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Jake White on SA rugby
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<blockquote data-quote="smartcooky" data-source="post: 816720" data-attributes="member: 20605"><p>Tigs Man</p><p></p><p>In New Zealand, we have "bitten the bullet" when it comes to our equivalent of the Currie Cup; the National provincial Championship. It was once <strong>the</strong> premier rugby competition in NZ, but fans accept, somewhat grudgingly, that it has been lowered to the level of a feeder/development competition for Super Rugby which is now almost universally accepted as the "real deal" of domestic rugby in NZ.</p><p></p><p>However, in South Africa, fans largely refuse to accept that the Currie Cup has been "demoted". Its been more difficult for them because of the nature of the rivalry between their provinces. Its more fierce than our inter-provincial rivalry, and it goes a lot more beyond just sports than it does here. Our transition was made easier because our five franchises have become truly regional. At one time, they were merely the five top NPC sides in different jerseys with the occasional player added from outside the main centres, but now, they have players from all 14 NPC sides spread throughout the franchises.</p><p></p><p>In South Africa, the regionalisation of rugby has not gone well. Their franchises are largely just Currie Cup sides with the odd extra (Blue Bulls ~ Bulls, Western Province ~ Stormers, Natal Sharks ~ Sharks, Transvaal ~ Lions, and Orange Free State ~ Cheetahs) There are many fans who much prefer the Currie Cup over super rugby, and many who will go to Currie Cup games who would never be bothered going to a SR game. While the NZRU are prepared to duck shove the NPC to fit in around everything else, SARU just about went into open revolt when we argued that they need to move the Currie Cup to accommodate Super Rugby; its one of the key reasons why we have a compromised competition structure in Super Rugby. </p><p></p><p>For a lot of South African fans, the Currie Cup is sacrosanct</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="smartcooky, post: 816720, member: 20605"] Tigs Man In New Zealand, we have "bitten the bullet" when it comes to our equivalent of the Currie Cup; the National provincial Championship. It was once [B]the[/B] premier rugby competition in NZ, but fans accept, somewhat grudgingly, that it has been lowered to the level of a feeder/development competition for Super Rugby which is now almost universally accepted as the "real deal" of domestic rugby in NZ. However, in South Africa, fans largely refuse to accept that the Currie Cup has been "demoted". Its been more difficult for them because of the nature of the rivalry between their provinces. Its more fierce than our inter-provincial rivalry, and it goes a lot more beyond just sports than it does here. Our transition was made easier because our five franchises have become truly regional. At one time, they were merely the five top NPC sides in different jerseys with the occasional player added from outside the main centres, but now, they have players from all 14 NPC sides spread throughout the franchises. In South Africa, the regionalisation of rugby has not gone well. Their franchises are largely just Currie Cup sides with the odd extra (Blue Bulls ~ Bulls, Western Province ~ Stormers, Natal Sharks ~ Sharks, Transvaal ~ Lions, and Orange Free State ~ Cheetahs) There are many fans who much prefer the Currie Cup over super rugby, and many who will go to Currie Cup games who would never be bothered going to a SR game. While the NZRU are prepared to duck shove the NPC to fit in around everything else, SARU just about went into open revolt when we argued that they need to move the Currie Cup to accommodate Super Rugby; its one of the key reasons why we have a compromised competition structure in Super Rugby. For a lot of South African fans, the Currie Cup is sacrosanct [/QUOTE]
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