The Currie Cup has reached the midway point of the regular season but the scant attention it has been getting is worrying.
The Currie Cup is one of the oldest club competitions in the world and has been the cornerstone of our rugby heritage.
Gone are the days of a packed Kings Park or Newlands Stadium for Currie Cup matches featuring marquee players. Since the move from Super Rugby to the United Rugby Championship, the Currie Cup teams have fielded a few URC players. Currie Cup coaches and directors of rugby gave their opinions on the state of affair:
Neil Powell (director of Sharks Rugby): “We still see the Currie Cup as the premier domestic competition, although we have challenges fielding marquee players or URC players due to the calendar and the compulsory eight-week rest period.
“We still see a lot of value in the Currie Cup, it still serves the purpose of blooding talent which is really important for us,” Powell told SportsBoom.com.
“The quality of the Currie Cup is the closest we can get to the URC, it is an ideal opportunity for us to blood our youngsters and build for the future.”
Frans Steyn (director of Cheetahs Rugby): “It was always like this, closer to the end [play-offs] the competition takes a bit of turn upwards and everyone gets into the Currie Cup fever. Later on, you will see the fans getting back into the stands.”
Dawie Snyman (Western Province coach): “It is obviously a great competition. It’s just a matter of finding the right time to play the Currie Cup where marquee players will be available.
“It is also a great stepping stone for young players and if you get the timing right where some of the United Rugby Championship players can maybe play some of the Currie Cup that would be great.
“We believe in the Currie Cup, it’s a strong competition not just for us, but for South Africa.
Phiwe Nomlomo (Bulls Currie Cup Head coach): “I hope the Currie Cup never loses the value that it has.
“That is one competition we really pride ourselves in. Chatting to some of the season-campaigners, they still say that it’s still their favourite competition to play because its home grown and means a lot.”
