It appears there has been a surge in interest in the Carling Currie Cup, not only in the Western Cape, where two third-round games were played in front of large and passionate crowds.
The DHL Stormers XXIII drew nearly 15 000 to their coastal face-off with the Hollywoodbets Sharks XV, which is possibly a comment on both the excitement generated by having the Currie Cup accept its identity, which is a development competition geared to showcase youngsters like Markus Muller and Luan Gilliomee, and the number of Durbanites who now live in Cape Town.
Whatever the reason, a crowd figure of 14 345 is quite phenomenal for a modern-day Currie Cup league fixture. While the game was maybe a bit too stop-start to be remembered as a classic, the players delivered too, with the two 19-year-old members of the recent World Junior Championship-winning Junior Springbok team, Muller and Gilliomee, both producing sublime moments that showcased their class. As did several of the other young players on the field.
It ended with the Stormers as winners by a more comprehensive margin than would have been expected for most of the way, with the hosts taking control in the last quarter. Although there were only eight points in it at the final whistle, the fourth bonus-point try for the Sharks came late and was really no more than a consolation as the game had been won and lost by then.
‘BOLAND SUNDAY’ HAS BECOME POPULAR
The next day, another large and appreciative crowd turned up for another ‘Boland Sunday’ at the Boland Stadium in Wellington. The unseasonably dry weather and clear skies have no doubt played a role in the big crowds that have filed through the turnstiles on three consecutive Sundays, but so too has the exciting rugby played by the Sanlam Boland Kavaliers.
They didn’t get it quite right this time, and relinquished their unbeaten record to the Airlink Pumas, partly because the visitors were just so determined and brought such impressive line speed to their defensive effort, and also partly because Boland were in self-destruct mode.
Their discipline was all over the place, conceding 12 penalties in the first half alone, and while the two yellow cards were borderline, the problems their lack of discipline caused them, something that was the diametric opposite of what pertained in their previous game against the Stormers, will be a salient lesson to them.
They also threw a shower in the lineouts, which didn’t help, and could have made better decisions about when to kick for posts and when to explore other avenues off kickable penalties. Certainly, given the strong Pumas defensive effort, this was a day they should have gone for posts, and by the time they did so late in the game, it was too late.
The win means the Pumas get off the mark in the competition and their win was a just reward for the commitment they showed and effort they put in, with their skipper Willie Engelbrecht borrowing a bit from the lexicon of his former Stormers coach John Dobson afterwards when he spoke about “the dog” his team had shown.
GOOD CROWDS IN KIMBERLEY AND JOBURG TOO
The two games played up country also drew vibrant crowds, perhaps something that would be expected at Suzuki Stadium in Kimberley when central union bragging rights are on the line. As is the case at Boland, there is no head count to hand, but on the television evidence, the stadium was well populated, and the home team repaid their fans for their passionate support by scraping to a close win in an exciting game.
The decision taken by the Lions to move the trans-Jukskei derby to the University of Johannesburg also paid off. When the ADT Fidelity Lions beat the Pumas at Ellis Park last week, there were, by some counts, fewer than 1000 people in the stadium, making it feel cavernous.
Playing games at smaller, more vibrant venues does make sense, and while the Lions have no plans to move from Ellis Park, with their game against the Stormers on 28 August scheduled for that venue, some consideration should be given to making a smaller venue home to Currie Cup games. The Lions are tied to Ellis Park in the URC because of broadcast requirements.
With Boland and the Cheetahs both losing, there are no unbeaten teams left in the competition after three rounds, with the Lions back in a now familiar position at the top of the log, one point ahead of Griquas. There are just three points separating the top five, with fifth place currently occupied by the Stormers.
Carling Currie Cup third round results
Suzuki Griquas 24 Toyota Free State Cheetahs 21
DHL Stormers XXIIII 36 Hollywoodbets Sharks 28
Fidelity ADT Lions 42 Vodacom Bulls XV 19
Sanlam Boland Kavaliers 15 Airlink Pumas 20