition in the squad,” he said. As much as the Currie Cup side will remain a feeder team for Ivan van Rooyen's URC outfit, Nkosi insists his team has to carve its own niche.

“In terms of playing style we will have to play a hybrid. We have to be aligned with what the URC team is doing and while I'm part of a collective, I also have my own identity as a coach. You also have to look at the playing personnel at your disposal.”

His coaching philosophy revolves around what he calls “Test match intuition”. “You have to work the fundamentals, the set pieces, defence, make sure they are ticked before you get to spread the ball. Teams who play with the ball and run it do so as a by-product of mastering the fundamentals.”

The team Nkosi has assembled for Saturday's game has a strong URC flavour. Most of the starters have URC experience, with Morne van den Berg, Sti Sithole, Ruan Smith and Jaco Visagie among the more experienced.

“There's probably a better mix than we've had in the past,” Nkosi said.

The coach is clear, he is involved in a pursuit that still matters and to that end the Lions shouldn't just be competitive every week, they have to go deep in the competition. He reminded how Griquas made a sluggish start but reached the final, how the Pumas lifted the trophy through consistency in selection and how the Cheetahs went from racing certainties to running into a semifinal cul de sac.

Lions team to play Western Province — Tiaan Swanepoel; Stean Pienaar; Matt More; Tyler Bocks; Boldwin Hansen; Vaughan Isaacs; Morne van den Berg; Travis Gordon (captain); Ruan Delport; Sibusiso Sangweni; Darrien Landsberg; Pieter Jansen van Vuren; Ruan Smith; Jaco Visagie; Sti Sithole. Substitutes: Michael van Vuuren; Morgan Naude; Kabous Bezuidenhout; Raynard Roets; Ruhan Straeuli; Jarod Cairns; Nico Steyn; Zeilinga Strydom.

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