Little time to recharge the rugby battery

In a Covid-changed world, this is the time that our top teams are reflecting and doing their “post-mortems” following the completion of the Currie Cup competition last weekend.

The Bulls, no doubt, will enjoy a most favourable review and if social media is any indication, they are still celebrating their Currie Cup win of last week – and so they should.

But even they need a rest after one of the most bizarre seasons in our history.

It’s not long now and they’ll be back in “pre-season” – at a time when normally in the past they’d be playing in the early rounds of Super Rugby.

Bulls coach Jake White pointed out recently his team would be back in the thick of it soon, and it would be all-out action for the next 10 months.

Up ahead is the Franchise Cup, the Rainbow Cup, the Pro16 (possibly) another Currie Cup, and then hopefully the big event, the British and Irish Lions tour.

For losing Currie Cup finalists, the Sharks, there will also be a mostly positive review, having come so close after a Covid-interrupted season and the rise of stars like lock JJ van der Mescht and flank Dylan Richardson.

But for losing semifinalists the Lions and Western Province, there will be mixed reviews after being beaten in the penultimate round.

The Lions will look back at the emergence of a new fullback Tiaan Swanepoel as a big positive, while the improvement of scrumhalf Morne van der Berg will also get a tick, but have sadly lost experienced lock Marvin Orie.

For Province, the review will focus on too many below-par performances, with the financial turmoil at the union no doubt playing a big role in players’ mindsets.

They, too, have lost a big player in flank Jaco Coetzee, who has moved to Bath.

There are also still strong rumours linking Springbok captain Siya Kolisi to the Sharks and hooker Bongi Mbonambi and fullback Damian Willemse to the Bulls.

The Cheetahs faced a number of challenges and failed to make the playoffs this year.

They lost their ProRugby status, and a bunch of top players because of it, while the knee injury to veteran Bok scrumhalf Ruan Pienaar didn’t help their cause.

The Pumas, with three wins, and the winless Griquas battled on with limited player depth and ran a few of the big teams close,

The introduction of the EP Elephants in the Franchise Cup may inject a new lease of life into the local competition.