Even though they will not make the play-offs of the Currie Cup, Western Province are partially satisfied with their campaign to blood new players ahead of the United Rugby Championship (URC).
Their hopes of finishing among the top four teams in the domestic competition ended this past Saturday after a loss to the Sharks at home, but being able to develop talent that could feature in their URC and Champions Cup campaigns was the priority.
The URC starts in just under a month and with a long list of injuries and players who departed, the Cape side looks a bit light in certain positions – especially loose forward – but director of rugby John Dobson confirmed they won't be bringing in mercenaries but rather focus on the talent that put their hand up during the Currie Cup,
Springboks Evan Roos, Deon Fourie and talented rookie Keke Morabe are some loose forwards not available for the start of the URC, while the likes of Junior Pokomela, Hacjivah Dayimani and Nama Xaba left for greener pastures.
“The Currie Cup has been a tough campaign for us,” Dobson said.
“When we looked at the competition fixtures, it was a bit tough to see the final on the same day as the first URC match. With the squad we have and our investment in the youngsters and retaining them, and making a few new Springboks, we knew it was going to be tough to do both.
“So there was an opportunity to bring guys through to see if they can play URC rugby or not.”
“So there was an opportunity to bring guys through to see if they can play URC rugby or not. From that point of view, we are delighted where we are.
“We had 48 players unavailable for the Currie Cup for good and bad reasons, like the Springboks, URC players resting and preparing for the new season, and then injuries.
Stormers director of rugby John Dobson gives an update on where the squad is after a tough #CurrieCup campaign where they focused on young players to build #URC and #ChampionsCup depth pic.twitter.com/VrqTmJqjw5
— Leighton Koopman (@Leighton_K) August 26, 2024
“But it was special seeing some youngsters come through the way they have, and it confirmed that they can play URC and have a big future.”
As part of their pre-season warm-up matches, the players who rested could feature in the final two Currie Cup games over the next two weekends when WP face the Pumas (Sunday) and Griquas in Stellenbosch and Kimberley, respectively.
The Bulls, meanwhile, are bracing for a big fight for the top spot in the Currie Cup against the Lions in Pretoria on Friday.
After going unbeaten for eight games, the log leaders secured their play-off place, and a win at Midstream College should secure them first place after the round robin matches and home-ground advantage in the knockouts until the final at least.
With the URC starting in three weeks, the Bulls players know there are bigger opportunities to play for, but their focus remains on the Currie Cup and taking on the Lions in the Jukskei derby (kick-off 5.15pm).
“We are still unbeaten, so we can’t complain if we win every week, but it takes hard work and everyone being on the same page,” scrumhalf Keegan Johannes said.
“We are in the competition to win and not just to compete, so all our focus is on winning the Currie Cup. This is a vital game because the Lions are putting a lot of pressure on us wanting to end up on top, too. We have been doing well in finding solutions to win games and we will stick to that.”