Taking rugby to the people central for Siya, which is why Carling Currie Cup delights him
The one-year anniversary of South Africa’s Rugby World Cup win has been a time of celebration for the Springboks as well and central to that has been a sense of how the game was taken to the people, which is why captain Siya Kolisi was so delighted on Tuesday to be part of the launch of the new Carling Black Label Currie Cup.
The country’s biggest-selling beer and a shebeen staple was announced on Tuesday as the title sponsors for the next three seasons as the world’s oldest provincial competition enters a new era. This season’s Currie Cup will be a continuation of the Super Rugby Unlocked competition and will culminate in the final on January 23. Which will allow all the Springboks to be available before South African rugby makes the bold leap into European rugby, with the four major franchises being involved in the Pro16 from February.
Carling Black Label’s brand director, Arné Rust, indicated that, as with their other involvement in sport, there are bold plans to bring the Currie Cup closer to the fans. “The Currie Cup is what they love, we want to give them more of a voice, make the Currie Cup feel more important and re-explode the viewership because this competition is what the players and fans remember. We want to take it into the taverns and the mind boggles at the possibilities,” Rust said.
Western Province and Stormers star Kolisi, fresh from the joy of his virtual celebration with the rest of his Springbok team on Monday night, gave away his excitement for the new-look Currie Cup when, during the video presentation showing the Cheetahs hoisting the trophy last year, he looked across at Free State flank Junior Pokomela and, smilingly, gave him a hand signal to indicate “We’re coming for you”.
“It’s been a difficult year from a rugby point of view, it’s been tough for the Springboks to not be playing, especially coming from such a high, to be stuck at home and not see our team-mates. You want to keep that momentum, but to see the people celebrating our win again this week has been a great feeling and I hope it continues.
“As coach Rassie said, the Rugby World Cup was not about pressure for us, we were in a place of privilege to be able to do what we love doing and impact on peoples’ lives. The Currie Cup can do that as well, we set standards in the World Cup and hopefully we can drive those same standards in the Currie Cup. And it’s killing me that I haven’t been able to win the trophy in the special blue-and-white hoops of Western Province.
“My career started in the Currie Cup because that’s where you have to prove yourself against everyone else who is fighting to be a Springbok. I remember my first game was against Griquas at Newlands and I am forever grateful for that chance. I look forward to a lot of fan involvement in the Currie Cup because rugby is for everyone; we have to make sure we make it accessible for everyone from the townships to the suburbs. I think this Currie Cup will draw a lot of people back,” Kolisi said.
Springbok flyhalf Elton Jantjies was also excited about the impact the Curie Cup could have outside of the cities and all over the country.
“The Currie Cup is going to be something new with such a big sponsor, it will have a new image and we’ll be able to get different communities involved. It’s a competition I really cherish and it’s for both the younger and older players. I really feel that we have to invest in the Currie Cup for the good of rugby in South Africa, it’s a very tough competition and very personal,” Jantjies, who fondly remembered his debut as seven minutes off the bench as a 19-year-old against the North-West Leopards in Potchefstroom, said.