Waiting for the last roll of the Currie Cup dice

The conclusion of this year’s Currie Cup competition might produce an event we haven’t witnessed for close to a quarter of a century. The competition has been marred by postponements and matches being cancelled due to the Covid pandemic, but if everything goes according to plan, the final will be held on 23 January.

The Bulls and Western Province are regarded as the hot favourites to advance to the final on condition they get past the Lions and the Sharks (if they play) respectively in next weekend’s semifinals.

And, if they do make the most of their home ground advantage it will be the fi rst time in 23 years – since 1998 – that the Bulls and Province will contest the final.

The fact that these traditional powerhouses of SA Rugby haven’t contested the showpiece of the local calendar is due to various factors, including the Bulls’ slump of the last 11 years.

Back in ’98 the Bulls won the final 24-20 at Loftus Versfeld in a game where the men in blue were captained by the late Bok legend Joost van der Westhuizen and coached by Eugene van Wyk.

If the final ends up being held in Pretoria, it will be the fi rst time that Loftus hosts the deciding game since 2009 – when the Bulls beat the Cheetahs 36-24; the Bulls’ last triumph in the competition.

Covid however could still play a part before the final is contested, with the Sharks’ participation in the semifinal against Province next weekend already in doubt after the teams’ final round-robin game, scheduled for this weekend, was cancelled.

And because there are no log points at play in a semifinal, a cancelled match ( because of Covid) would result in Western Province advancing to the final.

The Bulls, too, face challenges ahead of their semifinal (against the Lions in Pretoria next week). Because of the Bulls’ final game against the Pumas in Nelspruit taking place on Sunday they will have to wait until Tuesday to do their customary round of Covid testing.

The regulations state that Covid testing can only be done 48 hours after a match, which could shorten the Bulls’ training time a great deal in the days before the fi nal.

The Lions did their testing yesterday because their final game against the Bulls took place on Wednesday, which would leave them with more time to recuperate and prepare – and knowing what the status is of their squad.

Maybe we haven’t seen the last roll of the dice yet.