It may not be perfectly named, but the U23 Cup has already proven to be one of SA Rugby’s smartest moves, writes SIMON BORCHARDT.
In January, it was reported that SA Rugby was considering adding the four Vodacom URC clubs (as our franchises now refer to themselves) to the 10-team SA Cup. The aim was to fast-track Junior Boks development ahead of the Junior World Championship, while allowing Currie Cup coaches at the Bulls, Lions, Sharks and Stormers to start building combinations early in the season.
In the end, SA Rugby opted against that plan and instead created a new tournament for the four URC clubs: the SA Rugby U23 Cup. The U19 and U21 Cups were scrapped and replaced by an U20 competition, while the second-division U21 Shield remained.
The name of the new tournament needs a rethink, as up to seven over-age players can be included in a match 23, with four allowed in the starting lineup. But what it’s called doesn’t really matter – what matters is its purpose. Not only does it assist with Junior Boks development and Currie Cup preparation, it also supports URC coaches with player management and depth building on a weekly basis.
Stormers coach John Dobson made this point in the build-up to his side’s URC match against Edinburgh in Cape Town, with the Stormers XXIII (formerly Western Province) set to play the Sharks XV in the U23 Cup in Durban the day before. Talented youngsters such as props Olly Reid and Herman Lubbe, hooker Lukhanyo Vokozela, loose forward Keke Morabe, centres Josh Boulle and Markus Muller, and fullback JC Mars were getting valuable game time, while a Stormers squad regular, scrumhalf Imad Khan, started.
“Immy is our future, part of Project 2029,” Dobson explained. “We just feel that 65 minutes in Durban in a high-speed [U23 Cup] game probably tees him up better for [the Investec Champions Cup last-16 playoff against] Toulon than this week when we’re going to need to be pretty grim [in a night game against Edinburgh in dewy Cape Town conditions]. Immy is a high-speed, impact, game-change player at the moment.”
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The Stormers XXIII won the match at Kings Park 21-10, but what the Cape side got out of it was far more important than the result.
The week before, the team’s friendly against the Seattle Seawolves served a similar purpose, with loosehead prop Oli Kebble getting a start in a competitive fixture rather than Dobson having to find a place for him in the Stormers match 23 for the URC clash against the Dragons.
The U23 Cup has been well utilised by the other URC clubs too. The Bulls, for example, tested their depth while giving players such as lock Jannes Kirsten, scrumhalf Neil le Roux (a recent arrival from Bath) and 32-year-old Springbok centre Jan Serfontein game time against the Lions XV in Polokwane. They would not have been concerned by the 27-24 defeat if their player objectives were achieved.
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The U23 Cup features a double round of fixtures, with the final scheduled for 16 May between the top two teams on the log. While only one captain will lift the trophy, all four URC clubs will likely consider themselves winners.
Photo: Sharks Rugby
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