Rugby’s oldest competition remains a prestigious and sought-after opportunity for SA coaches and players of all ages to win a coveted trophy, according to MARK KEOHANE.
The launch of the 2023 Currie Cup is in the spotlight this week, pitting the ‘minnow’ unions against teams from South Africa’s Vodacom United Rugby Championship regions.
The addition of the Griffons, last year’s First Division champions, to the Premier Division means the Pumas will have to defend their maiden Currie Cup title against seven other teams, in a double-round 14-match per team schedule.
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In his TimesLIVE column, Keohane suggests “sponsors may not think the Currie Cup matters any more” but those on the ground hold the domestic championship in high regard, as evidenced by URC-winning DHL Stormers head coach John Dobson and his support staff rolling up their sleeves to take charge of the Western Province campaign.
“Rugby, globally and in South Africa, is a different environment and the Currie Cup is not an international inter-club competition. It can’t rank one in terms of professional importance, but it will always rank in terms of prestige and nostalgia,” he writes.
“It is the breeding ground of South Africa’s next generation of superstars, and it is also a competition that will allow for mentoring from experienced veterans, as much as it will be about the emergence of the very best schoolboy talent.
“The more traditional provincial powerhouses did not take kindly to not having a presence at the big dance [in 2022] and already there has been a shift in focus at Western Province, while Vodacom Bulls URC coach and director of Rugby Jake White is also working closely with the Currie Cup coaches.
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“It was in the Currie Cup that grizzly openside veteran Deon Fourie made his return to South African rugby after eight seasons in France. A few months later Fourie was playing in the URC, winning the URC and making his Test debut against Wales in Bloemfontein. He did it at an age that made him the oldest Springbok on debut.
“The treasured Cup has lost none of its lure to this generation of player, even though the status of the competition naturally has been downgraded.
“But this downgraded status does not mean it is a downgraded competition, especially not for the players and provincial coaches.”
Photo: @TheCurrieCup/Twitter