The two leading contenders in this year’s Carling Currie Cup are very clearly hell bent on winning the trophy with two young coaches, but how their domestic season progresses may have some very different consequences when the Vodacom United Rugby Championship starts again.
The Fidelity ADT Lions and Vodacom Bulls have been the two sides that have set the pace in the first two weekends of the Currie Cup, with both pulling off big wins against arch-rivals DHL Western Province and the Hollywoodbets Sharks - who both have very different outlooks to the domestic season than the two Gauteng sides.
For the Lions, their near loss in last year’s Currie Cup final will be one that still hurts a lot, and especially as they made their desires known by playing a virtual URC side throughout the tournament.
The heart-breaking loss when Jordan Hendrikse put home a massive penalty at the end of the final to give the title to the Sharks is well-remembered in Johannesburg and it currently looks as if the Lions are intent on looking for domestic glory with a lot of their URC squad once again.
Last season that approach caught up to them in the latter part of the URC as their campaign to make the top eight floundered and they ended the year disappointingly in 10th position. All the momentum that the Currie Cup created was squandered by trying to play in three competitions over a 12 month period and in the end it brought no silverware.
SHARKS CONCENTRATING ON DEVELOPMENT
That realisation has been a big part of why the Sharks have decided to rest their entire URC squad and play the Currie Cup with a very young and inexperienced team. As we saw on Saturday, the gulf between that approach and the Bulls is a massive one, with 64 unanswered points at Loftus Versfeld underlining the fact that the Sharks feel that long term this approach will benefit them more.
Certainly giving their entire squad a proper off season will benefit them in the latter parts of the season, and it seems the Stormers are largely following this thought process as well with only a handful of regulars in their Currie Cup squad.
The domestic competition still holds a special place for the Bulls, and the way Phiwe Nomlomo’s side have started the season, they have to be odds-on favourites to take the title in a single round competition.
The difference for the Bulls is that they have contracted specifically for the Currie Cup - players like Marvin Orie, Lizo Gqoboka, Dylan de Leeuw and Jeandre Rudolph have been brought in for the competition.
They also have a much larger squad overall than the Lions and struggled last season to keep all their top players match fit with a large part of what makes this Currie Cup squad sitting on the sidelines for the URC.
BULLS DEEP SQUAD HAS ADVANTAGES
But that has another added advantage for the Bulls. Their Currie Cup squad is made up of players looking to prove a point. It is no coincidence new coach Johan Ackermann has told this group of players that the Currie Cup is their “audition” for the URC.
Players like Nama Xaba, Boeta Chamberlain, Jaco van der Walt, Stravino Jacobs, Henry Immelmann, Sintu Manjezi and others never played a big part in the Bulls URC campaign last year because of a variety of factors, including some who were unlucky with injuries. The Currie Cup gives these players a chance to gain momentum, work up a head of steam and be in superb form when the competition starts.
The Bulls will be without a number of internationals for the first half of the season, while their new signings - and first choice players - are only starting their pre-season at the moment.
Their bigger squad gives them the luxury of trying to win the Currie Cup and blood a handful of youngsters among experienced names.
ALL FRANCHISES HAVE CHALLENGES
All the big franchises have their challenges. The differences in approach for the Currie Cup can only be measured later on in the season, when the URC is getting to the business end of the competition.
Only then will we know who has invested in the right approach and how it has paid off in the long run.
But it is a fascinating look into how the various teams are juggling their assets. All of them will want to make a bigger impression in Europe this season and have contracted accordingly.
The Currie Cup may be the current focus, but everything we are seeing play out over the next few weekends ultimately needs to lead to bigger success for the four franchises.
Or the choices made for this domestic competition may all seem to be for nothing.