Boland buy in bid to make top eight
The Boland Cavaliers have gone on a spending spree in an attempt to qualify for the top section of rugby's Currie Cup this season.
Former Western Province No 8 Chean Roux and former Border flyhalf Sollie Goosen are the highest profile of five new recruits who will join Boland in time for the their first game of the Currie Cup qualification tournament against Eastern Province on May 31.
Matie flank Ernst Joubert, Durbanville centre Herman Schroder, former Border centre Ryan Pickering, South Africa sevens scrumhalf Eugene Francis and former Blue Bulls lock Piet Myburgh are the other players who have already signed for Boland for the Currie Cup.
Boland chief executive Piet Bergh confirmed that Boland wanted to contract the new players for two months only, to see if Boland can qualify for the top section.
SA Rugby has said, however, that players who are registered with other provinces - Goosen, Schroder, Francis and Joubert - must be contracted until the end of the season.
The other players - Roux, Pickering and Myburgh - have just returned from Italy and they will only be contracted until after the qualification tournament. If Boland, who lost all six of their matches in the Vodacom Cup, do qualify, those players may stay on.
The Currie Cup qualification tournament is the result of a compromise, reached at the end of last year, between SA Rugby and some of the smaller unions.
SA Rugby had accepted a restructuring for the 2003 season where the Currie Cup would be split into two divisions - a top league of six and a second of eight. The 2002 Currie Cup form was used to determine which teams will play in which divisions and the Lions, Blue Bulls, WP, Natal Sharks, Free State and the Pumas qualified for the top division.
But some of the provinces that failed to qualify for the top six led a successful revolt - with Falcons president Rauties Rautenbach at the helm - against the new plan and forced SA Rugby into a compromise.
As a result the top division will be increased by two teams and the qualification tournament will decide which two will join the six.
Each team will play seven qualifiers and the top two teams on the log will be promoted.
Bergh added that the qualification tournament will be Boland's most important competition for the next two years.
"There is no promotion or relegation at the end of this season and therefore if you qualify, you will be in the top division at least until the end of the 2004 season."