The big prize: The Currie Cup trophy
I have been so excited about South Africa’s premier domestic showpiece.
Yes, this feeling of lively and cheerful joy, a state of being emotionally aroused and worked up, has even moved me to break my own tradition and insert a big ‘I’ in my copy.
This is going to be a very special game.
Not just will the best two teams in the country, the Sharks and Blue Bulls, go head-to-head in Durban on Saturday.
But the game will also feature 24 Springboks – 25 internationals if legendary French flyhalf Frederic Michalak is factored into the equation – and 15 of those are World Cup winners.
It has been said several times this week, but it is worth repeating.
The Sharks feature an all-international backline – six Springboks and Michalak. Five of the eight Sharks forwards are Boks and they have another four Boks on the bench, including World Cup-winning captain John Smit.
The Bulls have eight Springboks in their matchday 22 – seven in the starting XV and one-time Bok captain Chiliboy Ralepelle on the bench.
Heck, that array of world class stars will excite anybody. If it doesn’t arouse your senses, you don’t understand the game of Rugby Union.
This game will be of Test match intensity – fierce, brutal and won or lost on a single moment of brilliance.
Having spoken to a number of players and officials on both sides of the fence, I simply couldn’t help but feed off the excitement that has been building in Durban and Pretoria … in fact throughout the country.
Even the many Expats from around the world have been caught up in the moment.
But it is when you speak to the players that you realise just how special this will be.
On the one side you have the world’s foremost wing, Bryan Habana – who scored a record-equalling eight tries at the World Cup last year and was named the International Rugby Board Player of the Year.
He has a World Cup winner’s medal and a Super 14 gold. But he does not have a Currie Cup triumph to his name.
He is like a prized racehorse, ready to bolt.
On the flipside of the coin you have prop Jannie du Plessis. He also has a World Cup winner’s medal and three Currie Cup golds to boot.
His excitement is just as contagious. He is every bit as hungry as Habana.
The Bok wing, Habana, dismissed the notion that this Final may be about setting records straight, personal glory or revenge.
It is simply about performing on one of the world’s most revered stages.
“We just want to go out there and do something special,” Habana told rugby365.com in an exclusive interview this week.
“We know it is going to be a tough encounter, but for however long it is going to take – for 80, 90, 100 or 120 minutes, it is going to be a very tough encounter.
“Both sides have great tight fives, having great forward packs, with some exciting backs playing great rugby at the moment.
“In our team we will be concentrating on what we are doing. Just look at a guy like Fourie du Preez, playing some of the best rugby I’ve seem him play since the World Cup, a guy like Wynand [Olivier], who has picked up the form that saw him become a Springbok, Morné [Steyn] is probably one of the most consistent players in the Currie Cup over the last three months.
“Then there are guys like Zane Kirchner, exciting youngsters, Marius Delport, who has put his hand up.
“Like I said, it is going to be a tight battle, whether it be from structure or playing from turnover ball, it is going to be the team that sticks it out for 80 minutes or more and doing what they’ve been doing well, and not worry too much about what the other side has been doing.
“You just have to concentrate on your own game plan and your own defence, and make sure you work for each other for however long that whistle will blow for.”
Du Plessis seemed to be singing from the same hymn book – well just about every breathing sole in both teams did – when he assessed the two rivals’ prospects in the game.
The prop forward, who won his three Currie Cup medals with the Cheetahs in 2005, 2006 and last year, spoke of the two Ds – discipline and defence.
“In any Final it is about the commitment and things like defence,” Du Plessis told rugby365.com.
“Sound defence in a Final is non negotiable. If your opponents get a try against you, they must know that they worked very hard for it. You can’t afford soft tries in a Final.
“We’ll have to defend like Trojans and make sure they have to work for their points.
“Discipline is another key. A yellow card, or two/three extra penalties, make a huge difference, especially in a game with a player like Morné [Steyn]. He can convert from any angle.
