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Okay, so we're a week away from the start of the ABSA Currie Cup. Which is also the last time it will be called the ABSA Currie Cup, as the main sponsor has decided not to renew it's contract with SARU for 2016 onwards.
Now that the playoffs are over and the last team have qualified, we can have a look at the teams, players and fixtures. First off, Congrats to the Griquas for qualifying for the premier division again this year.
Here are the teams:
The current holders of the trophy will be looking at making it a double, something that hasn't happened in a long time for the Cape Town team. They have a new head coach, and a bunch of new players. With their Vodacom Cup team making it to the finals, and their Super Rugby team making it to the Semi's, they will have one of the strongest squads around. The question is however if their young guns will be able to make the step up especially with their experienced heads all at the Springboks for the World Cup.
Last year's finalists and this year's 2nd best placed SA team in the Super Rugby, the Lions have a very strong base to work from. They are the only team out of the original big 5 teams that had the fewest disruptions with regards to personnel, in both coaching as well as players. A team that has been playing an exciting brand of rugby, and with the core of their players not involved with the Springboks, they have a very good chance at making it to the final again. This time, without their fearless leader, Warren Whiteley, who in all likelihood will be travelling with the Springboks to the World Cup. Their powerful scrum will take centre stage again, and with Jaco Kriel, Warwick Tecklenburg and Derek Minnie their forward pack will again be a very lethal weapon.
The team that is under immense pressure from their fans to win this year. They have a new coach in Nollis Marais, and a lot of new players, most of them was part of the U/20 Baby-Boks team. Their is something brewing at the Bulls again and it seems like the focus is on playing a more expansive game than the traditional Blue Bull Stampkar rugby. Their biggest problem is injuries. They have more than 10 players currently on the injury list, some of them have already been ruled out of the Currie Cup. It's going to be an uphill battle for the Bulls and I for one am very interested to see what the new coach will bring to the team. My hope is that he will bring back pride to the team.
The Sharks have been the most productive in purchasing new players, and the question is, will these guys make a difference to a team that has a tendency to play great rugby without winning trophies. They recently acquired the services of Jacques Potgieter, Willie Le Roux, Joe Pietersen and Coenie Oosthuizen. With only Willie going to the World Cup, they will have a very strong team this year, and should be one of the favourites, depending on how well they get along with Gary Gold and his plans for the team. I hope they worked on their discipline as they were rather dire during the Super Rugby tournament, and got way too many yellow and red cards for a team of their calibre. You have to think that John Smit will be starting to read the riot act sooner rather than later if they start off poorly.
Everyone's second favourite team, the Cheetahs have a new coach in Franco Smith, who has already tasted success this year with the Shimlas in the Varsity Cup. Smith will definitely bring more finesse and wit to the Cheetahs than they had when Naka Drotske and Os Du Randt were at the helm. Smith has brought in an entire new management team, and a lot of new young players. Basically he has promoted a lot of the Shimlas players for their performance in the Varsity Cup. They are probably the Dark Horse for this year, as we don't know how they will play and which players will stand out. They have lost a bunch of their experienced players, like Coenie Oosthuizen, Willie Le Roux, Joe Pietersen (Sharks) and Cornal Hendricks (WP) being lured away. I just think that this young team will need a little bit maturity for them to compete with the others. They might falter in the Semis or Finals due to inexperience.
The Vodacom Cup Champions of 2015. Under the leadership of MJ Mentz, the team from the lowveld has been making bigwigs take notice for the last 3 seasons now. They have produced stars like Faf De Klerk, Vincent Koch and Renaldo Bothma as well as Roscoe Specman (Sevens) that have all been playing Super Rugby for the franchises and getting regular starts. De Klerk has meanwhile been lured back to the Lions for his great performances. The Pumas will again stir the pot for the big 5 teams, and with players like Marnus Schoeman and Stefan Watermeyer they will be a very potent weapon. The Pumas will try to build on their recent success and will definitely be one of the form teams at the start of the tournament.
The EP Kings, the team that most of SA hate. Purely because of a father and son combination that has no passion for the Springbok. The question on everyone's lips are if they will be competitive enough to warrant their inclusion as the 6th franchise for next year's Super Rugby expanded tournament. To be honest I have no idea of what their squad looks like and which stars will play for them other than Jacques "Vleis" Engelbrecht. They will be captained by Luke Watson and my guess is they will either come close and lose most of their games, or cause big upsets, due to their unknown factor.
The Griquas have just qualified for the tournament and their players will be the most match-fit of the teams. While the other teams were preparing and playing practice matches, they played qualification matches, where they had to win every game and be sharp as one mistake could lead to them being demoted to the first division. The Griquas will yet again be a tough as nails team, especially at home with their rockhard field in Kimberley. Some teams are bound to falter at their home ground, but they have a rather poor record away from home, and this is the area where they will need to focus on. To make it to the playoffs, you have to win away from home, and the question is if the Griquas will have the firepower to do that.
And there you have it, just a small preview of what to look forward to. The First game kicks off on 7 August 2015 at 15:30 CAT and I can't wait to see how the oldest SH rugby tournament will pan out. Good Luck to all the teams, and may the best team win... Hopefully it's the Bulls.
