Nurturing future Boks
CURRIE CUP: OLDEST RUGBY COMPETITION IN THE WORLD HAS ITS PLACE
Closing out the campaign by winning a thrilling final, the Free State Cheetahs showed once again this year that the Currie Cup competition needs to be treasured and retained as a breeding ground for future Springbok stars.
In a pulsating contest in Bloemfontein in September, the Cheetahs beat the Golden Lions 31-28, with the hosts dominating the first half before the Lions fought back in the second, eventually coming up just short.
The home side held a comfortable 31-7 lead at half-time after tries by hooker Joseph Dweba, wing William Small-Smith, fullback Clayton Blommetjies and lock Walt Steenkamp, while the Lions responded with a solitary try by centre Wandile Simelane in the opening 40 minutes.
In the last nine minutes the Lions almost turned the game on its head, scoring 21 unanswered points through tries by prop Dylan Smith and a brace by replacement flank James Venter, but could not land a knockout blow.
In the semifinals, the Lions had earned a 34-19 victory over Griquas at Ellis Park, while the Cheetahs racked up a 51-30 win over the Sharks in Bloemfontein, while the Blue Bulls, Pumas and Western Province failed to qualify for the knockout rounds.
Griquas were one of the surprise packages of the season, securing victories over the Sharks in Durban (37-13), the Blue Bulls at Loftus (37-15) and Western Province in Kimberley (27-23).
Meanwhile, in the Super Rugby competition, it was not the most productive year for the SA teams.
The Bulls and the Sharks were the only local sides to qualify for the knockout rounds, and with both teams being defeated away from home in the quarterfinals, the Hurricanes edged the Bulls 35-28 and the Sharks went down 38-14 to the Brumbies, there were no SA sides in the semifinals for the first time in four years.
In their absence, the Crusaders went on to beat the Jaguares 19-3 in the final, which saw them capturing the Super Rugby title for a record 10th time and the third year in succession.
For the Lions it was a season of rebuilding after they had reached the final the previous three years.
They settled for ninth place after losing eight of their 16 matches, and they ended fourth on the SA Conference table, which was won for the first time by a non-SA team after Argentine side the Jaguares topped the standings.
The Jaguares raked in a total of 51 points and they were followed in the SA Conference by the Bulls (41 points), the Sharks (37), the Lions and the Stormers (both 35).
The Crusaders, who lost only two matches ahead of the playoffs, topped the New Zealand Conference on 58 points, followed by the Hurricanes on 53, while the Brumbies led the Australia Conference on 48 points followed by the Rebels on 34.
The Bulls’ Handre Pollard emerged as the top points scorer, contributing a total of 170 points, while the leading try scorer was Crusaders wing Sevu Reece who crossed the whitewash 15 times.