“It is little things like just holding onto the ball momentarily too long or playing the ball and conceding a penalty. You could suddenly find yourselves 10 points behind and in a Final 10 points are very tough to make up – that will place your team under a lot of pressure.”
Players to watch:
For the Sharks: You have 16 internationals in a matchday 22 … you have plenty to watch. There is real value for money here. But the key individuals will be fullback Stefan Terblanche, the steadying influence, centre Francois Steyn, because of his ability to do amazing things, flyhalf Frederic Michalak, the French magician, and No.8 Ryan Kankowski, because of the consummate ease with which he tends to beat defenders. Oh, there’s plenty more, but those are key.
For the Blue Bulls: They certainly also bring great value to the game, but centre Wynand Olivier is the glue that sticks the backline together, wing Bryan Habana is a game-breaker without peer, scrumhalf Fourie du Preez is the general, No.8 Pierre Spies could be a match-winner in his own right, flank Wikus van Heerden is the breakdown key and lock Victor Matfield has dual role of line-out master and captain.
Head to head: The most crucial of all the head-to-heads are the halfbacks – Frederick Michalak and Ruan Pienaar (Sharks) against Morné Steyn and Fourie du Preez (Blue Bulls). You have creative genius against rock solid. Up front the key battle will be Sharks captain Johann Muller against Blue Bulls captain Victor Matfield – both in terms of the set pieces and how they guide those around them.
Most recent play-off meetings:
Finals:
1990: Natal 18 Blue Bulls 12, Pretoria
2003: Blue Bulls 40 Sharks 19, Pretoria
Semifinals:
1970: Northern Transvaal 24 Natal 8, Durban
1998: Blue Bulls 31 Sharks 11, Pretoria
2000: Blue Bulls 22 Natal Sharks 19, Durban
Prediction: Once you sit down and analyse the team, even after you take all the emotion out of it (which tends to be difficult) toy find it hard to counter the argument that the Sharks are favourites. But you never write the Blue Bulls off. The Sharks have won three of their four Currie Cup victories away from home – Pretoria in 1990, Johannesburg 1992 and 1996. Durban’s sole Currie Cup win was in 1995. However, the wise money is on the Sharks, although my mighty Rand is firmly tucked in my pocket and will stay there. This will be close, but I suspect the Sharks will sneak it and win by five points with a late try.
Teams:
Sharks: 15 Stefan Terblanche, 14 Odwa Ndungane, 13 Adrian Jacobs, 12 Francois Steyn, 11 JP Pietersen, 10 Frederic Michalak, 9 Ruan Pienaar, 8 Ryan Kankowski, 7 Jean Deysel, 6 Jacques Botes, 5 Johann Muller (captain), 4 Steven Sykes, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 1 Tendai Mtawarira.
Replacements: 16 John Smit, 17 Deon Carstens, 18 Albert van den Berg, 19 Keegan Daniel, 20 Rory Kockott, 21 Bradley Barritt, 22 Waylon Murray.
Blue Bulls: 15 Zane Kirchner, 14 John Mametsa, 13 Marius Delport, 12 Wynand Olivier, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Morné Steyn, 9 Fourie du Preez, 8 Pierre Spies, 7 Wikus van Heerden, 6 Deon Stegmann, 5 Victor Matfield (captain), 4 Danie Rossouw, 3 Rayno Gerber, 2 Derick Kuün, 1 Gurthrö Steenkamp.
Replacements: 16 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 17 Werner Kruger, 18 Juandré Kruger, 19 Dewald Potgieter, 20 Heini Adams, 21 Burton Francis, 22 Tiger Mangweni.
Date: Saturday, October 25
Venue: Absa Stadium, Durban
Kick-off: 16.30 (14.30 GMT)
Weather: There’s a 35 percent chance of rain. High of 18°C, low of 16°C
Referee: Jonathan Kaplan
Touch judges: Joey Salmans, JC Fortuin
TMO: Shaun Veldsman