Currie Cup under threat
8 Jul 2009
South Africa’s premier domestic competition faces an uncertain future.
During Sanzar’s Super Rugby expansion negotiations, acting SA Rugby MD Andy Marinos insisted his organisation would not allow the Currie Cup – South Africa’s premier domestic competition – to be devalued in any way. So it was somewhat surprising when Sanzar announced a new Super 15 format that will see the southern-hemisphere regional tournament finish in early August (instead of late May) and the Springboks’ Tri-Nations campaign wrap up in late September (instead of early September) from 2011.
Considering the Currie Cup final has to be played at the end of October, at the latest, because of the Springboks’ Test commitments in November, the Boks will only be available for two or three matches of the Currie Cup league stage (out of 14) and the play-offs (if their teams qualify). That’s four or five weeks in a tournament that runs for three months.
Of course, in all his public statements, Marinos failed to mention that SA Rugby had no choice but to fight for the Currie Cup in its Sanzar meetings because in 2007 it sold the TV rights for all incoming Test tours and Currie Cup tournaments from 2011-2015 to SuperSport.
You may recall the controversy it caused at the time, with SuperSport paying R700 million – considered to be a bargain – including a R30 million ‘sweetener’ that allowed SA Rugby to show a profit when it released its financial statements in early 2008. SA Rugby also didn’t give rival broadcasters e.tv and the SABC a chance to tender, which infuriated then-Saru vice-president Koos Basson, who described the agreement as ‘flawed’.
However, the fact remains that the Currie Cup will have to be played until 2015, but what will happen to it after that? Discussions have already been held between Sanzar members about increasing the Super 15 to 18 teams in 2013 (one more South African side and possibly two from Japan).
While Marinos insists there would just be more conference matches, and the tournament wouldn’t be much longer, who’s to say that SA Rugby won’t buckle again and agree to a Super 18 that ends in late August, with the Tri-Nations finishing in mid- October? The Currie Cup would then become a glorified Vodacom Cup, with Springboks playing exclusively for their Super Rugby franchises and the national side.
Perhaps it’s time South Africans accepted that while the Currie Cup is a special competition with more than a century of history, there’s simply not enough room for it and an expanded Super Rugby competition in the calendar.
By Simon Borchardt
– This first appeared in SA Rugby magazine
250 Comments
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8 Jul 2009, 10:36 am
#49 money_man: Not too mention he increased the ARU’s share of the Foxsport’s moolah to be in line with RSA and NZ… you should be far more irate with the tools you have at SARU!
Like taking candy from a baby that foolish, transparent bluff they tried to play…
8 Jul 2009, 10:38 am
Once you accept the reality that the 5 major CC unions have hijacked the S14 Franchises and effectively merged their S14 minor union partners best players into their CC union sides, the answer is inevitable. A two tier CC is already the reality that the minor unions and traditionalists have refused to recognise. The next step is to allow the SA S14/15 franchises to play a second round of matches against each other, much like that proposed by SANZAR, for a new trophy a level above the CC. To counter the argument that the minor unions will lose the revenue generated from gate money when they play one of the majors, SARU should insist that, like NZRFU, a number of S14/15 matches are played at the minor unions home ground.
8 Jul 2009, 10:39 am
#46 XhosaKid: Mpopndo lol i agree 100% with you
The Currie Cup is the stronghold and backbone of our people and its rugby , there should be no compromise.
8 Jul 2009, 10:39 am
South Africa have been suckered into sacrificing the currie cup by Australia. Oz has no domestic provincial comp and wants top level games i.e. super rugby to compete with its other codes throughout the winter. This also means that their top players have a rest when ours are required for CC duties. The top SA players are playing almost all year round. No wonder guys like JdV, Schalla and Juan Smith struggle to maintain peak form all the time. Respect the Currie Cup. Its produces great rugby the way we like it. NZ struggles to get crowds to their domestic games so they are negotiating from a position of weakness. A strong CC is integral to the overall health of SA rugby.
It’s no coincidence that Bok teams have been stonger when our Currie cup has been strong. We need to protect a great comp.
