Currie Cup For Beginners: Final Preview

It's been eleven long weeks, and just as the Rugby Championship finishes, the showpiece of South African rugby is on this weekend. In a repeat of last year's final, Western Province will be defending their crown against the Natal Sharks. A host of returning Springboks should mean that this game has the potential to capture the imagination in the way that New Zealand and South Africa did in that memorable test match in Ellis Park three weeks ago.

Unlike last year, Western Province come into this game as heavy favourites, and will be hoping not to choke with that tag like the Sharks did. The tag of favourites is certainly justified having gone the season unbeaten, with the only blots being two draws against the Golden Lions and the Blue Bulls.

The two games between these sides were one score affairs, with late scores for the Sharks putting a shine to their performance in a dismal 25-19 loss to WP in Round 5 in Newlands, while it was a much tighter affair in the return game in Round 10, with Demetri Catrikilis late penalty giving Province a slight bit of breathing space in the final minutes. Round 10 marked the initial return of the international players, and the Sharks can improve again as further international stars like Patrick Lambie didn't feature as heavily.

Munster eyes will be on Gerhard van den Heever, playing his last game before moving. Photo RugbyRedefined

Irish eyes will be on Gerhard van den Heever, who will be playing his final game in South Africa before joining up with the Munster squad. He's had a good Currie Cup campaign, as demonstrated by his start in the final, but a return of only one try in the competition won't be setting pulses racing in the same manner as his youtube highlights.

Van den Heever is part of an exciting backline featuring the in form Gio Aplon, chasing a return to Springbok colours, and the talented Cheslin Kolbe, who was the star of the South African Under 20 side this year. Kolbe is one name to keep an eye on, as he will be featuring in debates on World XVs in a number of years time.

In the centres, Jean de Villiers moves out to outside centre to accomodate 21 year old Damian de Allende, who is enjoying his breakout season, and looks set to offer more in coming seasons in Super Rugby and beyond. His form is good enough to keep Juan de Jongh on the bench. Demetri Catrakilis is building on an impressive Super Rugby debut season for the Kings, and has managed to continue his form with Western Province, and will be partnering 23 year old halfback Louis Schreuder.

The pack has plenty of youthful experience, with Pat Cilliers and Steven Kitchoff both young props with South African caps, joined by 22 year old hooker Scarra Ntubeni, while returning Springbok Eben Etzebeth joins DeKock Steenkamp in a formidable second row partnership that will look to dominate the lineout and get through a mountain of dirty work. It will be left to Duane Vermuleun, in the form of his life, and Siya Kolisi to provide the ball carrying, while Deon Fourie will continue his fast growing reputation as one of South Africa's best poachers.

Strength in reinforcements will be provided by  Frans Malherbe, Brok Harris, Michael Rhodes, Schalk Burger, Nic Groom, Kurt Coleman and Juan de Jongh in what looks a strong, experienced and surprising youthful Western Province team. Schalk Burger is slowly making his comeback after injury hell for the former IRB Player of the Year in the last two years.

They might need it, as the Sharks have named close to their strongest possible team. Jean Deysel has been ruled out with a hamstring injury, so Willem Alberts replaces him. Not a bad replacement in the current South African blindside to bring in?

It'll be an all Springbok front row with Tendai Mtawarira, and the du Plessis brothers after Bismarck was somehow cleared of any suspension for stamping





22 year old Piet Marais and the impressive Pieter-Steph du Toit will be packing down in the second row, with Alberts, Daniels and Marcell Coetzee making up an impressive back row.

Patrick Lambie finally gets a start after being on the bench for so long for South Africa, and his fitness will be interesting to watch, he'll be partnered by the experience Charl McLeod while the youngster Cobus Reinach, who impressed many in Super Rugby is on the bench. Frans Steyn makes a return in the inside centre position, and will be partnered by Louis Ludik, while the Sharks back three has a mixture of pace and power with Odwa Ndungane, Lwazi Mvovo and SP Marias, the 24 year old from the Kings.

This game is clear to be a forward orientated battle, and will be an absorbing contest with two enormous packs battling it out. Sharks probably have edge in the scrum, but Eben Etzebeth is likely to rule the skies with his quick leap. The battle of the backrows will be fascinating with a mini Springbok audition between Marcel Coetzee and Siya Kolisi, in particular set to excite. A big performance from Catrakilis might interest Springbok selectors too, while out wide it'll be the skill and speed of Kolbe and Aplon against the raw power and pace of Mvovo and Ndungane. Sure to be an enthralling contest.

Western Province by 5.

