Andre "The Rolls-Royce" Joubert

I’ve been down with the flu over the last few days, so I’ve been passing time by catching old SANZAR rugby games on ESPN Classic. At the moment they are showing alot of old Currie Cup Finals.

It’s great to see some of the old greats of the South African game in action again. The likes of Gary Teichman, Henry Honiball, Andre Joubert, James Small, Naas Botha, a young Os Du Randt, Joel Stransky, Francois Pienaar, and many other legends of the game.

Some of the players from this era are currently coaching today’s Currie Cup teams, commentating, analysing games, or are involved with the Springboks.

It’s amazing to watch one of these old games and see just how the game that we love so much has changed over the years. I get the feeling that today’s game is just so much faster, more organised, and almost “streamlined”.

What a great way to get ready for this year’s Currie Cup. You can catch the 1996 Currie Cup Final, between Natal and Transvaal tonight at 18h00 local time on ESPN Classic, channel 231 on DSTV. Watch it whilst you wait for the opening game of the 2009 Currie Cup.

Do you think many of the players from that era would keep up in today’s fast paced game?