Many rugby traditionalists will be dipping their biskuit with a smile after SA Rugby confirmed a double round of Currie Cup Premier Division fixtures.
The Currie Cup, rugby’s oldest provincial competition, has long been considered the fuel that has driven Springbok rugby. It was especially so when the country was in sporting isolation because of its apartheid policies. Apart from a few rebels tours, the competition served as a primary outlet for the players affiliated to the SA Rugby Board.
The Currie Cup pretty much took centre stage until the advent of professionalism and the launch of Super Rugby in 1996.
The Currie Cup had lost its lustre as the country’s top players were deployed elsewhere and the competition increasingly became a feeder ground for higher forms of the game.
As predicted Super Rugby attracted many eyeballs and a considerable slice of the sponsorship pie that had previously been destined for the Currie Cup.
It meant the much-revered competition took a back seat as its structure and format were habitually shaped around what was economically viable and what gaps there were on the domestic calendar.
It meant the competition lost its prominence and was relegated to the realm of afterthought.
The Currie Cup had lost its lustre as the country’s top players were deployed elsewhere and the competition increasingly became a feeder ground for higher forms of the game. It basically filled the gap left by the defunct Vodacom Cup, which by and large was a developmental tournament.
The competition was underfunded and underattended, and hit its nadir when SA Rugby struggled to find a title sponsor and had to settle for an associate backer to keep the competition’s lights on.
Things improved before the pandemic necessitated a reimagining of playing schedules, rosters and competition formats, and the upshot from the country’s relative isolation is that the Currie Cup has been restored to a double-round competition in its Premier Division.
In announcing the changes, SA Rugby trumpeted it as “back to normal this year”. All 14 of its provincial affiliates will be contesting the Premier and Divisions.
The Premier Division will feature seven teams that will play each other over a double round on a home and away basis. The First Division, which was cancelled last year, makes a welcome return.
The Premier Division, which kicks off on the weekend of June 18/19, will feature defending champions the Bulls, as well as Western Province, the Sharks, Lions, Cheetahs, Griquas and Pumas.
While the Currie Cup will operate sans the Springbok players, who are destined for duty against Georgia and the British & Irish Lions, the Premier Division’s profile and credibility will receive a huge boost by having the competition play out over a double round.
Apart from gauging the form of players hoping for later inclusion in the Bok ranks, the Currie Cup also provides a valuable canvas for teams short of exposure, such as the Cheetahs. The Bloemfontein-based side has been excluded from international competition, which means the Currie Cup is pretty much their only opportunity to shine.
They did so two years ago when they won the competition, and they will be desperate to do so again as they state their case for a place in more far-flung competition.
It remains to be seen if they can make an impression in a competition that will largely be played without the high-profile Boks, but at least the Currie Cup has been restored to a position of prominence on the calendar.
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