Hearing prominent provincial rugby teams talk about treating the Carling Currie Cup Premier Division as a “development” competition, should be hugely concerning for the future of the competition.
Just about a year ago the Hollywoodbest Sharks put in a huge effort to win South African rugby’s oldest rugby competition after beating the Lions at the death with a Jordan Hendrikse penalty goal.
But after two rounds in this season’s campaign, Sharks head coach, JP Pietersen, has made it clear the Durbanites are not interested in defending their title.
Heavy Defeats for Sharks and Province
The Sharks suffered heavy defeats against the Lions (46-5) and Vodacom Bulls (64-0), fielding an inexperienced team made up of U21 graduates, and members of the Junior Springboks’ U20 World Championship-winning side. While a few experienced players, who did not get regular game time during last season’s United Rugby Championship (URC) and European Champions Cup campaigns, have also been roped in to try and strengthen the squad.
Down in the Western Cape, Currie Cup rugby’s most successful team, Western Province, are also using the same formula – even roping in club rugby players and some loan players from the Springbok Sevens setup – to try and stage a competitive fight in this season’s Currie Cup.
But like the Sharks, Province have also been left with egg on their faces after back-to-back losses to the Bulls (48-23) and Lions (40-19).
Meanwhile, asked about the huge losses, Sharks coach Pietersen said:
Our chief objective is to develop players. The Lions and Bulls have gone about it in the Currie Cup in a different way, but one of our goals is to win the URC or the Champions Cup.
Plum (Sharks URC coach, John Plumtree) is looking for players capable of touring in the URC after the Currie Cup.
Stormers head coach, John Dobson, who decided to appoint Labeeb Levy as Western Province coach for the Currie Cup campaign, also recently gave an explanation that will disappoint fans.
Speaking with The Lekker Rugby Pod podcast, Dobson said:
My plan… is that in two years’ time I want to win the Currie Cup. We have to. I don’t think the people of Cape Town enjoy watching us take 30 or 40 points every week.
Currie Cup Sponsors Won’t Be Happy
A disappointing explanation indeed, and comments that could see Sharks and Province fans rather decide to spend their weekends catching the game on television, than make the drive to Kings Park or Cape Town stadium to see their teams in action.
Also, spare a thought for title sponsor Carling Black Label, whose marketing department will be having a tough time promoting the competition to get their brand recognised and obviously spill over to their bottom line, beer sales.
How long they will also keep spending money on a competition that is not really being taken seriously by some of the bigger unions, could also lead to the famous beer brand cutting its losses.
And if the Currie Cup is being treated like a development competition by unions like the Western Province and Sharks, then maybe a format change needs to take place to treat it as such.
TelecomAsia put this exact question to Province head coach Levy ahead of their third-round game against Suzuki Griquas in Kimberley.
Levy: Currie Cup Format Is The Problem
And according to Levy the problem of all teams taking the Currie Cup seriously can be solved by allowing teams like Western Province, the Sharks, Bulls and Lions, to also participate in the SA Cup competition, which serves as a qualification tournament for teams outside of the abovementioned Big Four franchises to play in the Currie Cup.
With Levy saying:
The single issue in any sport, whether it is rugby, football, doubles tennis, you name it, will always be cohesion. We have to build cohesion and with any group it takes time together. If you look at our team sheet from a year ago, it looks totally different. And the teams you are playing against have had that cohesion from playing together in the SA Cup. The last three or four years the competition has been run, it is changing every year. Rugby is a winter sport and our winter versus the north’s winter is different. This time of the year people are used to watching rugby, you know, so the powers that be must sort that out. If there is an aligned comp during the year it will probably be easier.
With the ball in the South African Rugby Union’s (SA Rugby) court on what to do with an ailing Currie Cup, perhaps Levy’s suggestion should be taken to heart if the oldest rugby competition wants to return to some format of its former glory years.
Especially with smaller unions like the Eastern Province, South Western Districts, Griffons, Valke, Leopards and Border banging on the door for inclusion as playing in a month long First Division competition every year, sees these teams having to rebuild squads every year, and mostly with club talent that has not been exposed to a higher level of rugby.
In a recent interview with TelecomAsia, Eastern Province Rugby Union president, George Malgas, also suggested that a return to a format where all 14 unions play in the Currie Cup is a more viable option.
Not only will it see these smaller unions possibly getting a bigger piece of broadcast revenue monies, but also allow them to retain talent to become more competitive, while developing talent that could then move on to franchise-level rugby.
As things stand, more and more locally based players are making moves overseas to continue their careers, as playing opportunities in South Africa are becoming increasingly scarce.
