Making the Currie Cup great again

SPOTLIGHT: The importance of the Currie Cup can not be debated said Springbok legend Naas Botha ahead of the 2024 semifinals.

The Currie Cup is one of the oldest provincial competitions in the world and has been undergoing massive changes in recent years.

Fifteen years ago spectators would flock to stadiums to witness their heroes, with more than 50,000 people at Newlands to watch a Western Province v Bulls semifinal in 2009. The teams were loaded with stars like Fourie du Preez, Schalk Burger, and Morne Steyn to name a few.

However as Super Rugby expanded and after South African rugby’s move to the Northern Hemisphere in 2021 with the top four Bulls, Lions, Stormers, and Sharks joining the United Rugby Championship, the Currie Cup was usually handed the short end of the stick.

The big four franchises focussed on cross-continental tournaments therefore it comes as no surprise that none of them won the title in 2022 and 2023 – aiding the twiddling interest of the domestic competition.

What a sight 🤩

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However, in 2024, the Currie Cup introduced a new format, which was played in a new timeframe – from July to September – a period where there were no URC or European Champions and Challenge Cup matches being played.

After a challenging season, the URC trio Lions, Bulls and Sharks, and the defending champion Cheetahs will contest for the title, and who better to ask than Currie Cup legend Naas Botha about the relevance of this competition?

Botha has made 179 appearances for the Blue Bulls and won the Currie Cup nine times in his career, playing in 11 Finals (and shared two with Western Province).

“The main question that we should be asking is ‘Is the Currie Cup important for South Africa? The answer is yes,” Botha told @rugby365com.

“Where it fits in that is the tricky part.

“A couple of years ago we had a period where the shine was a little bit off the Currie Cup because the tournament ran simultaneously with URC games. So there were four franchises [Stormers, Sharks, Bulls, and Lions] playing with their weaker squads and did not work.

“This year they actually put it in a time frame that allowed teams to utilise some of their better rugby players and it worked out nicely.

“We certainly need to compliment them because they did postpone the start of the URC so we could have proper semifinals and a Final.”

PREVIEW: Who will come out on top in this Currie Cup semifinal catfight?👇https://t.co/Zi0pjYgKw5

— rugby365.com (@rugby365com) September 13, 2024

While there are certainly challenges, Botha explained that the objective of the Currie Cup as a competition needs to be communicated and give supporters a clear understanding of what to expect when they head to a stadium.

“I would love to see the Currie Cup always play a major role in South African Rugby, whether it is on development or competition between development and utilising your semi-international players.

“I think it is important for supporters to know what they are supporting and know what to expect when they go to the Currie Cup game.

“I personally think that is fair because you want your local competition to be strong.

“In essence, it is all about how they are going to market the tournament to the supporters because they are the people who are keeping rugby alive.

“I think if people really understand that this is the breeding ground a lot of people will go and support the youngsters, because they know in two or three years’ time they will all support them playing URC or for South Africa.

“So the most important thing is the pathway needs to be explained extremely clearly.”

He added: “In the future, there needs to be a clear call as to whether the Currie Cup is a breeding ground for URC, Champions Cup, and international rugby or is going to be a mix and match like this year.

“I think the mix and match is actually working out nicely. We have four teams at full strength on the weekend.

“The URC teams can utilise some of their better players that are not in the Springboks set-up and it adds a little bit of spice to it and I think that is what we need.”

#PREVIEW: Tough one to call – check out our predictions for the Currie Cup semifinal between Bulls and Sharks #rugby #news #sports @BlueBullsRugby @SharksRugby https://t.co/W2Q57IBR4g

— rugby365.com (@rugby365com) September 13, 2024

The tough calls

When asked about his prediction for the upcoming semifinal clashes, Botha revealed the Bulls and Lions will contest the Final.

However, he won’t be surprised if Cheetahs and Sharks produce an upset given their quality.

“I actually compliment, Cheetahs for making the semifinals because the other three teams are all URC teams.

“Western Province missing out a little bit of a disappointing, but not on behalf of the Cheetahs.

“The inform team out of the four is the Lions. They are playing well lately. They struggled a little bit in the beginning in the URC, but somewhere along the line they had a fantastic URC and kept that rolling until the Currie Cup.

“It is going to a be tough one for the Cheetahs, especially at Ellis Park. They are playing a team that can for 80 minutes, don’t give you any east points.

“With the Sharks and Bulls, I’m not too interested in what happened last week [where the Sharks recorded a win over the Bulls] because the Bulls have already qualified.

“But in all fairness, where the Sharks struggled four months ago they are not struggling anymore. So they are heading to Loftus with a lot of confidence. They played some fantastic games at Loftus, so it’s not like they can’t do it.

“However if you go on home ground advantage and form then I wouldn’t be too surprised that the winners will be the Lions and the Bulls will play the Final.

“But even if it goes the other way with Sharks and Cheeyans I would not be surprised either.”

Greatest memory

Arguably his greatest performance was in 1987 when he single-handily beat Transvaal now the Lions in a rain-soaked game, but Botha revealed his fondest memory was the Final between Bulls and Western Province in 1980 at Loftus Versfeld.

“I was fortunate enough to play in a number of Currie Cups Finals.

“A lot of people will say the 1987 Final in extremely difficult conditions at Ellis Park beating Transvaal.

“But for me, the one that was most enjoyable was the 1980 Final against Western Province at Loftus Versfeld.”