2010 SA Currie Cup Competition

[rustycruiser]

8 - 7 to EP after 15 minutes of the first promotion/relegation match. Dumond has missed a penalty and a more difficult conversion from the touchline so far. One try each. The boys from PE have already lost captain Zwandile Stick to a clavicle injury. I really hope EP can make the jump up to the premier division. Been years since EP was any good. 25 years plus since I used to watch Garth Wright, Domkrag Frans Erasmus and Danie van Despatch at Boet Erasmus. (before he was poached by Province)

Edit : make that 15 - 7 after another EP try. Pumas having trouble with the EP outside pace.

 

[rustycruiser]

20 - 12 to EP after 36 minutes after the Pumas maul over the line for a try. Watts also missed the conversion.

 

[rustycruiser]

Pumas score right at the start of the second half. Conversion missed again.

20 - 17 to EP.

 

[rustycruiser]

Another Pumas try.

EP better pull finger. The Pumas have upped the pace and intensity coming out of the half.

22 - 20 to the Pumas after 45 min

 

[rustycruiser]

Another Pumas try. 29 - 23 after 55 minutes. Bugger.

 

[rustycruiser]

33 all is the final score. Rematch is next Saturday in Port Elizabeth.

 

[PaarlBok]

Only saw Rusty posted now on the EP match. Dont worry Boet, they have one foot in the prem league.

Saturday is CC finals days"

Some history and facts:

Facts on the 2010 Absa Currie Cup Premier Division Final:

� This will be the 50th Absa Currie Cup Final since the advent of finals in this competition in 1939. The Sharks have played in 12 finals before, while Vodacom Western Province will make their 22nd appearance in an Absa Currie Cup Final. The Durban side have won five titles from those finals, with the Cape team winning 12 out of 21 (which includes two shared titles).

� The Sharks and Vodacom Western Province have competed against each other in three Absa Currie Cup Finals, the most recent being in 2001. The Durban side were victorious in one final (1995) while Province have won two finals (2000 & 2001).

� Thirteen Sharks players (from their expected match day 22) have previous Absa Currie Cup Final experience. Only four Vodacom Western Province players in their expected match day 22 have been involved in an Absa Currie Cup Final before this weekend.

� Fifteen of the Vodacom WP players selected for Saturday´s Absa Currie Cup Final were part of the Vodacom Stormers team that conceded a 25-17 defeat against the Vodacom Bulls in this year´s Vodacom Super 14 Final played at the Orlando Stadium in Soweto.

� Eleven players in The Sharks´ expected squad for this Absa Currie Cup Final have tasted victory in a final before. boasts a total of 13 Absa Currie Cup winner medals, while three players with Vodacom Western Province have been on the winning side in a final - incidentally all of them for other provinces.

� Prop Jannie du Plessis have four winning medals (three for the Vodacom Free State Cheetahs in 2005, 2006 and 2007, and one for The Sharks in 2008). In the Vodacom WP side, flyhalf Willem de Waal has three (all for the Vodacom Free State Cheetahs in 2005, 2006 and 2007), while winger Bryan Habana (Vodacom Blue Bulls in 2009) and No 8 Duane Vermeulen (Vodacom Free State Cheetahs in 2007) have one each.

� Jannie du Plessis will be the most experienced Sharks player in terms of finals played (2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008). Stefan Terblanche, who is the only survivor of the 2000 and 2001 finals, will be playing in his fourth Absa Currie Cup Final. He played centre in 2000, left-wing in 2001 and fullback for the Durban side during the 2008 final against the Vodacom Blue Bulls.

� De Waal will be playing in his fifth Absa Currie Cup Final after representing the Vodacom Free Cheetahs in the 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007 finals. Habana will be playing in his fourth (2005, 2008 and 2009 for the Vodacom Blue Bulls).

� This Absa Currie Cup Final will be Andries Strauss´ (The Sharks) and De Waal´s (Vodacom WP) last match for their respective teams. Strauss will be going back to the Free State, where he grew up and started his career while Province´s pivot is set to continue his rugby in Italy next year.

� De Waal is the leading points´ scorer (215) in the 2010 Absa Currie Cup competition. The flyhalf converted 34 tries and also kicked 49 penalties. He was also the top points-scorer in Absa Currie Cup in 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007. The Sharks utility back Patrick Lambie is the second leading points´ scorer this season with 180 points (three tries, 33 conversions and 30 penalties).

� The Sharks have scored the most tries (63) in the 2010 Absa Currie Cup and have also added the second most points by any team (508) this season. The Cape Town side have scored 62 tries (second place) and scored the most points (551) in 2010.

