The best teams in South Africa are through to the Currie Cup semifinals, writes Andy Capostagno
At half time in Durban on Saturday Western Province were leading the Sharks 10-9. It was at this point that an interesting conundrum was raised in the press box: should Province throw the game? For if they had beaten the Sharks handsomely and kept the try count below four, this week’s semi- final at Newlands would have been between the same two sides.
As it turned out, the Sharks turned up the heat in the second half, won comfortably and ensured themselves a home semifinal against the Lions. But that did not stop the question being asked of Province coach Gert Smal. Had he done the same half-time calculations as the press? “Yes,” he said, “but we wanted to win.”
So everyone is happy. Province get to play the same Free State team that they annihilated at Newlands a fortnight ago in one semifinal, the Sharks get the bumper crowd for the Lions match that their display last week deserved. But that does not excuse the fact that the two teams that most assume will contest the final, were put in an invidious position by the fixture planning on Saturday.
Once the Lions had earned their five points by beating the Bulls at Ellis Park in the early game, the contestants in the late game were at an unfair advantage; they knew what they had to do. Television rights may pay the bills of all concerned, but these two games should have kicked off simultaneously.
However, the important aspect of the weekend was that the four best teams in the country qualified for the semifinals. That may be hard on the Falcons, who produced some of the most direct rugby in a fascinating campaign, but the fact of the matter is that Free State, given home advantage, are a significantly better side.
If the Cheetahs had been able to play Province in Bloemfontein they might have had a significant chance of reaching the final for the first time since 1997. As it is they will have to play well above themselves to compete. Principally they will have to work on their first-phase defence for, while they have scored hatfuls of tries this year, they have conceded many more.
But even if Newlands proves to be a bridge too far, it is time to acknow-ledge that Bloemfontein is the true seat of rugby skills in South Africa. Every year wealthier provinces snap up the Free State’s best talent, and every year Peet Kleynhans and Gysie Pienaar produce another handful of stars.
The one thing apparent to the most myopic eye is that every generation of Free State backs can take and give a pass. That may seem an obvious prerequisite for playing first-class rugby, but it is in fact a dying art in this country, where pop passes for charging giants has become the order of the day.
The Cheetahs have a slender hope on Saturday, and that is that they might score more tries than they concede. If so the man of the match will probably be Kennedy Tsimba, the gifted Zimbabwean flyhalf who, due to the South African Rugby Football Union’s xenophobic attitude, is not allowed to play in the Super 12.
And talking of the Super 12, the early match in Durban is a virtual repeat of the semifinal of that competition played in May. For Cats read Lions, but in all likelihood the result will be similar. The Sharks won that one 30-12 and there were signs on Saturday that they had overcome their mid-Currie Cup torpor to peak at the right moment.
The key decision made by Sharks coach Rudolf Straeuli last week was to give Gaffie du Toit a run at flyhalf. It took him a while to settle into the role, but by the end of the match it was as though he had never been away.
He scored all the Sharks’ points bar one AJ Venter try, and if he can repeat the dose on Saturday Harry Viljoen will surely have to find space for him in the Springbok squad.
If Straeuli starts with Du Toit on Saturday it will be fascinating to compare him with Louis Koen, the Lions and now Bok incumbent. Watch how Du Toit takes the ball on the move, injects pace into the back line and kicks like a mule with no apparent effort. Watch how Koen delays his pass, stands still to take the ball and comes into his own only when everyone else has stopped playing.
It is the difference between one who has been made into a flyhalf due to his ability to kick goals and one who was born to play there. Du Toit and Tsimba have that much in common. The maddening thing is that Du Toit is utterly unpredictable and is as capable of losing the game for his team as he is of winning it.
But all other things being equal, the Currie Cup final will be between Western Province and the Sharks at Newlands, a fixture that will provide a fitting end to the season.