In a time of Covid and cancelled games, is it fair to crown a champion team?
Unlocked champions, the Bulls, were the only team of the genuine contenders to play all their matches in the schedule.
The Bulls celebrate after securing their first major title in a decade. Picture: Gallo Images
The Currie Cup fixture list has been viewed as extremely lopsided, and perhaps even controversial, with log points also being carried over from the Super Rugby Unlocked series. Is that fair?
After winning the revised domestic Super Rugby Unlocked competition, the Blue Bulls will start the Currie Cup in the pound seats, courtesy of the number of log points they managed to carry over.
The playing field just doesn’t seem to be level, but as Bulls Director of Rugby Jake White argued, it worked out the same for all the teams.
But that may not be entirely true, because the Bulls and bottom-placed Griquas were the only teams to have completed all six of their scheduled matches.
Teams like the Lions only played four and the remaining teams, the Stormers, Sharks, Cheetahs and Pumas, just five.
The Bulls were also the only team who were allowed by SA Rugby to reschedule their Covid-19-affected game against the Pumas.
With the fixtures now reversed, the Bulls will play four away games in the Currie Cup, with only the away games against Western Province and the Sharks regarded as potentially challenging and they may even afford to drop a game or two.
Western Province have four home games in what is effectively a second round of Super Rugby Unlocked, but their two away matches against the Cheetahs and the Lions could pose speed bumps for them.
Defending champions the Cheetahs only have to play away to the Blue Bulls, but welcome the Lions, Province and the Sharks to Bloemfontein.
The Sharks, however, could also find the going tough, having to play away to the Lions, Province and Cheetahs and their only “big” home game will be against the Blue Bulls.
The Lions will have to make the most of their only two home games, but even those are tough assignments against the Sharks and Province. Two of their four away games are against the Blue Bulls at the intimidating Loftus bullring, while they will also have to travel to Bloemfontein to face the defending champions, the Cheetahs.
There is no doubt the Blue Bulls will start as overwhelming favourites to host their first Currie Cup final at Loftus since 2009, where they overwhelmed the Cheetahs, but their away record will be under the microscope.
In their only away games in the Unlocked series, the Bulls lost to the Cheetahs and also underwhelmed against a fired-up Lions outfit at Ellis Park.
With three games already cancelled in the Unlocked stage, there is no guarantee that there won’t be more disruptions in the Currie Cup, which could eventually play a massive role in the final outcome of the competition.
Will Covid be the winner (again) or will the Blue Bulls win the Currie Cup fair and square this time?
You be the judge.
Rudolph Jacobs
For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.
