With the six-team strength-against-strength format making each Currie Cup a must win game, the Cheetahs and Golden Lions will be looking for a positive start in their season opener at Ellis Park, in Johannesburg, on Saturday.
The Cheetahs experienced the cruelty of the new format last season, after finishing bottom of the log and having to play in the promotion-relegation matches against the EP Kings.
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The Bloemfontein-based side, however, would be going into battle brimming with confidence as the majority of their Super Rugby players would be involved in the Currie Cup.
The Lions, on the other hand, had been hit by injuries in the aftermath of their successful Super Rugby promotion-relegation games over the past two weeks.
Newly appointed Lions captain Derick Minnie brushed those concerns aside and said the team was confident they could go all the way to the competition final in October.
“As far as the team is concerned, I have no doubt we can win the Currie Cup. All of these guys have played together before,” he said.
Lions coach Johan Ackermann said the injury setbacks to at least four key players could not be offered as an excuse on Saturday.
“To me the challenge for this almost-new team is to adapt to one another quickly and get the confidence back up there,” Ackermann said.
“We have spent some time in the last few days looking at the Cheetahs, but it is still a big challenge because of the number of changes to the team.”
The Lions ended last season’s league phase in second place on the log, but were knocked out of the semifinal by eventual champions Western Province at Ellis Park.
Last year, the competition changed from an eight- to a six-team format which proved to be extremely competitive.
There was a mere five-point difference between the last-placed Cheetahs and the Blue Bulls who played in the other semifinal against the Sharks.
The Cheetahs would be looking to turn their fortunes around against the Lions after being completely outplayed both times the sides met in the competition last season.
They kicked off their 2012 campaign against each other – a match the Lions won 43-20 at Ellis Park – and the return match played in Bloemfontein also ending in favour of the Johannesburg-based side at 38-23.
While it had been suggested the Currie Cup – one of the oldest provincial rugby competitions in the world – had lost its lustre, the 2012 season dished up enough excitement to emphasise its relevance in a congested season.
With the Springbok players absent for the majority of the Currie Cup competition, it forced teams to blood new talent in their place.