Currie Cup 5 Week Review

With the expanded Super Rugby competition, Tri-Nations, and the impending World Cup rugby fans may be excused for not paying much attention to or care for the 2011 Currie Cup. Much rhetoric in rugby circles has adopted the line that the world's oldest rugby tournament has finally been made redundant. I would, however, certainly think that the fans huddled under the covers at Newlands on Friday evening, myself included, would beg to differ. I don't think those fans would have endured the torrential downpour just for the off chance of seeing Breyton doing a few flick-flacks or the DHL girls. Neither were they there to watch their team play in a tournament in which there is little remaining interest. They made the effort to support their team in the hopes that victory could help them along in their Currie Cup campaign. Despite the international scene taking predominance the Currie Cup still holds a great importance in the hearts of South African rugby fans.

This year's edition of die Currie Beker has offered no shortage of surprise. The Bulls find themselves sitting not so pretty at sixth, Province have struggled and currently hold fourth spot, the Pumas have proved not quite as horrible as in the past; but most surprising is the position of the Lions at the top of the log. Their Super Rugby campaign showed ambition, naive ambition but at least the will to try was present. Their expansive style of play came unstuck on most occasions but with a similar squad to the one that played Super Rugby they have done well so far winning all of their five fixtures. A cynic, a Sharks supporter or both will say that the Lions have played all of the three 'weaker' sides in their five wins but those still need beating. This was shown by the Sharks in their woeful loss away to the Griquas which is becoming far too much for a regularity for my liking.

Staying on the subject, Griquas have lived up to their reputation of being very difficult to beat, irrespective of who you are and how many disgraced Springboks you may have at your disposal after another PDV reshuffle. They have lost record breaking Bjorn Basson to the Bulls but have still managed more than decent performances each weak. The return of Sarel Pretorius will be nothing short of monumental for them as his style of play suits the more open stance Currie Cup matches tend to take. In past seasons they have fallen away as the stronger unions welcome back their Bok stars but this is unlikely in this year's competition due to the World Cup. Continuity, a bit of luck and continued use of whatever life-prolonging medication mascot Bushy uses could see them mount a serious challenge for a top four spot.

Seeing the Bulls struggle is always a pleasure and one their success in recent years has denied me. Sixth position, while well-below their expectations, is certainly better than stone last, where they found themselves two weeks ago. Their squad, unlike in the past, simply doesn't have the depth to deal with their absent Springboks and perhaps more worrying for them is the fact that a few of those players are gone for good. Their replacements don't seem quite up to scratch. Flip van der Merwve, whilst being a very good player cannot compete with Bakkies on a hate-inspiring level and I don't think that he, no matter how hard he tries, could ever reach the pinnacles of arseholeness that Bakkies has achieved. Who could be seen praising the Father one minute and then eye-gouging Luke Fitzgerald the next other than 'The Enforcer'? Their squad is what it is, however, and with injuries mounting the Bulls need to pull serious finger to avoid failing to reach the playoffs.

The Cheetahs and Western Province have been a little disappointing this season. Sias Ebersohn has failed to continue with his superb Super Rugby form and the injury to brother Robert in the early stages saw them struggle to get off in the ground. Province have also failed to produce the rugby we expect of them. Injuries in key positions has seen a number of new faces including young Demetri Catrakilis. The youngster helped UCT to their first Varsity Cup title earlier this year and has now been thrust onto the big stage following injuries to Lionel Cronje and Gazza van Arselicker. An impressive player for WP has been flanker Siya Kolisi. The big man has impressed so far and along with fellow youngsters, Tim Whitehead and Danie Poolman, Province do have a few things to look forward to.

The Leopards and the Pumas prop up the log, each with one win. Although they beat the Pumas two weeks ago, the Leopards have been quite poor and I struggle to see them preventing the Sharks from securing a five pointer this weekend. The Pumas on the other hand have proved more than useful and took the Bulls to the wire last time out.

Finally, we turn to the Sharks. The Durban side has gone along with their business quite casually and find themselves second on the table with one blemish, being the above-mentioned dogshow in Kimberley. Freddie Michalak has been superb in his second stint at Kings Park and new comers Sbu Sithole and Marcel Coetzee offer much-needed enthusiasm and endevour to a largely aging line-up. A well-shaped squad with a few young players coming through should see the Sharks continue on their good run and mount a serious defence of their title.

The matter really comes down to the fact there is no such thing as too much rugby. In terms of player fatigue there might be but with the Currie Cup sides playing non-Springboks it gives those who would otherwise not feature an opportunity to show themselves on a much higher level. Whilst perhaps being overshadowed by Test matches happening simultaneously interest in the Currie Cup is still thriving, and most certainly not dead. Aside from all that where else other than the Currie Cup do we still get to see the likes of Earl Rose still playing professional rugby? Seems to me like reason enough on its own.