Watching Saturday’s Currie Cup rugby final between Western Province and the Blue Bulls at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria is sure to leave one with the feeling of just alighting from a time machine.
The Bulls, or Northern Transvaal as they were then called, and Province last sized each other up in a Currie Cup final nine years ago at Newlands. As pundits may recall, the match was drawn 16-16.
Saturday will bring with it what we have come to expect from these two giants, who, in the last two seasons, seem to have woken from a long slumber. The Bulls in particular have played rugby reminiscent of their glory days and, apart from a stumble in the closing stages of the competition, have looked like the real deal.
Defending champions Province have come on the boil at just the right time, with the prodigiously gifted Bobby Skinstad giving the side a seemingly divine ability to demolish anything in their path.
The return of Corne Krige, and the devastating defence of Kiwi Duane Monkley coupled with Skinstad’s ability to turn a match in a blink, are the reasons why my money is on Province.
The Bulls have shown that they can withstand pressure to win a match, like the semifinal against Natal, but one must keep in mind that the turnaround came after the pressure on Franco Smith was lessened somewhat by the loss of Henry Honiball.
And this is where the key lies. The Province loosies, particularly Monkley, will be gunning for Smith, and if Christian Stewart at flyhalf can continue his dazzling run of form, the Bulls will not lift the Cup.
Stewart, Robbie Fleck and Andy Marinos have arguably evolved into three of the toughest tacklers in the competition, and it will be a battle royal in midfield with Andre Snyman and Danie van Schalkwyk having to soak up the pressure.
Up front the Bulls will have their work cut out for them, Pierre Ribbens and Piet Boer, despite what the Pretoria press may lead you to believe, are not rocks of Gibraltar and they will struggle against Marius Hurter and Toks van der Linde.
Boer may well have oodles of spirit, and while this may come in handy in crashing through a tackle or two, it is certainly of little use when going backwards.
But there is one thing that could see Province lose on Saturday, and that is their own unpredictability.
They have lost badly to lesser sides this season, and once they lose the plot no amount of inspirational play can get them going again. But that, I suppose, is what life in the Cape is like, if it doesn’t work this year, we’ll, like, do it again next year, man.
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