OPINION: Currie Cup has lost its bang … but hopefully some new talent will emerge
So, the Currie Cup is back, but unfortunately there's little bang to go with it.
What was once this country's most prestigious rugby competition is now little more than a development competition or feeder programme.
Gone are the days of the country's best players going head-to-head in pursuit of the Currie Cup trophy, one of the most sought-after titles in South African rugby.
Of course, it's still lekker to win it, but it's not nearly as glamorous or important as it once was.
Now there are bigger things to play for … and I'm not referring to the Springboks' involvement in the Rugby Championship each year.
Other competitions
Now our best players have the United Rugby Championship to focus on, an international competition that runs on and off for eight months, between October and June the following year. It's a demanding schedule, and then there are still Champions and Challenge Cup matches taking place on the weekends when the URC takes a break.
There are now just too many competitions going on for the top players to also still be involved in the Currie Cup. That is why I refer to it as a development competition – it's an opportunity for all the promising young players at the unions to show what they can do to try get into the URC squads.
So while the Currie Cup may not be what it once was it's still an important competition for the unions to stay relevant and for the young players to have a platform to push for higher honours.
Over the course of the two months of Currie Cup action a few players who might have been overlooked by the URC coaches might put their hands up for consideration to play at a higher level, while the Junior Springboks stars and even a few U19 players could get a look in as well.
Boland getting into the mix again this season is also good news, because there's just so much talent down in the Western Cape.
Hopefully a few promising youngsters emerge in the coming weeks who one day will be able to say they got their big break in the Currie Cup.
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