Currie Cup head coach JP Pietersen is not only excited for the start of the Carling Currie Cup campaign, but the entire competition as well and to see the development of his young side into a competitive unit once again.
There have been some changes over the past year, and with a season of experience behind him, his is both confident and excited for what lies ahead.
“What’s changed is that I’ve lost a lot of experience in Lionel Cronje and Reniel Hugo, over 500 Currie Cup games which is a big loss in the experience department,” he explains.
“But the exciting thing is the experience the likes of Nick Hatton, Bradley Davids and Jannes Potgieter bring having played in the Carling Currie Cup last year. They’re still new though, the average age in the group is about 24 so this is a bit of a learning block for them.”
It’s not only about the players, and in his second year in charge, to go with two stints as assistant coach, Pietersen is also learning what it takes to coach at this level and beyond.
“For me personally, what I’ve learned is to be decisive about what I want to do, and back what you have in your squad, whether there is experience or not, just pick the guy who performs in training and give him a full go.
“We have some youngsters – Janco Purchase is just 19 – and what a challenge for them to go up to Ellis Park. This is a good opportunity for them to put their hands up and show that they want to be a part of this campaign.”
Playing in this tournament has historic undertones and for Pietersen, it’s one he is thrilled to be playing a part in. As he explains, it’s good for the unions and good for the country too.
“The Carling Currie Cup is a massive competition, it’s always been close to my heart,” he admits. “If you look at the coaches across the franchises, you can see it’s going to be a really good tournament, it’s going to be tough.
“And if you look at the squads, you can see it’s going to be a really good competition. The Currie Cup is there for us to elevate players’ games and for Rassie [Erasmus] to see which players to develop.”
Already three players from the triumphant SA Under 20 squad have been fast tracked into the Springbok squad with an eye to their future in the senior green and gold jersey, and many of their junior team-mates will have important roles to play in this year’s Carling Currie Cup.
“These young guys are confident and sure of themselves, and they’re keen to play in the competition.
“With Rassie inviting the three guys to the Bok camp, it just shows that hard work is rewarded and that’s a great initiative.”
Looking at the Fidelity ADT Lions, their first opponents in the competition this year, he advises that this is not going to be a rematch of last year’s final – won by the Hollywoodbets Sharks – too much has changed since then.
“Our approach is that this is a new campaign, we want to elevate the boys’ game from last year to this year and it’s a clean slate. I think it’s similar for the Lions, their mindset will be about going one step further, that loss in the final would have hurt them.
“From our side, it’s about the process, how we can perform each week, game after game and as a coach, I’m looking for consistency in performance.”