Scrap SA Cup and replace it with 14-team Currie Cup, says Frans Steyn

It’s time for the flawed SA Cup rugby competition to be scrapped and replaced with a better-funded, all-inclusive 14-team Currie Cup, which would also feature the EP Elephants, Cheetahs coach Frans Steyn says.

His impassioned plea came after last week’s dramatic clash when the Cheetahs edged Griquas 32-31 to retain their Currie Cup status at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein.

Because the SA Cup offers four lucrative qualifying berths for the Currie Cup, criticism has been levelled at the lack of technology and the absence of television match officials (TMOs) at matches.

If the struggling EP Elephants want to achieve the level of success their coaches, supporters and management crave, they must recruit high-quality players to boost their squad, Griquas coach Pieter Bergh says. Bergh made the assessment after a second-half try-scoring blitz powered his Currie Cup-winning team to a 52-9 win over EP at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Saturday. The Elephants were still in the fight at halftime when they trailed 14-9, but Griquas turned on the after-burners in the second half to stretch their winning SA Cup streak to six matches. “You can see the structures are there with this EP team, and you can see what Allister Coetzee (head coach) and Matt Proudfoot (forwards coach) are trying to do,” Bergh said. “A good coach is not enough. “You need good players and you need to hold onto these players and build a team. “You also need continuity. “What Heyneke Meyer (head coach at the SWD Eagles) has done is to put together a whole new squad in six months that can compete. “EP do lack a bit of quality, but the structure is there “I was very concerned about this game, and the first half showed what EP can do. “You don’t have two or three years to build a team; you have to get it right quickly. “You can see there is progress (at EP), but you need good players as well.” Bergh said EP dominated the kicking game in the first half, which had forced Griquas to change their strategy at halftime. “I thought EP dominated the kicking game in the first half and almost played a Test match type of game where they kicked a lot of contestables and tried to turn us around at every opportunity they got, and we lost the aerial battle. “Griquas did not get any territory so the message at halftime was if can we just start winning those small little kicking battles, and get field position and territory, then we can strangle them “I thought that penalty try just before halftime started to change things for us. “We said we have to break EP down and force some bad kicks and get some counter-attacks going “And that is what happened in the second half. ‘We strangled EP and got scrums, lineout dominance and territory which allowed us to apply pressure." Bergh said Griquas’ ambition is to be the best non-United Rugby Championship side in SA. “There are talks of Griquas playing in an international competition and hopefully something will be announced shortly,” he said. Our ambition is to be the best non-URC team in SA, and that is not just based on performance. It will also be based on our team culture, finances and how the union is run and how we look after our players “I can’t say which tournament yet. “Our ambition is to be the best non-URC team in SA, and that is not just based on performance. “It will also be based on our team culture, finances and how the union is run and how we look after our players. “When the opportunity becomes available to play in an overseas competition, we want to be ready. “Griquas want to show we deserve an opportunity to play at that level. “We don’t look too far ahead, and we need another win to qualify for the Currie Cup Premier Division. “Hopefully we can get that win as soon as possible. “We want to qualify for the Currie Cup and then try and win the SA Cup, and we also want to defend our Currie Cup title. “Griquas are in a good position now, but we have the Pumas this week, which is going to be a really tough game in Kimberley.” Follow The Herald WhatsApp channel today and stay connected to the stories shaping our world. The Herald

“Looking at how the teams have performed this year, you could just as well have one big Currie Cup. That’s my opinion,” Steyn told OFM Sport.

“The Valke were good and definitely not pushovers, and the Griffons also showed their quality. If you had one expanded Currie Cup, then maybe this competition [SA Cup] wouldn’t even be necessary.

“I’ve said before that the Currie Cup needs to be made bigger and backed properly financially. There are people who still care deeply about the competition [Currie Cup] and with private equity coming into rugby, there’s an opportunity.

“Put proper prize money on the Currie Cup and make the big unions play their strongest sides to compete for something like R10m. Then the competition will grow again.”

