Fans looking forward to Currie Cup final

Chris Oris will be cheering the Sharks in the Currie Cup final this weekend. The Sharks secured a second successive Currie Cup final spot.

WITH the Sharks set to take on Western Province tomorrow in the Currie Cup final, excitement has been building, with old and new fans alike hoping the boys from the East Coast take the trophy this weekend.

One of those new fans is Chris Oris, from Belgium. The 39-year-old said he was converted to the sport of rugby by his friend, Kurt Beeckmans, also from Belgium. Oris said his friend was converted by his Durban-born wife and also became a supporter.

He said Beeckmans had developed such a passion for the game that he now coached young children in Brussels. Although he lives in Antwerp, he often visits his friend in Brussels.

“Every time I visit him, he invites me for a braai,” Oris said. He was at the Shark Cage to buy some clothes for a friend’s daughter yesterday.

Recalling last week’s semi-final win over the Lions, Oris said he was highly impressed by the atmosphere at Kings Park Stadium. “It is an unbelievable feeling,” he said.

Oris, an engineer, said he was impressed by how children were allowed to play on the pitch after the game, how the players interacted with the fans afterwards and the diversity of the supporters.

He said he hoped that the Sharks would run out winners against Western Province.

The teams would be playing in their second final in as many years.

Last year, the boys from the Cape ran out winners in Durban and the Sharks will hope to turn things around this year.

Junaid Motala, from the Shark Cage, said they had been doing brisk trade in the build-up to the game. “Everything with Sharks on it is going,” he said.

Motala said he expected the most sales today, but the store would be open tomorrow for people who wanted to do last-minute shopping.