� Sharks winger Lwazi Mvovo (The Sharks) is second on the list of leading try-scorers this season with 12 tries. Other leading try-scorers who are likely to appear in the final are Gio Aplon (WP) who is third on the list with nine tries, Keegan Daniel (Sharks), who has scored eight and is fourth, as well as Odwa Ndungane (Sharks) with seven tries (fifth).

� Theuns Stofberg is the only player to have won the Absa Currie Cup with three different provinces. He won titles with Free State (1976), Northern Transvaal (1979 and 1980) and Western Province (1982 and 1983). Former Springbok winger James Small is the only other player to have played in three Absa Currie Cup Finals for three different provinces - Transvaal, Natal and WP - but he never won a title with Transvaal.
� No player has ever scored more than two tries in an Absa Currie Cup Final. Buddy Swartz was the first to score a brace in a final - in 1970 for Griquas against Northern Transvaal. Edrich Krantz scored two Northern Transvaal against Western Province in 1980. Andre Venter added two for Free State in the 1994 final against Transvaal, Thinus Delport for the Golden Lions against the Sharks in 1999, Breyton Paulse for WP in their 2000 final victory over the Sharks and the late Ettienne Botha did it twice - in the 2003 final against the Sharks and in 2004 during the Absa Currie Cup final against the Free State Cheetahs. Bryan Habana scored two for the Vodacom Blue Bulls against the Vodacom Free State Cheetahs in last year´s final.

� Only four players in history have scored tries in finals for two different teams. Otto van Niekerk scored two tries for Transvaal in the 1939 final against WP and one for Province in the 1947 final against Transvaal. Edrich Krantz scored one try for Free State in the 1976 final against Western Province and two tries for Northern Transvaal against WP in the 1980 final. Gerbrand Grobler, the only player in history to represent his province in a Currie Cup final in rugby and cricket, scored a try for Northern Transvaal in 1990 against Natal and a try for Transvaal against Free State in 1994. AJ Venter scored a try for the Golden Lions in the 1999 final against The Sharks and a try for the Durban side in the 2003 final against the Blue Bulls. Habana can become the fifth player to achieve this feat.

� Craig Joubert, who refereed the Vodacom Super 14 final earlier this year, will take charge of the 2010 Absa Currie Cup Final for the first time in his career.

� Andre Watson, who refereed two IRB Rugby World Cup Finals, has refereed in seven Absa Currie Cup Finals followed by Steve Strydom (six), Freek Burger (five) and Jonathan Kaplan (five). Tappe Henning was the referee in the 1995 final between The Sharks and WP while Watson was in charge of the 2000 and 2001 finals between these two teams.

Click on a link below to download the corresponding document:

Absa Currie Cup Finals History

Absa Currie Cup Winners from 1891 to 2009

Absa Currie Cup Season (2010):

The Sharks´ recent form at The Absa Stadium Durban:

� The hosts have not lost at home this season. They beat the Vodacom Blue Bulls (16-12 in the semi-final), Platinum Leopards (63-6), Vodacom Free State Cheetahs (30-16), GWK Griquas (48-30), Vodacom Western Province (27-16), Xerox Lions (48-19), Vodacom Blue Bulls (34-28) and the Barloworld Toyota Pumas (27-17).

� The Sharks lost twice in Durban in 2009 - against Vodacom Western Province and the Vodacom Free State Cheetahs (semi-final).

Vodacom Western Province´s recent form on the road:

� The Cape side secured four victories on the road during this season´s competition - against the Barloworld Toyota Pumas (62-10), GWK Griquas (50-3), Vodacom Free State Cheetahs (25-11) and against the Platinum Leopards (42-23).

� The visitors conceded three away defeats - against the Vodacom Blue Bulls (36-32) in Pretoria, The Sharks (27-16) in Durban and the Xerox Lions (46-28) in Johannesburg.

� Vodacom WP achieved three away victories, against the Boland Kavaliers, Platinum Leopards and The Sharks, in last year´s Absa Currie Cup.

