Currie Cup
The ABSA Currie Cup will feature an eight-team Premier Division and a new qualification round, following the decision to expand the top flight, the South African Rugby Union (SARU) announced on Thursday.
A Special General Council meeting of the 14 member unions gave the required 75% majority to a resolution to go to an eight-team Premier Division and six-team First Division for the 2014 and 2015 seasons.
Springbok captain Jean de Villiers on Wednesday became only the sixth player to be named South African Rugby Player of the Year more than once, while Eben Etzebeth was named the Young Player of the Year for 2013 for the second successive season at a glittering ceremony at the Lyric Theatre at Gold Reef City in Johannesburg.
De Villiers led the Springboks to 10 wins in 12 Tests in 2013 and scored five tries in the process following an outstanding Vodacom Super Rugby campaign for the DHL Stormers. His first-class record now stands at 254 matches with 91 tries scored.
A new proposal could see the so-called big five unions and the Eastern Province Kings be assured of their Currie Cup status for at least the next two years.
This is the latest proposal to be voted on at an annual South African Rugby Union (SARU) meeting next Thursday.
A Special General Council Meeting to discuss the restructuring of the Currie Cup has been postponed, the SA Rugby Union (SARU) said in a statement on Tuesday.
The meeting, scheduled to be held in Cape Town on Friday, has been moved to 13 February.
Griekwas het die dienste van twee Leeus-staatmakers vir die Vodacombeker- en Curriebeker-reeks bekom.
Die haker Martin Bezuidenhout en die skrumskakel Tiaan Meyer, wat albei sterk aanspraakmakers op insluiting by die Cheetahs se Superrugby-span sal wees, sluit hulle later vandeesweek by die span in die Diamantstad aan.
Brendan Venter’s passion for coaching knows no bounds. His latest stop on a world-wide coaching tour is Port Elizabeth.
Robbie Kempson, the Southern Kings’ caretaker coach, revealed that Venter is assisting him with the PE-based outfit.
Western Province and Stormers forward Michael Rhodes will appear before a South African Rugby Union (SARU) judicial committee on Thursday for a dangerous tackle in last year’s Currie Cup final against The Sharks at Newlands.
The South African Rugby Union will send a delegation to East London next week, after it emerged the Border Rugby Football Union is bankrupt.
The ongoing debate about the Currie Cup format took an intriguing twist with a suggestion that a pre-season play-off series should determine who play in the Premier Division.
According to reports, the latest proposal will be tabled at the a meeting of the general council of the South African Rugby Union on 23 January.
Springbok and Stormers winger Gio Aplon is set to become the next high-profile South African to head to France after it was revealed he was “close to signing” a contract with French club Grenoble.
The Eastern Province Kings may be keen, but they are a long way off from securing the services of Gary Gold.
Media reports on Friday suggested the former Springbok assistant coach could be heading to Port Elizabeth – to fill the void left by the departure of another former Bok assistant, Alan Solomons, and New Zealander Matt Sexton.
Eastern Province Kings stalwart Siyabonga “Tiger” Mangweni has moved across from the field of play to the coaching staff.
EP Rugby Chief Executive Officer Charl Crous confirmed that Mangweni would assist with the defensive structures.
Cheetahs coach Naka Drotské says they won’t find a replacement for defence coach Michael Horak who will join the Eastern Province Kings later this year.
Rumours are doing the rounds that former Springbok assistant coach Gary Gold could be the next head coach of the Eastern Province Kings.
Gold was released from his Director of Rugby position at English club Bath in December, and the Kings have shown interest in his services for a while now.
The Eastern Province Kings have stemmed the tide of departures with the news that they have secured the services of a Cheetah.
EP Rugby CEO Charl Crous confirmed that Michael Horak will be joining Eastern Province as their defensive coach later in the year.
Edinburgh Rugby have recruited 2013 Currie Cup (First Division) and Vodacom Cup winning stand-off Carl Bezuidenhout on an extended trial until the end of the season.
The 27 year-old began training with the squad at Murrayfield Stadium this morning (Monday 30 December) two months after the Pumas’ unbeaten Currie Cup First Division triumph, in which he ended the season as tournament top points’ scorer.
David Maidza, who coached the Eastern Province Kings’ Vodacom Cup and First Division Currie Cup teams this year, will officially join the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University rugby coaching staff from January.
Maidza has already been assisting with the training of the Varsity Cup Madibaz at NMMU since mid November, but will officially take up the position of head coach next year, replacing Brent Janse van Rensburg.
Utility back Ronnie Cooke walked away with three top awards at the Eastern Province rugby year-end awards function.
Aside from being elected as the Player of the Year for 2013, Cooke was voted as the Players Player of the Year by his teammates, and was also elected the Most Valuable Player of the Year by team management.
The exodus in Port Elizabeth continues with confirmation that Southern Kings coach Matt Sexton will leave the union and return to New Zealand this month.
Sexton, who joined the union in June 2012 to assist them in their preparations for their entry into Super Rugby, has decided to return home for personal reasons.
The partnership between the Golden Lions Rugby Union and MTN South Africa came to an end as of Friday 13 December 2013, with the company opting not to renew their sponsorship of the GLRU teams.
After a fruitful three-year relationship, the telecommunications giant have chosen to realign their sponsorship portfolio and will no longer sponsor a rugby outfit.
Five key members of the Springbok squad in 2013 will go head-to-head for the annual SA Rugby Player of the Year Award, while the Steval Pumas have been rewarded for their great form this season with nominations in four categories.
