Ken Borland

Saturday is the day when South African rugby returns to, as the Spanish would say, La Vida Normal (the normal life) as the former national sport can once again be played in front of full stadiums of spectators.

Although, seeing as though it is Griquas and the Pumas who will contest the Currie Cup final in Kimberley on Saturday afternoon, we might be heading into a new normal for rugby. Griquas have actually won the Currie Cup three times, although the last time they did it was in 1970, which was also their last appearance in the final.

The Pumas, or South-Eastern Transvaal as they were then known, only came into being a year earlier, in 1969. This is their first ever appearance in the final, having been well-beaten by Northern Transvaal in the semi-finals in 1980, their previous best showing in the famous tournament.

It will be a massive day for two unions, their players and coaches, who don’t usually get to shine in the spotlight. Such occurrences are what makes sport so utterly charming at times.

But there is no denying the defending champion Bulls, who were desperate to become the first team to win a hat-trick of titles since the Free State Cheetahs did it between 2005 and 2007, are less than charmed about their exit from the Currie Cup at the semifinal stage at the hands of Griquas.

There is growing dissatisfaction amongst the country’s four international franchises that play in the United Rugby Championship that trying to contend in the Currie Cup at the same time is a bit like tilting at windmills. And next year will be even worse as they also have European cup tournaments to play in.

The sponsors, Carling Black Label, have also expressed their concern over the famous event continuing to lose prestige, and it is important SA Rugby lance this festering boil of malcontent over the Currie Cup.

As admirable as the campaigns mounted by the Griquas and Pumas have been, it has been unfortunate for the tournament that of the so-called Test unions, only the Bulls fielded anything resembling a top side and even they had to give in to the realities of fighting on two fronts in the closing stages.

Moving the Currie Cup until after the end of the European season seems the best way to go. Of course it will then clash with the international season of the Springboks, but that cavalry has long since departed the Currie Cup and fans and sponsors have become accustomed to them not featuring in the premier domestic tournament.

Speaking of the Springboks, there was certainly an air of great excitement in their camp this week as they gathered in Pretoria.

Eight new faces will always bring an injection of fresh energy and the URC has certainly unveiled some exciting new talent that deserves exposure at the highest level.

But without deflating fans too much, they should not expect the starting XV to pay Wales at Loftus Versfeld on July 2 to differ much from the team that last appeared in the UK at the end of last year.

Duane Vermeulen will need to be replaced at eighthman and Evan Roos and Elrigh Louw, who announced themselves in such incredible fashion in the URC, will be in the forefront of most fans’ thinking. But Jasper Wiese is the incumbent back-up No.8 and, after his inspirational display in the English Premiership final for Leicester, he is probably the favourite to come in for Vermeulen.

Key stars such as Cheslin Kolbe, Faf de Klerk and Pieter-Steph du Toit should also be back in action, and I look forward to Damian Willemse playing the Frans Steyn role of utility back on the bench. Hopefully there is space for one of Roos or Louw alongside him on the wood, and maybe even Marcell Coetzee.

Notwithstanding the tragedy of 101 000 deaths and the annoying recent upsurge in positive Covid cases, SA Rugby president Mark Alexander says a return to allowing full stadiums for the Springboks’ matches is a life-or-death matter for the sport now.

At present, outdoor sports stadiums are only allowed to host 50% of their capacity and Alexander said this was not just denying SA Rugby much-needed revenue, but also stopping the spin-off benefits from reaching the broader economy.

“When I went to the Waterfront in December, there were over 100 000 people and I didn’t have to show my vaccination card, there was no social-distancing there,” Alexander said. “But when it comes to sport, we have all these undue regulations, which puts massive pressure on rugby.

“Having no Tests in 2020 had a major effect on our revenue and 2021 helped to bridge the gap a bit. But we’re hoping we can have 100% capacity for the Springboks this year or else we will not be able to deliver our budget.

“We need to be self-sustainable because we know we can’t expect government to fund sport, we understand that, but just give us the vehicle to raise funds and deliver our mandate.

“And there’s a knock-on effect for people like the informal traders around the stadiums. Not having full capacity has an economic impact for the country as a whole. We estimate that the Springboks’ six home Tests this year, against Wales, New Zealand and Argentina; the Carling Champions Match against Italy A; the Sevens World Cup and the Sevens Series event in Cape Town, will generate R18.6 billion rand for the economy,” Alexander said.

Alexander, who was recently re-elected for a second and, he says, final four-year term as president, said it was most pleasing to see how successful the introduction of South African franchises into European competition had been.

“We had to play in the United Rugby Championship in order to qualify for the European cup. That’s going to be better quality rugby, we’ll be up against six other countries and not just four, so that will raise the bar.

“We want our players in better competitions, against the best teams in the world. And most of our teams are playing in two different competitions already, so the depth is there, we have enough players.

“We just have to manage our players better and be smarter. And we’re seeing more international-based players coming home as the overseas clubs cut down on their squads.

