The Currie Cup is a prize deeply respected by all South African provincial rugby teams, but few know that it has its roots in bonnie Scotland. In 1891, the touring British Isles team awarded a gold cup to the team that played the best against them during that tour, which turned out to be the Griquas from the diamond mining town of Kimberley. That golden cup was donated by Sir Donald Currie, who was born in Glasgow, Scotland and was the owner of the shipping line Donald Currie and Co.
The Currie Cup competition has been presented in numerous forms in the past, from a competition held every second year at a central location, to a home and away round robin tournament. It has only been since 1968 that a final has been played every year. The teams that have been privileged to lift this trophy have been:
Western Province: 32 times, shared four times
Blue Bulls: 23 times, shared four times
Lions: 10 times, shared once
Sharks: 8 times
Cheetahs: 4 times, shared once
Griquas: 3 times
Border: Twice, shared twice
The Currie Cup holds a special place in world rugby due to the long history of the competition, along with the emotional attachment to the original donation of the trophy. This was not a cup manufactured as an after-thought as a trophy for a competition. It was manufactured as an original prize to be awarded for performance excellence.
History is a wonderful thing, but what of the present?
The 2014 season kicks off on 8 August 2014 and for the first time in 5 years the format has changed. The usual suspects of the Sharks, Bulls, Lions, Western Province and Cheetahs are there. The Kings have been guaranteed a place for the next two years as part of their glide path to reintroduction to Super Rugby in 2016 and the Pumas won their place in the Premier Division by virtue of their playoff defeat over the Griquas. The Griquas therefore had to take the long route to Premier Division participation by means of a playoff series against 1st Division teams Border, Boland, Leopards, Griffons, Falcons and the South Western Districts Eagles.
In recent years, the competition has not been graced with the presence of Springbok players, who were on international duty during the Rugby Championship. Whilst this detracts from the overall strength of the competition, it certainly does open it up to more contenders. 2014 is no different, with the South African Rugby Union appealing to the Provinces to not select their Springbok players once they are complete with their Rugby Championship duties. This would be a good decision as the players will need managed rest and recovery periods to keep them in top shape for the upcoming Rugby World Cup, but as there is no central contracting in South Africa it would be up to the Provinces to decide whether or not to select their marquee players.
With the competition being so open it would be a challenge to select an outright favourite to win it, but we are up for the challenge to look at each team and consider their chances. At this early stage, we see two groups forming, the top five teams competing for four playoff spots.
Blue Bulls:
They are still in a rebuilding phase, having lost close to thirty players in the last three years. They have a young squad. They have some talented outside backs, but stick to their traditional overpower and overcome 10-man style of rugby, based on kick and chase and one-off runners. They are probably not title contenders, but in with a shout for the playoffs.
Sharks:
You can never write off a Sharks team and a young squad under the tutelage of Brad McLeod-Henderson will be out to impress. They are title contenders and missing the playoffs would be a major shock.
Western Province:
A Currie Cup competition without Province in the playoffs is unheard of. A worry is that they are confused as to what their game plan should be. Their game plan stagnated and became a dour defensively based pattern. In the latter part of the Super Rugby competition they played a very fast paced attacking game, but ran out of steam at the 60-minute mark.
Lions:
The Lions have been a surprise package over the last three years and will again be in with a shout for a playoff spot. Ex-Springbok lock Johan Ackerman has surprised friend and foe with his ability as a coach and the Lions will be spreading the ball wide at every opportunity. Without meaningful sponsorship, they have started to lose players to other franchises so their depth is going to be tested.
Cheetahs:
The will once again try to run all opponents ragged with their expansive game. Their weakness remains their defence, but they will continue to try to outscore their opponents. They will once again be competing for a playoff spot.
Pumas:
The Pumas have earned their spot at the top table of South African rugby. Under coach Jimmy Stonehouse they have developed into a very tight and competent unit. The worry for them is that they are also short on funding have already lost three players who helped them qualify for the Currie Cup. We should see them missing out on the playoffs.
Griquas:
They were relegated at the end of 2013 and looked a very tired unit. They have managed to recruit additional journeymen players and will be tough to beat on their rock hard field in Kimberly. They are capable of upsets, but should not qualify for the semi-finals.
Kings:
This is the big unknown factor in 2014, but one thing we can expect them to play a very expansive game under coach Carlos Spencer. They have built a decent Academy under the leadership of Robbie Kempson and have players to spare who will be loaned to the Bulldogs to give them game time. They are not a serious contender for the semi-finals, but are also capable of an upset.
The Currie Cup will surely dish us up a treat in 2014.
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