8 Jul 2009, 10:43 am
#50 RugbyRulz:
1. AFL
2. Cricket
3. League
4. Union
I rekon thats the order
8 Jul 2009, 10:46 am
Maybe what should happen in 2015 when the existing contract with Supersport runs out, is that the Currie Cup be absorbed into the Super 18 (by that stage) calandar, much like the Bledisloe Cup is absorbed into the Tri-Nations.
With the Conference system, it will not be very difficult to ensure that all the SA teams (hopefully 7 by then) play each other at least once, with the top 2 playing a final just after the Super 14 finishes. What would then be interesting is if the same 2 SA teams qualify for the Super 18 final and the Currie Cup final, whether they would play 1 or 2 games.
Not ideal, but better than totally losing the Currie Cup!
8 Jul 2009, 10:46 am
Love him or hate him, Michael Jackson was the greatest performer that lived.
Michael the African American boy who had too much talent. I mean how can one person be such a talented song writer, dancer and singer?
We dismiss him because of his freakish looks and accusations against him. But if you consider what that boy – he never really grew up did he – achieved as an artist, you have to admit that it is unlikely that it will be equalled in our lifetime.
He was a creative genius and I think in the end lost touch with reality. What makes it real for me is that we all want our kids to have talent and what a talent he was! No one, and I mean no one can dance (or prob will) dance like that guy!
Not quite the place to talk about this, but just have to get closure on this. Just had to express my admiration for his talent, achievements and contribution to music all over the globe!
RIP Michael!
8 Jul 2009, 10:49 am
#49 money_man: NZ have the NPC now called Air New Zealand Cup ( with its problems), South Africa has the Currie Cup underneath both these structures, they have club rugby, and S14 franchises. What does Australia have as their premier domestic league???
Its quite obvious, Australia need the extended Super rugby more than SA and NZ need it.
A full strength Currie Cup is more exciting than S14, the carnage is just simple awesome!!!, Bulls, Sharks, WP, Lions, Cheetahs and Griques
In NZ they have Auckland,Canterbury, Otago,Waikato, Taranaki and Bay of Plenty.
Fact are facts, O’Neil might be the genius you say he is, but the facts are that they need an extended Super rugby to cover up for their inability to have a professional domestic competition
8 Jul 2009, 10:53 am
#52 David: The problem with that is you get a game where the stormers play in Boland or the Lions in Kimberly… effectively losing home ground advantage
8 Jul 2009, 10:53 am
#57 Sheriff:
Ever heard of Rudolph Nureyev or Mikhail Baryshnikov?
8 Jul 2009, 10:55 am
#60 David:
Are they from New Zealand?
8 Jul 2009, 10:58 am
#57 Sheriff: The last decent album he recorded was Thriller (shallow pop, but had some creative merit). Since then he’s been on a steady slide into dreadful sentimentality and lucrative cheese.
Not to mention how screwed up he was. African American? You wouldn’t say.
8 Jul 2009, 10:59 am
#55 bok1906: Cricket is 1st then it is debatable whether it is AFL or Soccer… League is definitely before Union. So therefore rugger is 5th.
8 Jul 2009, 11:04 am
#59 bok1906:
That was the original structure for the S12. The Sharks started the rot when they paid EP and Border for the rights to host all the matches in Durban. Somewhere along the line we lost the plot as to why the competition was organised. It was to ensure that the top 150 players in the country got to compete at a level just below international. Basically, it replaced the need for national trials. That’s why the NZ Rugby board assigns players to different Franchises after the franchises have declared their core 25 players for the season.
This is done in the best interests of AB rugby, not the unions. SARU screwed up totally when they allowed the unions to select their partners and effectively excluded the EC unions from S14 rugby.
SARU own the S14/15, not the Unions, but they’ve never bothered to manage this responsibility in the interests of Springbok rugby as the New Zealanders have done.
8 Jul 2009, 11:06 am
AFL in Auz has the 4th highest average crowd attendance in the world of any sport, behind the 1. NFL 2. IPL (in India) 3. Bundesliga.