Springbok captain Jean de Villiers, the winner in 2008 who led South Africa to 10 victories in 12 Tests in 2013, will go up against Bismarck du Plessis, Eben Etzebeth, Willie le Roux and Duane Vermeulen for the most prestigious individual award in South African rugby.
EP Rugby CEO Charl Crous has confirmed that former New Zealand flyhalf, Carlos Spencer, has joined the EP Kings coaching ranks for the 2014 season on a five year contract.
The possibility of eight teams playing in next year’s Currie Cup Premier Division still exists, a report indicates.
Super Rugby champions the Chiefs have been issued a seven year license by New Zealand Rugby (NZR) to run the organisation and the Taranaki Rugby Football Union have joined as investors.
The Chiefs licence holding entity is owned by a group of private investors and Provincial Unions and will be known as Chiefs Rugby Club Limited Partnership (CRC).
A proposal to expand the Currie Cup to eight teams in 2014 was withdrawn before being put to the vote at a SARU Special General Council meeting in Cape Town on Friday.
Record-breaking wing Bjorn Basson has extended his contract with the Bulls and will be available for the Pretoria franchise until the end of October 2016.
Basson, who holds the national and Currie Cup record for tries in a season and the Bulls’ record for tries in a Super Rugby season, was also part of the Springbok squad in 2013.
The South African Rugby Players’ Association (SARPA) has expressed concern at the financial situation at the Border Bulldogs.
The crisis started when players at the East London-based union did not receive their match fees for the month of September, and salaries for October have not been paid in full.
At the weekend they were fierce rivals, but very soon they will team up to don the Green and Gold of South Africa.
This is the verdict on two of the most talented young second row forwards in the world, who were in opposing camps when the Sharks became Currie Cup champions with a 33-19 win over Western Province at Newlands.
Western Province forward Michael Rhodes has been cited for a dangerous tackle in the Currie Cup Final against the Sharks at Newlands.
Western Province and the Stormer are looking to add depth to their scrumhalf, lock and wing positions with the eye on next year’s Super Rugby competition.
This weekend saw the conclusion of the ABSA Currie Cup, with The Sharks upsetting overwhelming favourites, before the game, DHL Western Province, by playing the better tactical game and winning by a handsome 33 / 19. This leaves us with the International window opening again and all Southern Hemisphere sides getting ready to travel north, for the End Of Year Tours.
It would however not be fitting to move our attention over to the Internationals, without paying tribute to those domestic stars, who performed out of their skins for their respective Unions in the Currie Cup. For this purpose and although the Springboks took part in the latter rounds of the Currie Cup, we decided to compose 2 Player-by-player sides of the best candidates in their positions, but purposely excluding the players of the Springbok group from the equasion.
Chief writers, Rudi Geldenhuys and Timothy Bornman takes a look at these players… and it appears that in most positions the same logic applies, however there are certain positions where we differ on exactly who performed best. We chose not to pick players out of position but rather to choose players in the positions they regularly played during the Competition.
Scrumhalf Charl McLeod scored a brace of tries as The Sharks maintained the recent trend of underdogs winning Absa Currie Cup finals as they out-thought and out-played Western Province on their way to a 33-19 win in the domestic season showpiece in front of a packed Newlands.
The Sharks, who led 19-13 at halftime, were never headed in the game and on the day thoroughly deserved the win that secures the Durban union its seventh Currie Cup trophy. In terms of the achievement, with The Sharks having changed their coach only a few months ago and having to travel to win the final, this was one of their most famous wins.
WP (13) 19 / 33 (19) Sharks (Final Score)
DHL Western Province and The Sharks did battle in the Currie Cup Premier Division Final at
Newlands, Cape Town at 17:30 SA Time (15:30 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD & M-Net on TV in SA.
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Here we are, the final week of the 2013 Currie Cup season. This has been one of those seasons where we look back and say that there was never a dull moment. Some new young talent came to the party and showed us that there is still a great big future for SA Rugby.
As always every rugby supporter in South Africa has picked his or her team to support on Saturday. This is what makes the Currie Cup such a great competition. There are only two teams left and the whole of the nation has a team to support between the two. It is also in this time that people go a little crazy driving down the streets waving flags, hooting at each other, drinking and having a braai together.
So lets get to business. On Friday we will see the Pumas host the Griquas in the 2nd and last Currie Cup Promotion / Relegation game. The Pumas showed last weekend that they can cause an upset here and maybe get back into the Premier Division for 2014.
In the main event of the weekend, we see a Currie Cup Final with a familiar sight for for a second time when Western Province and The Sharks go into battle. This should be yet another epic Currie Cup Final, as most people will agree that the best two teams of this year’s Currie Cup is in the final.
Newlands Stadium in Cape Town is sold out for the occasion!
So folks, hold on to your seats… IT”S GOING TO BE A BUMPY RIDE!
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Blue Bulls Under 19 – (21) 35 / 23 (9) – Golden Lions Under 19 (Final Score)
The Vodacom Blue Bulls Under 19 and MTN Golden Lions Under 19 did battle in the Currie Cup Under 19 Final at
Newlands, Cape Town at 12:30 SA Time (10:30 GMT).
Western Province Under 21 – (16) 30 / 23 (13) – Blue Bulls Under 21 (Final Score)
DHL Western Province Under 21 and Vodacom Blue Bulls Under 21 did battle in the Currie Cup Under 21 Final at
Newlands, Cape Town at 14:30 SA Time (12:30 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The matches were broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & SHD on TV in SA.