Currie Cup For Beginners: Update

Playoff Lineup

Promotion/ Relegation


19 October 2013 Griquas v Pumas Hoffe Park Stadium, Kimberley
26 October 2013 Pumas v Griquas Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit

Semi-Finals

19 October 2013 Western Province v Golden Lions Newlands Stadium, Cape Town
19 October 2013 Natal Sharks v Free State Cheetahs Growthpoint Kings Park, Durban

Story So Far

Cheslin Kolbe impressed for Western Province

It's been an intriguing Currie Cup, with many tight games, with all teams apart from the Griquas with the potential to beat each other. Western Province somehow remained unbeaten, recording 2 draws but only one try bonus point. This was all the more impressive given that it was achieved without their Springboks, with the likes of Gio Aplon and Cheslin Kolbe stepping up out wide, and Deon Fourie impressing after moving from hooker to openside flanker. Nizam Carr has also been one of the standout players for them, and if it weren't for the returning Duane Vermuelen, Carr would be one of the standouts for the Stormers in next years Super Rugby. Damian Allende, a 21 year old inside centre has also impressed in the absence of Jean de Villiers, and it will be interesting to view his progress in the coming years.

Natal Sharks started badly, giving the Griquas their only win in week one, but managed to come back and secure 2nd place. Their returning stars will give them the edge against the Cheetahs in the semi finals. The Sharks managed to get losing bonus points in all 3 of their losses, and were a little more adventurous than Western Province, managing 2 try bonus points. 20 year old flyhalf Fred Zeilinga finished the regular season as top points scorer. Zeilinga represented the Sharks at every level from Under 13, but hasn't represented South Africa at any level, being overlooked for Tony Jantjies and Handre Pollard of the Bulls.

The Free State Cheetahs, continued their Super Rugby form the Cheetahs finishing 3rd. Raymond Rhule finished top try scorer with 7 in 10 games, while Sarel Pretorius and Boom Prinsloo impressed.

The Golden Lions produced a mixed season, with the highlight being the destruction of the Blue Bulls 23-62 in "fortress" Loftus Versfeld. The Lions scored the most tries in the competition, and had the most try bonus points with 5 with only 4 wins. Elton Jantjies revelled in the less structured approach of the Lions after returning from the Stormers, while Derek Minnie impressed and looks set to make the Lions competitive in next year's Super Rugby.

The Blue Bulls, even without their Springboks, were terrible. The form of their outhalves didn't help, with both Tony Jantjies and Handre Pollard in inconsistent form, and coach Pine Pienaar's decisions to rotate them throughout the season.

Players Signed For Super Rugby

Bulls:
William Small Smith (Blue Bulls) Outside Centre

Lions:
Ricky Schroeder (Boland Caviliers) Scrumhalf

Currie Cup: Round 1 Review

What a start to the Currie Cup. And I thought South African rugby would be boring, but with 6 teams, all scoring over 20 points, and all three games having a maximum spread of 2 points, there was lots of entertainment, tries and nailbiting. Hopefully an omen for what's to come.

Sharks - Griquas

To really show how much of an upset this was, the SuperBru statistic showed that only 3.6% of people thought that the Griquas would win. It seems that the Sharks malaise has continued from the Super Rugby season. Last minute tries are always special, but the Griquas seem to be overly reliant on their pack for parity, while their fullback showed how costly stray kicks can be for Lwazi Mvovo's try. For the Sharks, Jacques Botes was impressive with two tries as captain, but they will be frustrated.

Lions - Cheetahs

This made have been a one point game, but it really shouldn't have been. The Cheetahs showed both their best and their worst in this game, with Johann Sadie and Robert Ebersohn in particular showing that their Super Rugby form was no fluke. However, with no Coenie Oosthuizen or Trevor Nyakane, they didn't have the forward dominance necessary and had to rely on missed kicks to win.

A controversial try was awarded, what did you make of Sarel Pretorious's effort, should it have been ruled out? Either way, it was fantastic nippy play from the scrumhalf, and deserved to be rewarded.

Western Province - Blue Bulls

Draws in rugby don't come around very often, and at no stage in this game until the last ten seconds was it on the cards. Western Province had this game in the bag and through it away. Their first half performance was very good, but their illdiscipline cost them. Their backs shone with Patrick Howard and Cheslin Kolbe in particular looking dangerous, and Nizaam Carr showing potential from No.8 and only 22 years old.

The Bulls did well to get back in, and the last try was Stephen Ferris like.

This weeks fixtures see Sharks host the Lions, the Cheetahs travel to Western Province and the Blue Bulls facing the Griquas.

Currie Cup: A Beginner's point of view

I'll admit, I've never watched Currie Cup rugby before. It's a back competition in South Africa, much like the ITM Cup in New Zealand, featuring regional teams, very similar to the Super sides. It is seen as a premier breeding ground for new talent to emerge in South Africa's ranks.