“Look at France. Their rugby unions generate some of the biggest revenues in the world. If you watch their first division, second division or even club rugby, the stadiums are full, the supporters pitch up and the television money is enormous.”

A concerned Steyn said missed big moments in games because of the absence of TMOs could have dire financial consequences.

“During our game against Griquas there was that kick into the corner that the player took back over the line,” he said. “That was a massive moment.

A limping EP Elephants side, with only one SA Cup win to their name after six outings, are learning tough lessons that only come when facing adversity, Elephants coach Allister Coetzee says. After watching his team crash to a 52-9 defeat against high-flying Griquas at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Saturday, Coetzee said players would not learn anything if everything was going well for them. EP are hoping to pull off their second win of the season when they face a winless Border Bulldogs outfit at the Madibaz Stadium at the Nelson Mandela University campus on Friday (3pm kickoff). Border are entrenched at the bottom of the log without a point, while EP are in eighth position after accumulating seven points on the 10-team log. They are tough lessons the players are learning at the moment, but you can only learn when it is tough and you face adversity “They are tough lessons the players are learning at the moment, but you can only learn when it is tough and you face adversity,” Coetzee said. “You won’t learn anything if it is just going well for you. You learn from these tough times. “This is a process, and EP need to go through it to see how we rectify things and show we can adapt on the field. “We’re taking it game by game and we want to get as many wins as possible out of our remaining three fixtures. “By doing well you also set yourself up for the Currie Cup later in the season.” Coetzee heaped praise on Griquas after they overpowered his team with a dominant second half display. “Griquas are the most clinical team in the SA Cup compared to the other so-called big teams,” he said. “They have more pace and they are a more physical side than the Cheetahs or Pumas. “In all three of the games against the big teams EP were in the fight and we fought with physicality. “It is a short turnaround and I am sure the boys will be up for the Border game. “I would not say conceding 52 points against Griquas is ideal, but if you look back to our game against them in 2025 it shows that EP stayed in the fight. If you want to go to the Currie Cup Premier Division, this is what you face every weekend and not just once in a while like it is in the SA Cup “If you want to go to the Currie Cup Premier Division, this is what you face every weekend and not just once in a while like it is in the SA Cup. “The way this EP team is growing is a big positive for me. “I think flyhalf Maxwell Klaasen’s kicking is coming along nicely. “A lot of youngsters are gaining confidence, like Jaydon Bantom at the back.” Coetzee said the fitness of captain and lock Mzwanele Zito (AC joint injury) and loose forward Damon Royle (groin) meant the two players were in doubt for the Bulldogs clash. “Zito and Royle are big players for us, and we will assess both injuries during the week,” he said. “A positive for us is that loan players Dandre Delport [hooker] and Jac van der Walt [loose forward] will be eligible to play against Border. “They are on loan to us from Griquas, and the deal was they did not want them to be included in our lineup on Saturday.” SA Cup log (all teams have played six matches): Griquas 30, Pumas 27, Cheetahs 23, SWD Eagles 22, Boland Cavaliers 20, Falcons 14, Griffons 11, EP Elephants 7, Leopards 7, Border Bulldogs 0 Weekend fixtures: Friday: EP v Border Bulldogs, Leopards v Boland Cavaliers. Saturday: Falcons v Cheetahs, SWD Eagles v Griffons, Griquas v Pumas Follow The Herald WhatsApp channel today and stay connected to the stories shaping our world. The Herald

“From the start, my issue with the SA Cup has been the lack of technology. If we had got the scrum there, maybe we score and the whole game changes.

“At the end, we almost lost because if he had kicked that ball out, we lose. Those are massive moments in games and I don’t think people always realise how important this competition is.

“This competition is bigger than the United Rugby Championship and bigger than a lot of other competitions because teams can genuinely be knocked out.

“What happens to those players and coaches then? It always comes back onto the coaches. You can’t blame the referees because there’s no TMO, but there are definitely things that need to be looked at in the SA Cup.”

Steyn’s plea has been backed by Griquas coach Pieter Bergh, who would also like the Currie Cup revamped.

