The Currie Cup will be expanded to a 15-team competition in 2016, with Rugby World Cup participants Namibia included once more.
That was the decision made by the South African Rugby Union’s (Saru) General Council during a meeting in Cape Town on Friday.
The change in the Currie Cup format has resulted in the Vodacom Cup being discontinued, which has to be questioned as that tournament was a good breeding ground for young talent who didn’t make the cut for the Super Rugby teams and were not associated with Varsity Cup squads.
All 14 provincial unions will play against each other in the Currie Cup first round, which will start on April 9 and end on July 23.
But, crucially, the log points accrued in the first round will not be carried over to the second. So, the first round serves merely as a long-winded qualifying process for the Premier Division, and should be seen as a different incarnation of the Vodacom Cup.
The six Super Rugby franchise unions - Western Province, Eastern Province, The Sharks, Free State Cheetahs, Blue Bulls and Golden Lions - will automatically be included in the Premier Division regardless of their performances in the first round.
They will be joined by three other teams, who don’t host franchises, with the most log points from the first round in the Premier Division, with the remaining six teams contesting the First Division for the Currie Cup trophy.
The one positive outcome of this format is that it gives smaller unions such as Boland and the Griffons a reasonable chance of reaching the Premier Division if they are able to attract quality players, coaches and resources.
