Coaches warn: ‘Dying Currie Cup will kill smaller rugby unions’

The Currie Cup has to be kept alive in its current format or South African rugby risks the slow death of its smaller unions.

This is according to Pumas coach Jimmy Stonehouse and Griquas coach Pieter Bergh, who are trying to keep their respective teams relevant in the ever-changing landscape of South African rugby.

With the country’s big four unions now being joined by the Cheetahs in European competition next season, the relevance of the oldest rugby competition in the country, which dates all the way back to 1889, is being debated, as is what form it should take going forward.

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“If you take the Currie Cup and cut it to one round you are going to kill the smaller unions. Player exposure to top class rugby becomes less, and who is going to invest for six to seven games,” explained Stonehouse.

“Currently the top five unions now benefit because SA Rugby makes money out of the pounds and euros, but rugby in South Africa is not going forward.

“The big unions are now going to buy our players because they need two to three teams (to stay competitive) and I don’t think rugby is going forward that way.

“Moneywise, for SA Rugby, it is going forward, but for player and rugby development it is not. In finding and exposing players such as Faf de Klerk, Vincent Koch, Rosko Specman and Uzair Casiem, who were not found in the mainstream systems, rugby is going to die.”

Incentive needed

Stonehouse believes that there has to be some sort of incentive for the smaller unions to help bring in sponsors and keep rugby alive, otherwise a massive amount of players will be lost.

“We need to give teams a carrot to invest, get sponsors and buy players, because they know they’re going to play for something,” said Stonehouse.

“If you win the Currie Cup, give that team a chance to try to qualify for the URC. Let’s say Free State wins the Currie Cup, give them a chance against the Lions (the lowest team on the URC points table).

“If you take the Griquas and Pumas … now we are just nowhere. I came back from Japan early a few years ago. I had another year of coaching left, but the previous Pumas president called me and asked me to come back because we were going to play Pro14 (in Europe).

“That was in 2018, and since then we have waited for a competition and it has never happened. I can understand that the Cheetahs have a brand name, so they’re fighting for them first, but we also have to be given something to work towards.”

Major player

For Griquas coach Bergh the Currie Cup can still play a big part in South African rugby and can assist the teams playing in Europe develop their squads, while also keeping the smaller unions going.

“The Currie Cup will always be the most important tournament for Griquas. It has great history for our union and we have always participated in the Premier Division or top tier of the Currie Cup since 1996,” said Bergh.

“I think for as long as all games are televised and we get the same exposure as other competitions, and sponsors are on board, the Currie Cup will stay relevant because of the history of the tournament.

“You hear what people like Jake White and Gert Smal say about the Currie Cup and then you understand the importance of this competition. But the Currie Cup is our main and currently only competition and we obviously want more games.

“It needs to be a double round, home and away, playing a minimum of 14 games and not a single round where you can end up only playing three home games.  The smaller unions will die a slow death if we only play seven competitive games a year.”

Important stepping stone

Lions Currie Cup coach Mziwakhe Nkosi believes that the Currie Cup can become an important stepping stone for the development of players for the major unions, but thinks it has to be run in its own window and not concurrently with a major competition (like the URC).

“With the top five unions now in Europe next season, most people think that it’s going to detract from the Currie Cup. But I think the Currie Cup becomes an even more important competition,” said Nkosi.

“With the European competitions becoming the flagship, teams are going to need a steady influx of players who play first class rugby and I think that’s the direction that the Currie Cup is heading in.

“It’s going to become a blooding ground for the next crop of players who are going to service the needs of the teams operating in Europe.”

Nkosi continued: “I think the biggest lessons, in my opinion, that we’ve learnt from this year’s competition is it shouldn’t run concurrently with the URC. Because then it’s naturally overshadowed by the bigger European competition.

“If it were up to me I would run the Currie Cup at a time where the URC isn’t happening, so the period between June and September is an opportune time.

“Holding the Currie Cup as a standalone competition will increase its impact and make it sustainable going forward.”