Carling Currie Cup and Vodacom Bull show their support for GBV

Both the sponsors and winners of the Carling Currie Cup, the Vodacom Bulls, have put their weight behind gender-based violence (GBV) in our country.

In a year where global sports and entertainment was hard-hit by restrictions due to Covid-19, South Africa’s leading beer brand partnered with SA Rugby as title sponsor of the Currie Cup.

The partnership set out to inspire consumers and players to dig deep, reach for the gold and find the champion within, which all seven unions showcased in a season that required each individual to play with passion, strength and their hearts on their sleeves.

“The year 2020 was a unique year that required a spirit of endurance and a willingness to pierce through the challenges to come out stronger than before. This is the same spirit witnessed in the 2020/21 Carling Currie Cup,” said Carling Black Label brand director, Arne Rust.

“Rugby is a sport enjoyed by many South Africans from different backgrounds and is therefore a great platform to encourage them to become stronger and ultimately, better versions of themselves by digging deep within. The Carling Black Label brand believes that everyone can be a champion if they dig deep.”

Although the stage was set for the action-packed fixtures, adapting to the new normal was not an easy process as the empty stadium seats meant that fans and players alike had to be encouraged remotely. The arduous road to the final required character from each team which was evident in the physicality of the games as the teams edged one another to reach the much-anticipated final.

Pretoria’s prestigious Loftus Versfeld Stadium was set as the battleground, as two titans in Tshwane’s Vodacom Blue Bulls and eThekwini’s Cell C Sharks collided in a riveting game of rugby, with the men in Blue kit walking away confidently with the honours.

The partnership saw the two stakeholders take a stance against GBV for 16 Days of Activism as players, technical staff and management took part in a demonstration by making the renewal vow, wearing the rings and undertaking the Champions for Change course, which is facilitated by Carling Black Label’s on-the-ground partner, Father-A-Nation.

To conclude the Carling Currie Cup, the seven unions each selected a local NGO, which focuses on the eradication of GBV.

Each selected NGO will receive a donation from Carling Black Label and the man-of-the-match recipients, who each donated the other half of their winnings. The cheque handover took place in Diepsloot, where the Carling Currie Cup champions’ selected organisation, Lawyers Against Abuse, are based and where it was witnessed being recipients of R10 000 to assist them in fighting GBV.

This is in line with the brand’s 365 days of activism.

“As a team and player I am putting my weight behind fighting GBV,” said Vodacom Bulls scrum half Bernard van der Linde.

“We are a proud franchise and boast certain behaviour as players and underlined them. We know that we have a lots of fans and especially the children want to look up to you. This is a concern if you step out of line because then they think they can do the same.

“I am very delighted that we could have pulled off this win. We are very proud winners of the Carling Currie Cup.” said van der Linde.