A former Stormers boss and WP man for many years, Gert Smal has tipped the Vodacom Bulls to win the Vodacom United Rugby Championship final in Cape Town on Saturday, reports DEVIN HERMANUS.
Smal guided Western Province to two Currie Cup titles, and coached the Stormers to the Super 12 semi-finals in 2004. He served as WP’s director of rugby from 2014 until 2019 before joining the Bulls, and he is the only man to have won the Currie Cup as a player, coach and director of rugby.
Saturday’s URC final for the Bulls at Cape Town Stadium is preceded by a semi-final clash for the defending Currie Cup champions with Griquas at Loftus Versfeld. Speaking to media on Thursday, Smal was “excited” about the men from Pretoria possibly lifting two trophies at the end of the season.
“It’s an exciting time for us, being in the URC final and Currie Cup semi-final. It’s a great achievement being where we are at the moment,” the Springbok icon said. “There’s been a lot of work behind the scenes … very challenging but really enjoyable being in this position. We don’t want to stop.
White and Bulls: a match made in heaven
“I don’t want to say too much about [the URC final] … just wish the Stormers good luck, I’ve been there myself as well. But if the Bulls are going to play the way they played against Leinster, they’ll definitely win.”
With the Bulls, Stormers, Sharks, Lions and Cheetahs all competing in Europe next season, the current campaign may be the last time the country’s best players perform in the Currie Cup as regularly as they have this season.
However, Smal is optimistic about the chances of SA’s stars still featuring, as well as the future of the sport’s oldest competition: “Like I said at the beginning of the competition, we value the Currie Cup very highly. It’s such a special competition.
“Hopefully, the powers that be will always make the right decisions and see that the schedule is in such a way that we can have the URC final and the Currie Cup final on different days, and that we have the top players available to play in the competition.
“Not just to make it special for the players but also for the spectators.”
#VodacomURC – @Zels77 and @mark_keohane disagree on who will lift the @Vodacom #URC trophy on Saturday.
Who are you picking? pic.twitter.com/lrt45ln2DZ
— SA Rugby magazine (@SARugbymag) June 15, 2022