“The bulk of rugby funding these days is in the UK and France. So we need to collaborate with those markets, be a part of bigger plans. We need to sell our properties in Pounds, not Rands,” Alexander said.

Sharks coach Sean Everitt rates the Lions pack highly, but he was full of praise on Thursday for his own forwards and the wonderful improvement they have shown ahead of their United Rugby Championship clash at Kings Park on Saturday.

The Lions have been playing some thrilling rugby of late, winning their last four URC matches, and it is their pack that has been laying the platform.

Critics of the Sharks have been suggesting they need to boost the strength of their pack, but their forwards have been on the charge lately and Everitt has been delighted with their efforts.

“The forwards have put a lot of work in. Not too long ago they were considered our achilles heel, but I’m very proud of their wonderful performances lately,” Everitt said.

“Our lineout has been good and our scrum has been dominant and earning penalties. That means we’ve been able to get good field position inside the opposition 22.

“There’s been a lot of talk about the Lions scrum, and deservedly so, they are still the most effective scrum in the competition, they’ve earned the most penalties.

“That allows their loose forwards, who are very good, into the game. But our all-Springbok front row has done very well too, so it’s going to be an interesting battle,” Everitt said.

The Sharks have made three changes to their pack, arguably making it stronger than the one that overwhelmed the Dragons last weekend, with first-choice flanks Siya Kolisi and Henco Venter, and lock Reniel Hugo returning to the starting XV, in place of James Venter, Jeandre Labuschagne and Le Roux Roets.

All four of those Lions wins have come at home, at altitude, and now they have to travel to the subtropical lowlands of KwaZulu-Natal. While the drop in altitude will do little to their aerobic capacity, they may still find their vigorous style of rugby a bit harder to pull off in Durban.

“In terms of altitude, the change will not have as much of an affect as when we go up there,” Everitt admitted. “But the conditions might not be as conducive to throwing the ball around.

“There’s a very good chance that there will be some rain, which is not ideal, it makes conditions tough in the humidity and heat.

“But the Lions do have a good kicking game and we must make sure we don’t give them any opportunities.

“We’ve practised in the rain though and done fairly well, we’ve played some good rugby,” Everitt said.

Sharks team – Anthony Volmink, Werner Kok, Ben Tapuai, Marius Louw, Makazole Mapimpi, Curwin Bosch, Jaden Hendrikse, Phepsi Buthelezi, Henco Venter, Siya Kolisi (v/c), Reniel Hugo, Gerbrandt Grobler, Thomas du Toit (c), Bongi Mbonambi, Ox Nche. Replacements: Kerron van Vuuren, Ntuthuko Mchunu, Khutha Mchunu, Le Roux Roets, Jeandre Labuschagne, Sikhumbuzo Notshe, Grant Williams, Boeta Chamberlain.

Proteas captain Dean Elgar said on Monday that he has made peace with the four players who are not available for the Test series against Bangladesh because they are in India for the IPL, and he has full confidence in their replacements ahead of the first match starting on Thursday in Durban.

Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen, Rassie van der Dussen and Aiden Markram will all be missing from the team that drew the series in New Zealand. Pace bowlers Anrich Nortje and Lungi Ngidi are also in India.

Keegan Petersen was always likely to return at the expense of probably Markram, while Ryan Rickelton is in line to make his long-awaited debut.

On the bowling front, Lizaad Williams, Glenton Stuurman and Duanne Olivier are the potential replacements for Rabada and Jansen.

“A lot of events have happened lately and I’m pretty comfortable where I sit with the players that are not here,” Elgar said. “I’ve had in-detail chats with all of them, to find out mentally where they are in terms of Test cricket versus the IPL.

“The players were put in a pretty unavoidable position due to the No Objection Certificates and agreements between the BCCI and CSA. No rash decisions were made and I know where they stand.

“But we can’t lick our wounds for too long and I’m very comfortable making do with the next best players, I’m confident they will cover all the bases.

“We’ve lost a few caps, but it’s a great opportunity for the new players to put the unavailable ones under pressure,” Elgar said.

The Test captain was also left in the lurch by the poor performances in the ODI series, which have allowed Bangladesh to take tremendous momentum into the Tests. Elgar said it was clear from the ODIs that Bangladesh now have the apposite skills and attitude for South African conditions.

“The ODI result really hurt, even for me and I wasn’t involved in it. Hopefully that has fuelled us a bit more and our hunger to do well will be right up there.

“Bangladesh are a new-look team and their coaches have obviously changed their mindset about how to play in South Africa. I think it’s going to be a good contest and we’ll need to nail down our basics.

“We are known to start series quite poorly, it’s always a talking point and I’ve emphasised it a lot with the team. I’m not sure what the reason for it is, but by making the players aware of it and trying to avoid it, that gives us the best chance to win the series.

“We need to find a way to not start poorly because it’s just a two-match series. I’m trying my utmost to get the message across that we need to start well,” Elgar said.