Absa Currie Cup Finals Stats:

Most points´ scored in an Absa Currie Cup final:

26 - Derick Hougaard, Blue Bulls vs Lions 2002 (1 try, 2 drop goals, 5 pen)
24 - Naas Botha, Blue Bulls vs Golden Lions 1987 (4 drop goals, 4 penalties)
24 - Braam van Straaten, Western Province vs Sharks 2001 (1 try, 2 con, 5 pen)
21 - Gavin Johnson, Golden Lions vs Free State 1994 (6 conversions, 3 penalties)
21 - Morné Steyn, Blue Bulls vs Cheetahs 2009 (3 con, 4 pen, 1 drop goal)
20 - Thierry Lacroix , Natal vs Western Province 1995 (6 penalties, 1 conversion)
19 - Naas Botha, Blue Bulls vs WP 1980 (2 con, 3 pen, 2 drop goals)
19 - Willem de Waal, Cheetahs vs Blue Bulls 2005 (5 penalties, 2 conversions)
18 - De Wet Ras, Free State vs WP 1976 (3 con, 3 pen, drop goal)
18 - Henry Honiball, Natal vs Gauteng Lions 1996 (3 conversions, 4 penalties)
17 - Gerald Bosch, Golden Lions vs Falcons 1972 (1 con, 2 pen, 3 drop goals)

Most successful Absa Currie Cup coaches: Brig. Buurman van Zyl, Blue Bulls - 9 wins & 2 draws; 1968-1981
Dawie Snyman, Western Province - 5 consecutive wins; 1982-1986
Ian McIntosh, Natal - 4 wins; 1990-1996
Heyneke Meyer, Blue Bulls - 3 consecutive wins and 1 draw; 2002-2006

Youngest winning Absa Currie Cup Coaches: 32 years 351 days - Rassie Erasmus (5/11/1972), Free State Cheetahs on 22/10/2005
33 years 89 days - Dawie Snyman (5/7/1949), Western Province on 2/10/1982

Most finals as a referee: 7 - André Watson (Falcons/Saru)
6 - Steve Strydom (Free State)
5 - Freek Burger (WP), Jonathan Kaplan (SARU)
3 - Jimmy Smith-Belton (EP), Gert Bezuidenhout (Tvl)

 

[rustycruiser]

Pat Cilliers and Michael Rhodes have both signed for the Lions after being released by the Sharks. Good signings by the Lions. Cilliers has lots of potential but has been hampered by injury, and Rhodes hasn't had the opportunity at the Sharks with all the loosies in front of him. The Sharks don't have the money to hold onto them, with JL Potgieter, Meyer Bosman, and Conrad Hoffman all arriving in Durban for next season.

 

[rustycruiser]

Money for the Sharks is also only going to get worse. It was announced today:

Sharks, Absa part ways

Absa have ended their 11-year sponsorship deal with the Sharks.

The 11-year sponsorship deal between the Sharks and Absa has ended, the KwaZulu-Natal-based rugby union announced on Tuesday.

Absa was no longer interested in holding the stadium's naming rights, which meant the Sharks would be looking for a new sponsor before next year's Super 15 competition, the union said in a statement.

The announcement comes in the lead up to the Currie Cup final being held at the Absa stadium (formerly known as Kings Park) in Durban between the Sharks and Western Province on Saturday. – Sapa

 

[PaarlBok]

Money for the Sharks is also only going to get worse. It was announced today:

This is sad Boet really sad. Absa CEO is Trevor Manuel Mrs and pretty sure it have all to do to try and force them in the Poofball Stadium. Myself understand she is pretty satisfied with the Brutes BEE effort:

In 'n eksklusiewe onderhoud het Maria Ramos, grootbaas van ABSA, erken dat kwotas wel afgedwing word op die Currie Beker reeks.

Een keer elke 5 jaar MOET die Bulle terugstaan, sodat 'n "previously disadvantage" span in die finaal kan speel.

Understand Phillip Burger is also on his way to the Lions via Jauzy.

 

[Blue]

This is sad Boet really sad. Absa CEO is Trevor Manuel Mrs and pretty sure it have all to do to try and force them in the Poofball Stadium. Myself understand she is pretty satisfied with the Brutes BEE effort:



Understand Phillip Burger is also on his way to the Lions via Jauzy.

Burger seemed to struggle to get a start in France so not surprised.

 

[rustycruiser]

I thought it more likely that the limited ABSA sponsorship money pool has been redirected now that they are taking over the Springbok jersey rights from Sasol. So now they are naming sponsors for the Boks and the Currie Cup. Who needs Kings Park when you have the two biggest brands in SA rugby? But then again, after ABSAs recent ridiculous foray into quotas and transformation in the Currie Cup, I wouldn't put it past them to have a political agenda re the white elephant in Durban. (as opposed to the white elephant in Cape Town, the white elephant in Pietersburg, the white elephant in Nelspruit etc etc)

 

[PaarlBok]

I thought it more likely that the limited ABSA sponsorship money pool has been redirected now that they are taking over the Springbok jersey rights from Sasol. So now they are naming sponsors for the Boks and the Currie Cup. Who needs Kings Park when you have the two biggest brands in SA rugby? But then again, after ABSAs recent ridiculous foray into quotas and transformation in the Currie Cup, I wouldn't put it past them to have a political agenda re the white elephant in Durban. (as opposed to the white elephant in Cape Town, the white elephant in Pietersburg, the white elephant in Nelspruit etc etc)

For sure Boet, I have no doubts, they tried to push this qouta thing. I just hope WP and the Sharks admin stick to Newlands and Kings Park.

