WHEN a side starts the rugby season in impressive fashion, provincial rugby fans have, for many years, been quick to point out that the Currie Cup is not won in May.
Well, it has this time been won in January. This past Saturday, the Blue Bulls secured the cup after the final against the Sharks, in Pretoria, went into extra time.
These are unique times for South African rugby, due to COVID-19. Who would have thought we would witness a Currie Cup final on the last Saturday of January?
We could actually have two Currie Cup finals in one year. The one that the Bulls won was supposed to be played last year and if all goes according to plan, come October we will see the real 2021 final (or not?).
The final was full of drama. Not only was it played behind closed doors for the first time, but a stoppage due to lightning and the extra time made for good theatre.
The quality of the rugby was not great throughout the competition. This came as a surprise, after South Africa won the World Cup in 2019 and our rugby could not have been in a better place then.
Sure, COVID-19 and its problems did play a role in this, but the lack of innovation among our top sides was really disappointing.
The official statistics of television viewership numbers are not available yet but I heard of many former supporters who are not supporters anymore. They just found the product that they were watching on television boring.
Many players indicated that the lack of spectators at the ground played a huge role. They needed that encouragement from the stand to perform at their best.
Reading between the lines, some supporters also struggled to get motivated for the matches without access to their favourite beverage due to lockdown restrictions.
For some it is just not the same watching a rugby match on television with a cup of tea in the hand rather than a cold beer.
The appearance of the Springboks would probably help to lift our rugby supporters but sadly the last match they played was back in 2019 in die World Cup final.
After the World Cup we all look forward to the visit of the British and Irish Lions this year. The Lions are supposed to play in Port Elizabeth on July 7, but this tour is in serious doubt now, due to COVID-19.
The rugby might not have been that great, but the Bulls showed us all again what can be done with a simple winning formula.
Good administration leads to money in the bank and if that money can be used wisely when you buy players and a coach, you are on your way.
On the local front the sporting fans in our province have been rather quiet – and for good reason.
The Warriors cricket side hasn’t given us much to smile about and, on the soccer pitch, Chippa United is struggling. It has also been a long time since an Eastern Cape rugby side took the field.
Chippa is in action at home against Free State Stars in the Nedbank Cup on Sunday – hopefully we can smile for a change then.
