Stormers coach John Dobson talks to a player With the Stormers missing out on the Currie Cup semi-finals, they are yet to organise a warm-up game before they begin their United Rugby Championship campaign later this month. Photo: Phando Jikelo/Independent Media
The overwhelming consensus among the top rugby coaches in South Africa is that the scheduling conflict of the Currie Cup and the United Rugby Championship (URC) has created more challenges than benefits.
While the Bulls, Sharks and Lions will be battle-hardened and overworked, the Stormers have been left desperately seeking to arrange a warm-up game before their URC campaign begins. The Bulls, Sharks and Lions will be involved in the Currie Cup semi-finals this weekend, while Western Province did not manage to make the last four.
It means the Stormers would have had game time heading into the URC, but their unexpected early exit from the Currie Cup in the group stage had presented an unusual scheduling problem.
The Currie Cup final is scheduled for September 21, while the opening round of the URC starts the same weekend. The Sharks were due to host the Lions and the Bulls were due to take on the Stormers in Cape Town on the opening weekend, before the two SA games were postponed.
Papier scores a brilliant team try by the Vodacom Bulls 💥
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) September 8, 2024
Everything was perfect from the scrum to the finish 🏉
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Stormers coach John Dobson told SportsBoom.com: "We are currently second bottom from the log in the Currie Cup. It has been a challenging period with the pre-season, we took a different approach to the Currie Cup and giving opportunities to as many youngsters as we can and definitely would've liked to have done better results wise.”
“We would've preferred to be somewhere where the Sharks are [3rd Currie Cup Log], we weren't expecting the postponement of the early rounds of the URC as it was on the same day as the Currie Cup final which took us out of the mix as we don't have the resources or emotional ability to have done both.”
The Stormers as a result, have now been left trying to organise a warm-up game.
“I agree with Sharks coach [John] Plum [Plumtree], it’s been an unusual pre-season. I see his point. We would have liked to play in a Currie Cup semi-final in a prep point of view with the similarity to the URC in terms of intensity. But we are scrambling for a friendly before departing for Wales [URC fixture vs Ospreys 28 Sept.]. It’s certainly not the traditional pre-season and I'm sure South African coaches would feel the same."
Plumtree said: “It is quite a unique situation, younger group of Currie Cup players to start with. The URC coaches coaching a squad of more experienced URC players and later in the competition using these Currie Cup games, the last round of the Currie Cup and semi-final as pre-season games. It does a bit of flavour to the round [Currie Cup].
“There are some benefits to it and there are parts to it that is not great. With the intensity of facing the Bulls in a Currie Cup Semi-Final at Loftus this weekend, it is not ideal situation but it is what it is. We have to navigate that with the group.”
Meanwhile, Lions coach Ivan van Rooyen said the “scheduling of the Currie Cup and URC has been tricky with the preparations.”