Currie Cup Preview
With the 2010 Currie Cup set to go on July 9, all eight teams are ready to challenge for the coveted trophy. The most prestigious trophy in domestic South African rugby it is once again up for grabs. The Blue Bulls look to defend their title, while Free State and Western Province look to strip the trophy from the defending champs.
History
The Currie Cup is steeped in history, started in 1889 as a national competition, with teams represented by all the major South African rugby unions. The trophy itself was donated by the British Isle rugby side, when they visited as the first team to tour South Africa. They were told to give the cup to the side that gave them the ‘most spirited’ test. After the cup was awarded it was donated to the South African Rugby Union and gave birth to the Currie Cup. The cup was contested sporadically until 1968 when it was finally organized into an annual event.
Format
South Africa is divided up into 14 rugby unions. Four of these teams draw players from an entire province: The Northern Cape Griquas, Northwest Leopards, KwaZulu-natal Natal Sharks, and the Mpumalanga Pumas.
The other 10 draw from large areas within provinces, Eastern Cape has two unions, eastern is the Border Bulldogs, western is the Mighty Elephants. Free State also contains two unions, central and western is the Free State Cheetahs, and eastern is the Griffons. Western Cape has three unions, northern is the Boland Cavaliers, eastern is the Eagles, and Western Province is Cape Town. Gauteng has two unions that draw only from that province and they are the East Rand Falcons and the Johannesburg Golden Lions, while the Pretoria Blue Bulls draw from parts of Gauteng and all of Limpopo province.
These teams are then divided into two divisions. The Premier Division has eight teams and they get the chance to contend for the Currie Cup. The First Division contains six teams and plays for a place in next years Premier Division. Both divisions have each team play one another in a home-away series. The top four go on to play in the semi-finals and then the finals. The Premier Division winner takes home the Currie Cup, while the winner of the First Division wins the opportunity to play the last place Premier Division team for their spot.
Throughout the history of the Currie Cup the Blue Bulls and Cape Town are by far the most dominant teams, winning 23 and 32 cups respectively. Even though Cape Town has more titles, the Bulls have been by far the more dominant team since the cup became an annual event in 1968, winning 16 times. Western Province has only won nine titles since then, and has not won since 2001. In recent years the competition has been between the Free State Cheetahs, and the Blue Bulls. The Cheetahs have managed three titles in the last 10 years.
The Bulls are favored to repeat as champions in 2010, but suffer the most losses due to recruiting from the Tri-Nations cup, which takes place throughout the beginning of the campaign. If a team were to upset the Bulls this season, it would most likely be by either Western Province or the Cheetahs, who face-off against one another in the opening round.
Although today the Currie Cup is sometimes overshadowed by the Super-14, Super-12 and the Tri-Nations cup there is no doubt that the Currie Cup is still a highly coveted trophy within the South African borders. When players do return to their squads after the Tri-Nations come to a close at the beginning of September, a fierce battle can be expected from all the perennial powerhouses.
Tags: