Our rugby writer looks at how the Currie Cup tournament could be restructured in 2018.
SARU CEO Jurie Roux says there could be mass changes made to next year’s Currie Cup format.
The world’s oldest rugby tournament is set for yet another restructuring with the Cheetahs and Kings venture North and the long-running Super Rugby season set to have a massive impact on the format of next year’s Currie Cup. We’ll take a look at the how the 2018 tournament could work below.
SARU’s Chief Executive Officer, Jurie Roux, made quite the statement yesterday suggesting that the Currie Cup will need a re-haul if it is to stay relevant.
“If you go global and to other continents, in terms of your competitions there are always going to be sacrifices, so possible sacrifices would be not having a double round but strength versus strength for a single round.”
The SARU boss briefly addressed the media and was rather vocal about shortening the length of the competition due to the Cheetahs and Kings participation in the PRO 14 and the extended Super Rugby season. Roux’s exact words were “We are seriously considering the future of it (Currie Cup) and how to structure it in-between these other competitions that we have. He further elaborated on the topic “If you go global and to other continents, in terms of your competitions there are always going to be sacrifices, so possible sacrifices would be not having a double round but strength versus strength for a single round.”
Low Attendance Numbers
This year’s Currie Cup has been extremely entertaining but it’s hard to argue that the competition has the same pull it had a decade ago. Most stadia have seen extremely low supporter turnouts, and while the product has been entertaining enough, it’s not exactly what you’d call top draw rugby – especially when it comes to the defensive side of the game.
The crowd sizes may get bigger now, however, as Super Rugby is done for the year but you’re still unlikely to see a sold-out Ellis Park or a jam packed Loftus even if one of these venues was to host the final.
Top Players a No Show
To be honest with you, I think it’s time the Currie Cup was shortened. The tournament will never be what it was mainly due to the unavailability of South Africa’s most talented players. Rugby Championship commitments and the lure of making a quick buck in Japan before the next Super Rugby season means the best in the land are not going to turn out for their Provinces during the Currie Cup season. As South African rugby supporters, we just have to live with that.
That’s not to say the Currie Cup doesn’t have its place. I mean this tournament is where rough diamonds are turned into gems and you only need to look as far as the Lions Super Rugby squad to realise just how important the tournament is to developing top-class rugby players.
Shortened Season?
To sum things up, it’s quite pleasing to see SARU finally touch on what was fast becoming a White Elephant. A shortened season is likely to enhance attendance at grounds around the country as well as bring in a much larger television audience as spectators won’t be distracted by the knock-out rounds of Super Rugby – as has been the case for the past two years.
This shortened format will also ensure that the Cheetahs and Kings (should the Kings qualify for next year’s tournament) will be able to field full-strength sides for the entirety of the Currie Cup as the tournament will come to an end before the Pro 14 season gets underway.
I’m not one to hand out praise to SARU but I believe the brain’s trust at SA Rugby has finally got it right. They showed innovation this year by holding midweek and Sunday fixtures. Getting rid of the home and away fixtures and replacing them with just one fixture between all of the sides is a smart move.
How the Tournament Could Work in 2018
As I touched on in the above paragraph, Roux’s plan is to start the competition just after Super Rugby ends with the final being played before the Pro 14 kicks off. This would effectively see the tournament start in early-to-mid August – depending on how the Super Rugby fixtures are drawn – and end in mid-September.
The competition is likely to still contain eight teams with each side squaring off against each other once. The top four teams will qualify for the semi-finals with the top two sides enjoying hosting rights to semis.
Written by Darry Worthington for @Hollywoodbets.net
