Currie Cup rookies must be allowed to express themselves

Who of the young brigade will emerge as the next big things in South African rugby? And, will we see some exciting new elements in our domestic game now that several new coaches have been put in charge of Currie Cup teams?

Those are the two questions I am hoping to have answered over the next few weeks during the all-new Currie Cup competition, which got underway last night.

It is strange to be talking Currie Cup rugby at this time of the year, but those are the cards we have been dealt.

With the United Rugby Championship only kicking off later and the South African teams still unsure about when they’ll face overseas opposition again, we’re going to have to look internally for our action and the Currie Cup is what excites me right now.

What I am particularly looking forward to is the style of rugby that will be played by the teams. Will the new coaches bring something new and fresh to the rugby landscape in South Africa or will they be asked to follow the same pattern as what is followed by the URC teams and their coaches?

I hope the new coaches, among them Mziwakhe Nkosi at the Lions, Etienne Fynn at the Sharks and Pieter Bergh at Griquas, will be allowed to add their vision and style to the teams. The same goes for the seasoned Gert Smal at the Bulls – what will he add to that franchise’s coaching dynamic – and so, too, Jerome Paarwater, who’ll be assisted by Kabamba Floors, at Western Province.

I really hope these men are given the freedom to coach the way they see the game and aren’t boxed in and told to follow a certain pattern. We need fresh ideas in our rugby.

Also, it’s going to be interesting to see how each team approaches the Currie Cup. Will they go all out to win, or will some of the teams place a big value on development and growth?

I can understand if teams like Griquas and the Pumas are only concerned with winning, because that’s all they have, but I truly hope the bigger teams, who’ll feed the URC outfits, place great emphasis on growing their depth and giving young players opportunities to learn and grow.

On that note, I’m also excited to see the new talent come through over the next few weeks.

Who will step up in their first season of Currie Cup rugby like Malcolm Marx, Aphiwe Dyantyi, Herschel Jantjies, Curwin Bosch, Damian Willemse and Warrick Gelant, to name a few, did some seasons ago, and make a name for themselves?

We may not be used to watching rugby at this time of the year, but there’s certainly a lot to look forward to over the next few weeks.