DHL Western Province will start the 2024 Carling Currie Cup campaign without calling on players identified as Vodacom United Rugby Championship (URC) members for the Stormers. After missing out on the play-offs last season, WP begin their season with a traditional north-south clash against the Vodacom Blue Bulls in Cape Town on Saturday evening.
This season also marks a coaching transition, with Stormers director of rugby John Dobson stepping back from his previous coaching role, allowing Labeeb Levy to take over as head coach. Levy will be supported by former Stormers stalwart Brok Harris as forwards coach and Dewaldt Duvenage, former Benetton scrumhalf and still an active player, assisting with the backs. Former Springbok centre Brendan Venter, now a consultant, will help guide the coaching team through this transition.
Harris praised Venter’s influence during pre-season, saying, “I am really learning a lot from him, the energy that he brings and just being a good rugby brain. Brendan and Labeeb bring a lot of experience and it’s been a good experience for me so far.”
Veteran hooker Scarra Ntubeni, 34 and heading into his final season, echoed the focus on youth and the province’s amateur player base for the Currie Cup campaign. “Those who are identified as URC players are going into pre-season, so we will also be making use of the Under-20s, good club players, and some experienced guys who have not played much URC,” Harris added.
Players recently returning from the successful Junior Springbok campaign will not feature in this weekend’s opener against the Bulls, who have named six Junior Boks in their squad. However, several WP juniors are expected to play significant roles as the season progresses. With a strong Under-20 system, Western Province is poised to use the Currie Cup to transition promising youth into senior first-class rugby.
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