VIDEO: No Boks for Currie Cup
The Sharks and Bulls will start filtering their United Rugby Championship players down into their Currie Cup squads, but don’t expect any Springboks to feature on the domestic stage this year.
With their respective URC campaigns coming to an abrupt end at the quarterfinal stage this past weekend, their focus shifts to the Currie Cup – where the Lions have already been playing mix-and-match squads for the past fortnight.
With the defending-champion Stormers having advanced to the semifinal stage, Western Province may have to wait at least another week or two before receiving any reinforcements.
However, the Springboks from those two squads – Lukhanyo Am (Sharks), Thomas du Toit, Eben Etzebeth, Jaden Hendrikse, Siyamthanda Kolisi, Makazole Mapimpi, Bongi Mbonambi, Retshegofaditswe Nche, Grant Williams (all Sharks), Kurt-Lee Arendse, Canan Moodie and Marco van Staden (all Bulls) – will take part in a series of ‘preparation’ camps from next week.
The first camp will take place from Wednesday, May 17 to Friday, May 19.
The second camp will be running from Monday, May 29 to Wednesday, May 31.
The Boks will begin their official preparations for the Rugby Championship at a training camp in Pretoria from Monday, June 12 to Friday, June 30.
It means they won’t be seen near a Currie Cup team, unless they are in need of game time when they return from injury.
(Article continues below the Neil Powell interview ...)
Sharks Director of Rugby Neil Powell and his Bulls counterpart Jake White gave contrasting answers when quizzed about their plans for the Currie Cup.
The Sharks will get straight back into action when they arrive back from Ireland, after their humbling 5-35 loss to Irish powerhouse Leinster.
Powell, who will soon hand over the reins to John Plumtree to focus on his DoR position, is determined to get some silverware – in the Currie Cup, which is now nine rounds into a 14-round league phase.
“Some of the players will go straight into that competition,” he said of his returning URC squad.
“[However,] the Boks won’t be allowed to play [in the] Currie Cup.”
In contrast, White said he will ‘sit down’ and decide about his approach to next season’s URC, before making a call on how many and which players will filter down to the Currie Cup.
“I think a guy like Ruan Nortje needs to put on weight,” he said about his URC captain – a 24-year-old, two-metre tall lock that barely pushes the scale above 110 kilograms.
“Our front row forwards need to put on weight and our speedsters need to do some speed work.
“Maybe we need to start that process from Monday.”
The Bulls boss said he will “reflect” after a season that saw them finish sixth, with 10 wins from 18 matches – down from their debut season’s fourth-place finish.
They got knocked out of the European Cup in the Round of 16.
“We are still much better of than some teams,” a philosophical White said.
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