Naas Botha will crouch down, his finger pointing at the 1971 plate of the Currie Cup and regale an interesting factoid. That year, the then Northern Transvaal and Transvaal – the Bulls and Lions – shared the Cup after finishing the final 14-14 at Ellis Park.
Former Lions flyhalf and legendary rugby commentator Hugh Bladen, Botha will explain, has his name engraved on the ‘71 shield as a shared winner of the Cup. The 66-year-old former springbok No 10 will exclaim with a hearty laugh, however, that Bladen never played in that game ... it is a mistake, right there, forever recorded for posterity on the trophy.
Just so we are all on the same page, we want a Lion v Bulls @TheCurrieCup final, ne?@IOLsport @TheStar_news pic.twitter.com/yXghLuL2v6
— Morgan Bolton (@FreemanZAR) September 13, 2024
It is just one of the many interesting events that has created the mythos surrounding the Currie Cup.
Banged up, its golden lustre chipped here and there, the black base scuffed and faded, pockmarked with dents and imperfections, the grand old Cup might have lost its shine due to time, but its importance to SA Rugby remains undefeated.
For sure, its role in SA rugby has shifted, but that hasn’t changed the fact that it remains a crucial component in the health and development of the game in the country.
“The way I look at the Currie Cup,” said Botha earlier this week, while on tour with the 133-old piece of silverware around Johannesburg, “it remains strength-against-strength, even without the Springboks.
“In the end, it is still between the best players (in that moment) and for some players, it is the next best step to win the Currie Cup. You always have to have that carrot in front of players in South Africa.
“What is the ultimate achievement in South Africa rugby? It is to win the Currie Cup,” Botha reiterated
Botha’s career was arguably defined by the Currie Cup. During an unequal spell with the Bulls (then Northern Transvaal), the former flyhalf won the championship nine times in a period where the Springboks were barred from playing international rugby due to apartheid.
That was not the case for Victor Matfield.
The former Springbok captain and lock enjoyed a 14-year-long international career, playing 127 Tests for South Africa, winning the World Cup in 2007, the Rugby Championship in 2004 and 2009, and enjoyed a series success against the British and Irish Lions in 2009, too.
Matfield also won SuperRugby on three occasions – 2007, 2009 and 2010 – but he will openly admit the most dissent he ever presented to his coaches, was when it came to his lack of playing time in the Currie Cup, which he won three times in the noughties with the Bulls.
“The Currie Cup will always stay important to South Africa,” he said. “In Naas’ time, it was the only thing they played for.
“In the beginning, when we played, some of my biggest fights with (former Bok coach and now director of rugby at the Bulls) Jake White, who wanted to rest with the Boks, was when we wanted to play in the Currie Cup because it was so important for us.
“Nowadays, it is a place where we give a lot of young talent opportunities to see what they can do. If you look at the games this weekend’s semi-final, there are going to be U21 players playing against United Rugby Championship (URC) playing against Boks.
“What an opportunity for those young players to show what they can do.”
Moreover, according to Matfield, the Currie Cup is an expression of the strength and depth of rugby in the country. Uncut gems need to be discovered and played, and the Cup is the perfect platform to do so.
“We have so much talent in South Africa, and we need to give those guys playing for the Pumas, Griquas and Griffons – even the guys playing for Boland – an opportunity … We need to find a slot in the calendar where we can give this young talent an opportunity.”
That newly-developed characteristic is crucial, Botha agreed.
“It is our breeding ground,” he said, continuing the conversation. “If I am in primary school today, I need to know that there is a pathway that I can get to the Springboks.
“Players need to understand that after U20, the next step should be the Currie Cup, and then after that, if you are good enough, you move up to URC. When you move up to URC, that is when you go to international rugby.”
“I can tell you, if you walked into the corridors of Loftus Versfeld or Ellis Park this past week, the excitement of a trophy, whether it is winning the Currie Cup or the URC trophy, it will be exactly the same.”
In recent weeks, the URC franchises – the Bulls, Lions, Sharks and Stormers – have started introducing their senior squad members into the Cup, with the start of the URC looming large later this month.
It has sparked some debate amongst rugby pundits, commentators and fans regarding a perceived unfairness towards the younger coaches and players that have performed to get their teams into the play-off framework.
This has been particularly true of the Sharks, who have installed head coach John Plumtree and his team for this weekend’s semi-final against the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld, after the fine work done by JP Pietersen.
The Bulls, meanwhile, have rotated their Currie Cup squad, introducing a mix of younger players along with URC veterans, as have the Lions under Mziwakhe Nkosi, who have steadily increased their URC quota.
The Joburgers also reserved one weekend – their victory over the Bulls earlier this month – for head coach Ivan van Rooyen and his management team to work on their game-plan and approach.
“Is it a little bit unfair to the players that have carried the Bulls (for example) into a position to qualify for the semi-finals and then you get replaced by the URC guys?” Botha asked rhetorically.
“No, it is not.
“It is all about the organisation,” he stated pragmatically.
“A lot of players understand they have to do their job for the organisation, and if that means you are out of the semi-final and final, because of the return of the better players in that moment, then I am a little unemotional about it.
“If you want to be a part of a big plan, then you must fit in whenever. If you get an opportunity, you must take it because you might get more opportunities (at a higher level).”
Just so we are all on the same page, we want a Lion v Bulls @TheCurrieCup final, ne?@IOLsport @TheStar_news pic.twitter.com/yXghLuL2v6
Team insight and progress with Defence Coach Joey Mongalo 🙌 pic.twitter.com/K1qo9p6kMR
— The Sharks (@SharksRugby) September 12, 2024
Play: Vodacom Bulls vs Hollywoodbets Sharks 📸
— Official Blue Bulls (@BlueBullsRugby) September 12, 2024
The rivalry continues on Saturday in the SEMI-FINAL of @TheCurrieCup at LOFTUS 🏆🔥 pic.twitter.com/LxFbofgJPN
Today, the Cup enters the business end of the competition when the Lions host the Free State Cheetahs at Ellis Park (kick-off 2.30pm), followed by the Bulls and Sharks (kick-off 5pm), and both Botha and Matfield know that the anticipation in those teams will be palpable.
“I can tell you,” said Matfield, “if you walked into the corridors of Loftus or Ellis Park this past week, the excitement of a trophy, whether it is winning the Currie Cup or the URC trophy, it will be exactly the same.
“This trophy is very special for any player in South Africa and for any team. That is why you will see all those URC players, all the top players, and the top coaches, involved. They want to win this trophy.
“Ja,” Botha added, “That’s what I love about it – it shows you it is being taken a little bit more seriously.”
It seems then, that this weekend and the the final thereafter, will only add to the myth and legend of rugby’s oldest domestic competition.