2011 Currie Cup at a glance

The Currie Cup kicks off this weekend. Who will win in South Africa's top domestic competition?

The Currie Cup kicks off this weekend with three questions at the forefront of enthusiasts' minds: Will anyone turn up? What will become of the Lions? And, of course, who will win South Africa's top domestic competition?

Coming hot on the heals of the mammoth Super Rugby season and overlapping the World Cup, one must question whether fans really have the appetite for the Currie Cup this year. We can only hope so.

It truly is a shame that one of the world's oldest competitions, the symbol of South Africa's rugby heritage, has been forced onto the back shelf in an overloaded season.

SARU insist that they're on the right track with the new Super Rugby format as “research at SANZAR has undoubtedly proved that the live supporter and television audience both want more derby matches.”

But once the Bulls and Sharks – for example – have already played each other four times this year, will fans still be interested in yet another derby if they meet in the semi-finals, which just happen to be on the same weekend as the World Cup Final? The old adage of “less is more” clearly doesn't carry much weight amongst rugby administrators.

There is a silver lining to it all though: while South Africa's biggest stars gear up for the showdown in New Zealand (or nurse their Super Rugby wounds) the next generation of young hopefuls will be given an opportunity to shine.

The Currie Cup has become the nursery for growing talent like the Ebersohn brothers and if 2011 can produce more gems like the Free State duo, South African rugby will be richer for it.

The contenders:

Sharks: As the defending champions, the Sharks must be considered amongst the favourites for the title. Squad depth is the vital ingredient to being a contender for the crown and John Plumtree's group is certainly not lacking in firepower. The additions of Fred Michalak and Marius Joubert – both shipped in from France – have left the back-line looking as dangerous as ever while up front, Craig Burden has a chance to show that he is next quality hooker to come out of Natal.

Western Province: The layer of the dust in the Western Province trophy cabinet is growing rather thick. Not since 2001 has a senior side from the Western Cape won a competition. WP came pretty close to adding to their record 32 Currie Cup titles last year but were swept aside by the Sharks in the final after setting the pace in the early stages of the competition. With a large bunch of senior players away, promising youngsters like Bulls-bound centre Johann Sadie, who burst onto the scene with the Stormers, and South Africa U20 lock Eben Etzebeth could step to the fore.

Free State Cheetahs: Champions in 2007 and finalists in 2009, the Cheetahs always come good in the Currie Cup and this year looks particularly good for the Free Staters as they are set to be one of the unions least affected by World Cup call-ups. The Cheetahs best-ever Super Rugby campaign indicated that things are on an upward trend in the Free State. Keep a look out for South Africa U20 fly-half Johan Goosen – yet another product of the Grey College production line-up that never ceases to churn out Springboks.

They'll put up a fight:

Blue Bulls: The 22-times champions really struggled in their title defence last year, with the low point coming in Nelspruit in a shock defeat to the Pumas. With so many of the Bulls' core players set to be absent, it's hard to see them doing better than a repeat of last year's semi-final. But one should never count out South Africa's strongest union over the past decade: with a new coach in Pine Pienaar and arguably the deepest resource pool in the country, the Bulle will always be a force.

Lions: We were tempted to put the Lions in the 'contenders' section because – apart from Butch James and Elton Jantjies – they are set to field the Super Rugby team that won in Canberra and Dunedin. Coach John Mitchell and the union's bosses have long stated their ambitions for this year's tournament – almost as if they were using Super Rugby was a stepping stone to domestic glory. But with all the off-field drama, there is a serious risk that the latest Lions 'revival' is another false dawn. We'll know in three months.

Griquas: The boys from Kimberley have been threatening to upset the applecart and make the semi-finals for the last two years but always run out of steam as the attrition rate inevitably takes it's toll on a relatively small squad. The departures of Naas Olivier (Aironi) and Bjorn Basson (Bulls) have deprived new coach Abré Minnie of two of his most valuable assets. Count on a few upsets as sides travel to the rock-hard playing surface in the Northern Cape, but don't expect the Griquas to make the play-offs. Can Earl Rose resurrect his career in peacock blue?

They'll struggle:

Leopards and Pumas both narrowly missed out a relegation last year but seem doomed to drop out of the top flight irrespective of their results this term. The South African Rugby Union has confirmed that the Currie Cup premier division could be reduced to six teams from 2012, which is probably the reasonable thing to do.

The Pumas tasted success in four games last year – including that memorable victory over the Bulls – but the Leopards were left with a big fat 'zero' in the wins column. The Pumas backline has a strong Springbok Sevens contingent and they're always good for a few tries, but it's up front where both sides are set to struggle.