8 Jul 2009, 11:06 am
#61 Sheriff:
Hell no, they’re not All Black like MJ.
8 Jul 2009, 11:07 am
Hier kom groot oorlog.
8 Jul 2009, 11:08 am
#63 RugbyRulz: yip you right, cricket is number 1. Suprised we dont get any league coverage here but we still get the occasional ALF show on supersport…
8 Jul 2009, 11:08 am
#62 katman:
Katman, it’s time to burn your Kurt Darren cd’s.
I never really followed his career. School mate of mine was (prob is) a huge fan, and tried to emulate the look, the hair, the everything.
So my comments are merely just to appreciate what the boy has achieved as an artist. Stevie Wonder, George Benson, Bob Marley and so on some of my other favourites.
Latest trend in SA music is that many singers sound a lot like Petrus Padda (Wielie Walie) – Theuns Jordaan …
8 Jul 2009, 11:09 am
Give me an option between Superrugby or Currie Cup, and Currie cup will win everytime.
8 Jul 2009, 11:12 am
Luckily for Marinos, he’s not black.
Thus he hasnt been called “incompetent”, “out of his depth”, “chaotic”.
8 Jul 2009, 11:13 am
#66 David:
Michael continuously came up with new moves, but awesome moves.
I’ve tried a few basic ones, rolled it out on the odd occasion and must say very effective, haha
8 Jul 2009, 11:15 am
#70 WilladieLeeu:
We discussed this the other day, 1. money 2. tradition – unforetunately the Currie Cup will also be sacrificed for money, if they didn’t have this TV deal already signed it would be even more watered down.
8 Jul 2009, 11:28 am
Has anyone seen “break of day” ?
8 Jul 2009, 11:30 am
Kurt Darren Scott
Jacque Fourie du Preez
8 Jul 2009, 11:32 am
#70 WilladieLeeu: I agree – i would rather watch the Currie Cup matches than the same old same old Superrugby.
8 Jul 2009, 11:33 am
#73 NZINCHINA: I think you could say it has already been sacrificed for money.
8 Jul 2009, 11:35 am
South Africa out of SANZAR. We must play in Europe or forge our own competition. Saru is the unwanted partner in a 3some.
Saru are out of their depth policitally. There is so much infighting that we are not defending our larger percenatge of SANZAR pie.
The aussies are smart. Smart management, smart politics and smart Rugby. Rugby is 5 or 6th sport with only a couple of thousand players in total. They get their administrators in all levels of international management so they can influence for their benefits. Smart. Such a small country wins so many sports. SMART. They will even win the world cup football when they host in
8 Jul 2009, 11:41 am
Currie Cup should be 6 top teams, playing each other twice (home and away). Then the top 4 teams qualify for the following year’s Super 12, where they play each team once (also have four teams from NZ and Aus). That way there won’t be too much rugby; it won’t be watered down.
8 Jul 2009, 11:53 am
#50 RugbyRulz: What is it that you think I dont know about Australian rugby?
8 Jul 2009, 11:57 am
To all South African Rugby Supporters:
FIGHT FOR YOUR CURRIE CUP
Don’t let the vested interests water it down or reduce its importance in any way. If you want to run an armband campaign, THIS is what you should be doing it for.
Here in NZ, our once proud National Provincial Championship used to be right up there with the Currie Cup. They were the two most important domestic competitions in the world.
Now, the NPC its is just a mere shadow of its former self, reduced to little more than a glorified club competititon. Don’t let this happen to the Currie Cup, because once it does, you will NEVER get it back.
8 Jul 2009, 12:01 pm
and again we have to bow down to the demands of the australasian continents demands
8 Jul 2009, 12:10 pm
#69 Sheriff: So you either admire that pale 50kg sentimental unit shifter or you’re into Kurt Darren?
Think you might have skipped a few teeny logic steps there?
8 Jul 2009, 12:20 pm
#79 boktoinfinityandbeyond:
That ship has sailed. S15 it is. Followed by Super 18
Actually with the Super 18 we have a solution
SA will have 6 sides then.
