Currie Cup playing important role for SA rugby

There was some negativity around the 2022 edition of the Carling Currie Cup when it was announced it would start in January and be significantly under-strength due to the clash with the United Rugby Championship, but it is playing an important role for South African rugby and will do so again this weekend.

The Cell C Sharks will name their team to play the Sigma Lions only later on Friday and will do so in the knowledge that they can’t choose Grant Williams, who has been slapped with a four week ban for his red card offence in last week’s URC clash with the Vodacom Bulls. But with the Sharks first choice side only flying out for Italy and their next URC engagement next week, Saturday’s game will play an important role in providing game time for players who need it ahead of the trip to Treviso.

It was a surprise to see Curwin Bosch play off the replacement’s bench in the URC game at Loftus as the Sharks had made it known their plan was to give him an extended run in the Currie Cup to regain his confidence. With there being no clash between the domestic competition and the URC at this point, they can still do that. And if so, the Emirates Airlines Park clash will provide Bosch with a good opportunity to build on the start he made against DHL Western Province in the Sharks’ last Currie Cup game in Durban two and a half weeks ago.

Sikhumbuzo Notshe made a telling contribution as a replacement at Loftus last week so it will be interesting to see if he also gets another start as the talented No 8 continues his comeback from what was a particularly bad injury that saw him sidelined for nine months. The Lions will also be giving one of their star URC players, Vincent Tshituka, important game time, and there are two more URC players in their side plus a few who might challenge for places for the senior team.

The Lions though have stuck largely with their policy of fielding a youth team in the Currie Cup, and given the build they need to do, there is merit in that. But it should mean a relatively easy win for the Sharks, who go to Johannesburg with two wins in Durban (against Tafel Lager Griquas and WP) under their belt and with a team that reflects the depth at the KZN union.

KIMBERLEY SHOULD BE GAME OF THE WEEKEND

The game of the weekend in terms of competitiveness should be the Friday night clash in Kimberley between Griquas and WP, with the latter giving several URC players, among them tighthead prop Neethling Fouche, much needed game time ahead of next week’s trip to Galway to play Connacht.

The visitors are now in what is a rare position for them of having lost consecutive games, both home and away, in last year’s competition to Griquas, and the hosts will be confident they can make it three. However, with David Meihuizen now playing his third game since his own comeback from injury, and Nama Xaba leading the side, WP have a strong team for this level.

One of the reasons there was some negativity towards the oldest provincial competition in the world at the start was because of a perception it would be concertinaed and put extra pressure on the franchises playing in the URC, but that is not the case as the games are very spread out. Instead of playing a couple of games in the space of a week, as was the case at the start of the competition and last year, and having the competition crammed into a couple of months as was the case in 2021, there are 12 league games to be played between mid-January and June. This weekend’s fixtures are the first in 17 days, and there is no clash with the URC, so it can be used as a vehicle to complement the URC challenge - something that the overseas teams don’t have.

For those unions not involved in the URC, the Currie Cup also provides something for the players and coaches to strive for, and the fans in those regions to get behind and watch. Griquas and the Airlink Pumas have been strong challengers in the Currie Cup in recent seasons, and on that note the Pumas, after two defeats, are facing some pressure when they host the Toyota Cheetahs in Nelspruit in the early game on Saturday.

The Cheetahs have Ruan Pienaar and Frans Steyn both in tow for this game and have a largely unchanged side that beat the Vodacom Bulls at Loftus last time out and will start as favourites to retain the momentum they have picked up. However, as skipper Pienaar noted, the Pumas will be quite desperate after being well beaten by Griquas and they have troubled the Cheetahs at Mbombela Stadium in the past.

WEEKEND CARLING CURRIE CUP FIXTURES

Tafel Lager Griquas v DHL Western Province (Kimberley, Friday 19.00)

Airlink Pumas v Toyota Cheetahs (Nelspruit, Saturday 14.30)

Sigma Lions v Cell C Sharks (Johannesburg, 17.00)