 

[PaarlBok]

We are going to have a full day on saturday. All my favourate teams in action and hope I'll be dead comes saturday 19h00, Waikato vs Auckland, All Blacks vs Wallabies, U19s final, U21s final and then the big one and all this live on MNet starting at 08h15 SA time.

Brutes youth teams for the finals

Brutes U21s
Andries Coetzee, Sampie Mastriet, Adri Jacobs, Francois Brummer, Gerhard van den Heever, Marnitz Boshoff (c), Danie Faasen, Jono Ross, Marnus Schoeman, CJ Stander, Cornell Hess, Andries Ferreira, Rossouw de Klerk, AJ le Roux, Morné Mellett. Replacements: Robbie Coetzee, Vincent Koch, Franco Mostert, Tendayi Chikukwa, Whestley Moolman, Simphiwe Mtimkulu, Willie Nel.

Brutes U19:
Pieter van der Walt, Courtnall Skosan, Bradley Moolman, Francois Venter, Mauritz Lombard, Tony Jantjies, Lohan Jacobs, Arno Botha (c), JP le Grange, Lean Schwartz, José Julies, Schalk van Heerden, Stephanus Pretorius,Jacques Momberg, Juan Schoeman. Replacements: Bongo Mbonambi, Dandré van der Westhuizen, JJ Breet, GF Bondesio, Rudi van Rooyen, Franco Maritz, Pieter Oosthuizen.

 

[PaarlBok]

WP teams
15. Conrad Jantjes
14. Gio Aplon
13. Juan De Jongh
12. Jean De Villiers
11. Bryan Habana
10. Willem De Waal
9. Ricky Januarie
8. Duane Vermeulen
7. Francois Louw
6. Schalk Burger (C)
5. Anton van Zyl
4. Adriaan Fondse
3. Brok Harris
2. Deon Fourie
1. JD Moller

Reserves:
16. Hanyani Shimange
17. JC Kritzinger
18. De Kock Steenkamp
19. Pieter Louw
20. Dewaldt Duvenage
21. Lionel Cronje
22. Paul Bosch

Vodacom WP u21

15. Martin Du Toit
14. Danie Poolman
13. Johan Sadie
12. Berton Klaasen
11. JJ Engelbrecht
10. Gary Van Aswegen
9. Louis Schreuder (C)
8. Nick Koster
7. Yaya Hartzenberg
6. Wimpie Van Der Walt
5. Reniel Hugo
4. Quinn Roux
3. Tom Botha
2. Sidney Tobias
1. Alistair Vermaak

Reserves:
16. Albe De Swardt
17. Ruan Smith
18. Stephan Greeff
19. Tertius Daniller
20. Nicholas Groom
21. Reuben Johannes
22. Stokkies Hanekom

Vodacom WP u19

15. Ulrich Beyers
14. Clearance Khumalo
13. Michael Van Der Spuy
12. Sam Lane
11. Sizo Maseko
10. William Van Wyk
9. Ricky Schroeder (C)
8. Siyamtanda Kolisi
7. Nizaam Carr
6. Kobus Porter
5. Wilhelm Van Der Sluys
4. Eben Etzebeth
3. Frans Malherbe
2. Siyabonga Ntubeni
1. Adriaan Botha

Reserves:
16. Neil Rautenbach
17. Jacques Kotze
18. Cameron Lindsay
19. Jody Reyneke
20. Gerhard Jordaan
21. Damian De Allende
22. Pieter-Steyn De Wet

 

[Bowside]

A very strong WP team if I may say so.

Reading this thread just makes me sad that australia can not produce a competition stooped in such history and prestige. Should be a cracking game this weekend.

 

[PaarlBok]

A very strong WP team if I may say so.

Reading this thread just makes me sad that australia can not produce a competition stooped in such history and prestige. Should be a cracking game this weekend.

We gave them 10 points lead with Januarie in 9.

WP have all the game breakers at the back, hope we plays wide as much as possible and plays like in the semi against the Tin Ears. The Sharks will bash it up with Battleship, Alberts & the Beast all day and this is where our defense have to take them back, Schalk, Vermeulen and the fatties all important. We may struggle in the tight 5 and if we can get 40%+ possesion we'll take them. No stupid up and under rugby.