“If officials cannot do it [provide TMOs for the SA Cup], we must have a 14-team Currie Cup without qualification,” he said. “Teams like the Valke, SWD and EP are getting better — although there are a few teams still falling short.”

Story audio is generated using AI EP’s worrying problem of running out of power during the second half of matches against leading teams must be sorted out as soon as possible, Elephants coach Allister Coetzee says. A lacklustre Elephants side slumped to their heaviest defeat of the season when they crashed to an embarrassing 85-29 SA Cup loss against the Boland Kavaliers in Wellington on Saturday. It was a thrashing that has raised serious questions about why EP have tended to fall away dramatically against the leading teams. EP imploded in the second half of a lopsided match that saw the Bolanders outscore EP by 13 tries to four. The Elephants will have to address this lack of stamina before the Currie Cup First Division kicks off in a few weeks. “The Elephants can run for 40 to 60 minutes with the big boys, and after that the power, endurance and physicality taper down,” Coetzee said. “It’s an issue which needs to be addressed during the off- and pre-season. After halftime we had no legs and no work rate as Boland became stronger and stronger. “EP will have a thorough review of the SA Cup campaign. We must prepare well for the Currie Cup First Division and put building blocks in place for next season.” The Elephants ended seventh on the 10-team log with a haul of 18 points from their nine outings, which left them out of the running for promotion to the Currie Cup Premier Division. Coetzee said energy-sapping long bus trips to Welkom and Wellington had not helped EP’s cause. “Compounding to this [defeat against Boland] is 27 or 28 hours of travel in a bus to two away matches within four or five days. This definitely aggravates the situation. “Just to put it into context, I know our leaders would have bent their backs if we had had an opportunity to qualify [for promotion]. I know where we need to bolster the squad and improve our conditioning and skillset. “EP were flat, lacked intensity and were not good enough with our skill set and lineouts against Boland.” Needing a bonus-point win at home to keep alive their qualifying hopes, Kavaliers wing Xavier Michell scored seven tries to help the Bolanders overwhelm EP. While EP were left pondering their future, there was joy in the Toyota Cheetahs and Sanlam Boland Kavaliers, Suzuki Griquas and Airlink Pumas camps after they booked their berths in the semifinals and also qualified for the Carling Currie Cup Premier Division. The final-round action got under way in the most dramatic fashion in Bloemfontein when the Cheetahs ended log leaders’ Griquas’ eight-game winning run with a last gasp 32-31 win. Elsewhere on Friday, the Pumas outplayed Griffons 61–12 at Mbombela Stadium to consolidate their second spot on the log. The SWD Eagles also needed nothing less than five points, and they duly delivered, powering past the Leopards by a score of 69–19 at Outeniqua Park in George. The result, however, was not good enough due to Boland’s full house of points in Wellington. After the final round of league matches, Griquas finished top on 42 points, with the Pumas second on 38 and Cheetahs third (35). Boland and SWD both finished on 32 points. However, the Kavaliers clinched fourth spot due to their superior points difference. Cheetahs captain Neels Volschenk said the much-needed win had taken a massive weight off the shoulders of everyone at the union. “It’s not just a big relief, it’s a massive relief for the players, coaching staff and everyone involved with the union,” he said. “I told the guys over the past two weeks that this has to become our standard regarding how we play and train. “Also about how we carry ourselves on and off the field. It doesn’t matter who the opposition is. There are still potentially two games left in this competition, and we desperately want to make the most of it.” Follow The Herald WhatsApp channel today and stay connected to the stories shaping our world. The Herald

Looking ahead to his team’s semifinal against the Pumas in Mbombela on Friday, Steyn said: “We’re working hard on our defence, but I’d really like us to play proper Free State rugby again.

“We’re spending a lot more time on attack because that’s also important.

“Defence is about heart and attitude. If you’ve got the right mindset and you’re willing to put your body on the line, defence becomes easier. That’s what you saw from us against Griquas.”

SA Cup semifinals

• Friday, 6pm: Pumas v Cheetahs;
• Saturday, 1pm: Griquas v Boland Kavaliers.

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