I will be previewing and reviewing the competition, from a first timer's point of view every week.

Format

The competition has two divisions; a Premier Division of 6 teams, and a First Division of 8. It's a round-robin format, with all teams in each Division playing their Divisional rivals both home and away. The top four teams in each division enter into a playoff to determine the winners of that Division. The bottom team in the Premier divison faces a relegation playoff with the winners of the First Division.

First Division

Western Province are the defending Premier Division champions, they make up the majority of what Super Rugby followers know as the "DHL Stormers", with a few additions. They will have a large number of Springbok absentees for the majority of the competition, with Eben Etzebeth, Jean de Villiers, Juan de Jongh and Duane Vermeulen absent, the leadership will be left to the likes of Deon Fourie, Gio Aplon and DeKock Steenkamp. Demetri Catrakilis, who starred for the Southern Kings in Super Rugby, will be one to watch.

Irish interest will centre on Munster's new signing Gerhard van den Heever, who starts on Saturday in their opening game against the Blue Bulls, while Cheslin Kolbe, who excited many at the Junior World Championships, and Gio Aplon make up the exciting back three.

Western Province will be one of the strongest teams, with young Springbok prop Pat Cilliers on the bench this Saturday emphasising their strength in depth while their current Springboks are away.

Key player: Deon Fourie
One to Watch: Cheslin Kolbe

Free State Cheetahs finished last in last season's competition, and only remain in the competition by virtue of winning the promotion/relegation fixture against the Eastern Province. Their Super Rugby counterparts (along with the Griquas) has their best ever campaign, dazzling audiences and finishing in the playoff positions.

They will be without Springboks Coenie Oosthuizen, Adriaan Strauss, and Trevor Nyakane, but some Cheetahs stars in Lood de Jager, Lappies Labuschagne, Philip van der Walt, Sarel Pretorius, Piet van Zyl, Robert Ebersohn and Raymond Rhule.

Former Munster prop Wian du Preez, and former Connacht hooker Ethienne Reynecke also feature in the squad, who will look to mount a strong challenge.

Key player: Robert Ebersohn
One to Watch: Raymond Rhule

Natal Sharks, last years finalists, will hope to go one better this year. The Sharks also had a terrible Super Rugby campaign and could be suffering. Only lock Pieter Steph du Toit came out with his reputation enhanced.

They are shorn their front row of the du Plessis's brothers and the Beast, while also losing Pat Lambie, Marcel Coetzee and Willem Alberts.

However, the likes of Lous Ludik, Lwavi Mvovo, world cup winning outhalf Butch James, Charl McLoed, Keegan Daniel and Jean Deysel remain, while some of their Super players like Craig Burden and Cobus Reinach make the bench this weekend for their opener against the Griquas.

Key Player: Keegan Daniel
One To Watch: Tim Whitehead / Cobus Reinach

The Blue Bulls are going through a transition phase, as they are losing Juandre Kruger, Chiliboy Ralepelle, Dewald Potgieter, Jacques Potgieter, Morne Steyn, Jano Vermaak and Wynand Olivier, and that doesn't even include their Springbok representatives.

They still have the biggest depth, and are historically the most successful of the South African provinces. With Victor Matfield as forwards coach, and youngsters Handre Pollard and Tony Jantjies (brother of Elton) it will be interesting to see how they go, with next years Super Rugby in mind.

Key Player: Anyone left? Werner Kruger
One to Watch: Handre Pollard / Jurgen Visser

Golden Lions are fresh from winning the Vodacom Cup, South Africa's second tier competition during Super Rugby, and will be looking to mark their return to Super Rugby for 2014, with a strong showing here.

Strong performances from the likes of Elton Jantjies and Derek Minnie are central to their fortunes

Key Player: Derek Minnie
One to Watch: Martin Bezuidenhout

Griquas are almost definitely the weakest of the Premier Division teams, and will be without their sole star, Willie le Roux, while he is on Springbok duty.

Their fortunes weigh heavily on youngster Lourens Adriaanse, captain Ryno Barnes, centre JP Nel, Hilton Lobberts and Francois Bummer.

Key Player: Ryno Barnes
One to Watch: Lourens Adriaanse.

First Division:

The First Division features 8 teams; Leopards, Pumas, Border Bulldogs, Kings, Griffons, Boland Cavaliers, Eagles and the Falcons. The Kings are the champions from last year and will be the overwhelming favourites to repeat that feat.

The Kings feature the majority of the Super Rugby squad, with Schalk Ferraira, Steven Sykes and Sergeal Peterson there to ensure their favouritism. Their sole challenge is expected to come from the Pumas, for whom Shaun Venter had a great season from scrumhalf for the Southern Kings, and Demas shocked the British and Irish Lions 4 years ago for the Emerging Boks.