EP Kings included in eight-team Currie Cup

[TRF_Ezequiel]

EP Kings included in eight-team Currie Cup
On Thursday, Saru confirmed that the Currie Cup will feature an eight-team Premier Division and a new qualification round.

http://www.sarugbymag.co.za/blog/details/ep-kings-included-in-eight-team-currie-cup​

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

Best solution looking longer term IMO. Very happy the Sr promo/relegation has also been dropped (for now).

 

[LittleGuy]

I enjoyed the competitiveness of the six team format, I'm hoping this re-expanding to eight teams dosen't mean a pile of dead rubbers every week.

 

[TRF_heineken]

I enjoyed the competitiveness of the six team format, I'm hoping this re-expanding to eight teams dosen't mean a pile of dead rubbers every week.

Well it will be interesting to see...

No Springboks this year during the Currie Cup. HM has requested that his Springbok players be removed entirely from the Currie Cup tournament. to give the players more rest between the Rugby Championship and the EOYT.

The other thing is the teams itself. The Pumas got promoted after beating the relegated Griquas.

The only team benefitting is the Kings. As for dead rubbers, I think it would be closer than we expect, depending on the squads the Pumas, Griquas and the Kings can produce.

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

I enjoyed the competitiveness of the six team format, I'm hoping this re-expanding to eight teams dosen't mean a pile of dead rubbers every week.

I personally am willing to suffer 1/4 of the games being miss-matches for a few years for the potential I see this creating for SA rugby.

Like Heinikin said above, if all Bok players are rested that already takes away a chunk of the benefit the bigger teams hold over the smaller ones. So the top 4 teams (no Bokke in the Lions or Kings) are weaker in CC than SR.
On the other side of the coin, 8 teams means a greater sense of stability and would encourage players to stay with the lower teams of the top 8 (simply because the bottom 6 are far below these top 8 IMO) and would make the backers of the lower end of the top 8 more scope for devcelopment; more income and a bigger draw card to lure better players. So, hopefully, the smaller teams can draw just better players and manage to keep some loyal.

That is of course a hope only and we'll have to wait and see but I think it is a model that can be more stable longer term and allows SA rugby more options.

 

[TRF_Ezequiel]

SARU unveil new format for Currie Cup
The eight teams will be divided into two sections on 2013 log positions: Section X (Western Province, Golden Lions, Blue Bulls, EP Kings) and Section Y (Sharks, Free State, Pumas, Qualifier). The teams will play home and away within their sections followed by a single cross-conference round before semi-finals and final.

http://www.planetrugby.com/story/0,25883,16024_9207464,00.html​

Looks like SARU is so scared EP will finish bottom of the log, they avoid any possibility of relegation by including a ridiculous promotion/relegation set-up. They talk about franchise and non-franchise. What about the Griquas union, which is part of the Cheetahs franchise?