 

[PaarlBok]

A bit of history about the CC

Rugby365

Currie - The Man and the Cup

Sir Donald Currie's donation: The Currie Cup trophy

Who or what is the Currie Cup named after? When did it first begin? rugby365.com's historian Paul Dobson tracks back in time to bring you the definitive history of the Currie Cup trophy and the man it is named after.

The Currie Cup is named after a man and was from the beginning a sponsor's trophy. That is surprising considering the aggressive amateurism of the 1890s, at a time when rugby league was being born.

Donald Currie was born in Glasgow on 17 September 1825, the third son of a Greenock barber.

His family moved to Belfast when he was an infant. There his father is recorded as "Hairdresser and Perfumer apparently successfully as the father of six sons and four daughters".

Donald spent his school days in Belfast at the Belfast Academy and later at the Royal Belfast Academical Institution. He left school at the age of 14 and went back to Glasgow to his mother's brother John Martin of the sugar firm Hoyle, Martin & Co. and worked in a counting house of a sugar firm, called McFie. His oldest brother Alexander was also there.

Ships fascinated young Donald and he went to Liverpool to join his brother James in the employ of the Cunard Line which was then a small affair. Then he began to move round in the shipping world, going up rapidly till he formed his own steamship company in 1862. It was called Donald Currie and Co, initially involved in North Sea and Atlantic shipping.

In 1872 Donald Currie introduced his steamers to the Cape Town run as the Castle Line, in competition with the Union Line to be the mail-carrying ships. Later, on 8 March 1900, he joined with the Union Line to form the famous Union-Castle Line. He was knighted in 1881, taking Thorough as his motto.

In 1887 he came to South Africa for the first time. When the first cricket team came to South Africa the following year, Sir Donald gave the (captain), Major Warton, a cup to present to the team which played best against the tourists with the intention that it become a floating trophy for interprovincial competition. That was the first Currie Cup.

On 19 June 1891 the Dunottar Castle left Southampton with precious cargo - the touring British team and the Currie Cup with the same conditions as had applied to the cricket cup. The Currie Cup became the Holy Grail of South African rugby, especially during the years when few Tests were played. It was valued at £40.

Currie travelled from London to Southampton and during a farewell luncheon on board the Dunottar Castle he handed the Cup to the captain, WE Maclagan, also a Scot. The whole thing was done with great publicity as Currie sought to steal the march on the Union Line. The Cup was a sponsor's tool. Over the years it has lost the sponsor feel and has even attracted a further sponsor's name - the Absa Currie Cup.

Never in the history of sport have so many played with so much passion over so many years for so little! It is a humble cup, the Currie Cup. The top is gold-plated silver, the base wood, and was put on display in Burmeister's Jewellers in Adderley Street, Cape Town upon its arrival. Nowadays it is insured for R100,000, though, of course, it is impossible to put a monetary value on it.

No team beat the 1891 tourists, but they reckoned that Griqualand West had played best against them, perhaps a diplomatic decision as Kimberley was then in the thrall of men such as Cecil John Rhodes and Barney Barnato. After all mining had added much to Currie's wealth.

Griquas were loath to part with it to fulfil Currie's conditions that it be used for interprovincial competition but eventually they gave in. Teams since then have also been reluctant to part with the Currie Cup.

Sir Donald Currie, GCMG, who made greater wealth from gold and diamonds than from shipping, was a member of Parliament for West Perthshire. He died in Sidmouth, Devon, on 13 April 1909. A special memorial service was held in St Paul's Cathedral in honour of Sir Donald Currie.

King Edward VII and the Prince of Wales sent messages of condolence. His body was taken back to Scotland, where he was buried, not in a posh cathedral, but outside a small church outside the small village of Fortingall near Pitlochry in the highlands of Scotland. The grave is under a yew tree which thought to be the oldest living vegetation in Europe, possibly over five thousand years old. Currie had built the village the year before the tour at a spot where the Romans had once camped, thought to be the birthplace of Pontius Pilate, which was probably an anachronism.

There is nothing anachronistic about Sir Donald's Cup. The Currie Cup is alive and well and living in South Africa.

 

[Nusadan]

His body was taken back to Scotland, where he was buried, not in a posh cathedral, but outside a small church outside the small village of Fortingall near Pitlochry in the highlands of Scotland.

It's not far from where I am now...should make it a day trip out there...and take a picture and post it here?

 

[stoff]

It's not far from where I am now...should make it a day trip out there...and take a picture and post it here?

A bit OT, but where in Scotland are you? I spent some time and have friends in Aberfeldy which is only about 15km from Pitlochry.