Stormers director of rugby John Dobson says Western Province must win the Currie Cup in two years’ time.
WP finished seventh on the eight-team Currie Cup log last year after seven defeats from 10 matches, as Dobson prioritised the Stormers’ URC pre-season and the WP U21s.
This year, WP’s Currie Cup team has been placed above the U21s in the pecking order, and bolstered with Blitzboks and Junior Boks, but Stormers’ URC players remain unavailable for selection.
WP are currently seventh on the log after the opening two rounds, having lost 48-23 to the Vodacom Bulls in Cape Town and 40-19 to the Lions at Ellis Park. The Bulls and Lions both selected several players with URC experience.
“I began coaching Western Province in 2015 and we made the final in my first year. We made it again in 2018, when we went unbeaten in the league phase before losing to the Sharks at Newlands, and haven’t made a final since,” Dobson said.
My plan, and I don’t know exactly how much runway we’ve got, is that in two years’ time I want to win the Currie Cup. We have to.
“I don’t think the people of Cape Town enjoy watching us take 30 or 40 points every week. Last year we prioritised the U21s over the Currie Cup and came second-last. This year, we’ve played two games and haven’t got a point on the log yet.
“That’s why we brought in the sevens guys [Tristan Leyds, Zain Davids, Sako Makata, Justin Geduld, Ronald Brown and Shilton van Wyk] and signed players like Cabous Eloff from Namibia and Alex Groves – just to make us a bit more competitive.
“I don’t want to go back to picking 30-year-olds to patch up the team. We need to build with players like Zach Porthen and Markus Muller. I think we’ve got one more year of this approach, then we must be good enough to win.
This is also about building a squad that can handle our URC home games and help us compete in Europe,” he added. “We can’t keep calling the Currie Cup a development competition forever.
“When I saw the Bulls’ team, with guys like Marvin Orie and Jeandre Rudolph … I didn’t want us to get hammered, but I also know we need to build from within. That’s our plan, and it’s going to end soon – we’ll get stronger.”
While Dobson coached WP in last year’s Currie Cup, he handed the reins to Labeeb Levy for 2025.
“Labeeb is a fantastic guy. He’s from the Bo Kaap, and he’s an absolute rugby nut. He coaches the SA Touch team, he’s been involved with the WP Women’s side, and he’s the kind of coach who will load 10 players into his car to get them to a tournament.
“He’s also a brilliant skills coach. We had the most offloads in the URC last season, and that’s partly down to him. He’s spent 15 years as an assistant, but at club level, with teams like SK Walmers and Collegians, he won a lot and built a great reputation.
“The community really loves him, and I felt he deserved this opportunity. I didn’t want to give it to him last year because we were in an even tougher spot, but this year we’ve beefed up the squad a bit. He’s got the sevens guys, priority access to the U21s and the Junior Boks, and he’s putting together something better.
The players love playing for him. He understands the traditions and ethos of Western Province rugby better than I do. He’s a great human being and a very good coach.
“I know he sometimes wants to knock on my door and ask for a Johnny Kotze or a Ruhan Nel, and maybe later in the competition I can help him out. But for now, he’s doing a great job with what he has.”
