GIVE IT HORNS

WESTERN Province are backing history to do the talking when they tackle the Bulls in Saturday's 5.10pm Currie Cup Premier Division clash at Cape Town Stadium.

With this year’s Currie Cup not being played over a double round of home and away games, like last season, the stakes are high as the Pumas prepare to take on Griquas in Friday's 7pm opening game at Mbombela Stadium.

The intensity promises to hit the roof when defending champions, the Sharks travel to Ellis Park to take on the Lions in Saturday’s 3pm kickoff in a rematch of last year’s final.

And, on Sunday, the Boland Cavaliers make their much-anticipated return to the Currie Cup top division as they welcome the Cheetahs to Wellington for a 3pm clash.

Kaapse mense se oë will, however, be fixed on their screens for the South v North derby as Province eye a good start to try and make up for seven years of Currie Cup disappointment.

They last won the title in 2017 and have not made the knockout rounds since 2021.

But with 34 Currie Cups agter hulle naam, veteran WP hooker, Scarra Ntubeni, revealed how this year’s new coaching team gave some of the rookies a history lesson on what it takes to win provincial rugby’s oldest and biggest prize.   

Ntubeni said: “We took [them] on a bit of a history lesson to Newlands… so that they can actually absorb that they are playing for Western Province and… they should take it quite seriously.”

WP’s Currie Cup failures over the years has been blamed on not taking the competition seriously and using it as a development tournament.

Adding to Ntubeni’s vow that they want to win, WP forwards coach Brok Harris wysed: “Like Scarra said, the Currie Cup remains a special competition to play in.

“We are not using it just for development, it is to perform and see if we can do well in the competition.”

WP head coach, Labeeb Levy, will name his team to face the Bulls on Friday.