The Pool Stages of the S18 SA Conference can act as our Currie Cup.
Its home and away
So all we need to do is have a tournament within a tournament.
Play the S18 as prescribed
After the S18 the top 4 sides from the Pool stage play semis and final.
LEss games overall. Boks involved. No schedule clash.
8 Jul 2009, 12:23 pm
#83 katman:
Yeah only 2 music camps in the world today:
a. Michael
b. Kurt (loslappie)
MJ = 45 kg btw; one of the few not obese in the US of A
8 Jul 2009, 12:35 pm
#85 Sheriff: Actually, Wacko and Kurt sit in the same camp of music cheese, which is across an enormous fckn chasm from where I sit with my collection.
8 Jul 2009, 12:38 pm
#86 katman:
Your collection?
Nico Carstens
Manie Bodenstein
8 Jul 2009, 12:40 pm
#86 katman:
Sic him.
8 Jul 2009, 12:40 pm
The headline here should have read “Currie Cup coverage under threat”.
The CC kicks off in two days.
Where are the full squads?
Where is the news about players etc.?
In general where is the CC coverage?
Is this a rugby site?
8 Jul 2009, 12:40 pm
#84 Biscuit: Will never happen.
The numpties that run this show have no brains.
Previously on this site I have suggested a Champions League (football) style setup with pools and home and away games and a break for the internationals etc etc.
Through qualifyers you could involve places like Namibia, Argentina, Pacific guys and Japan.
BUT ALAS.
We have idjits running the show.
Super 99 here we come
8 Jul 2009, 12:41 pm
#89 Mistral: Nope, someone correctly labelled it as “Subjective-journo-Central”
8 Jul 2009, 12:41 pm
#84 Biscuit: Well said. That is the obvious answer.
8 Jul 2009, 12:42 pm
#89 Mistral:
Yep, it’s Michael Jackson vs katman’s never-before-seen-nor-heard music collection.
8 Jul 2009, 12:43 pm
#93 Dawn: LOL
8 Jul 2009, 12:44 pm
#68 bok1906: League is popular in 2 eastern states NSW & Qld, it is played in Vic but not to any great degree. The game over the years has changed and in my opinion not for the better. It lost its appeal when scrums were depowered; when they became uncontested the dynamics changed. The original game had no tackle count, then the tinkering happened. The 4 tackles count and then a scrum., this is where the up and under was used to try to regather the ball for a try scoring opportunity. The scrum then went to uncontested, 6 tackles and then hand the ball to the opposition. Incredulous how they ruined a good game. In bygone years players could switch between codes but hardly happens now. Biff, barge, 6 dummy runs then the kick. BORINGly mundane.
AFL was once called VFL (V for Victoria) it then spread to other states and the game was re-tagged AFL. It is very athletic and not for props… they could not keep up.
8 Jul 2009, 12:48 pm
People must understand that I only listen to “ordentlike” music
Something with nice rhythm; pref black artists but there are exceptions like Michael Franks (and many others)
The angry-white-boy music just doesn’t do it for me
8 Jul 2009, 12:49 pm
#93 Dawn:
BoD; did you see that earlier post?
8 Jul 2009, 12:50 pm
#95 RugbyRulz: Nobody here really gives a damn…
8 Jul 2009, 12:51 pm
Cricket update
11:32am – WICKET – Cook c Hussey b Hilfenhaus 10, Eng 21-1
This series may not live up to the hype of 2005, but whatever happens, it’s not going to be as big an anti-climax as the moon landings. What was that all about? Billions of dollars shelled out by the US government just so Alan Shepard could practice his mid-irons…. WE’VE GOT A WICKET! Cook fishes outside off, edges, and Hussey pulls off an outrageous catch at gully.
8 Jul 2009, 12:52 pm
#80 XhosaKid: What you do not know about Australian Rugby is that it is controlled from the top down the ARU. It is not beholden to franchises, regions, zones, etc calling the shots. Simply way to put it, it doesn’t have to kowtow to over-zealous unions, players, media moguls, etc.
Problem for most other countries is they do have to worry about all the $hit… from the bottom up.
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