There are always complaints and accusation about who poached whom and so on when it reaches crunch time in the Currie Cup. We look at the backgrounds of the 44 chosen for this year's Final.

We shall give place of birth and then, because place of birth may be of a short duration: born, place of education, because that is where the player grew up, probably his real origin. The province names we refer to at rugby provinces.

Blue Bulls:

Zane Kirchner: born - George (South Western Districts); school - PW Botha (South Western Districts)

Francois Hougaard: born - Paarl (Western Province); school - Paul Roos (Western Province)

Jaco Pretorius: born - Johannesburg (Golden Lions); school - Randburg (Golden Lions)

Wynand Olivier: born - Welkom (Griffons); school - Affies (Blue Bulls)

Bryan Habana: born - Johannesburg (Golden Lions); school - KES (Golden Lions)

Morne Steyn: born - Bellville, Cape Town (Western Province); school - Sand du Plessis, Bloemfontein (Free State)

Fourie du Preez: born - Pretoria (Blue Bulls); school - Affies (Blue Bulls)

Pierre Spies: born - Pretoria (Blue Bulls); school - Affies (Blue Bulls)

Dewald Potgieter: born - Port Elizabeth (Eastern Province); school - Daniel Pienaar, Uitenhage (Eastern Province)

Deon Stegmann: born - Cradock (Eastern Province); school - Grey College (Free State)

Victor Matfield: born - Polokwane (previously Pietersburg) (Blue Bulls); school - Pietersburg (Blue Bulls)

Bakkies Botha: born - Newcastle (KwaZulu Natal)); school - HTS Vereeniging (Valke)/HTS Middelburg (Mpumalanga)

Werner Kruger: born - Kemptonpark (Valke); school - Kemptonpark (Valke)

Derick Kuun: born - Johannesburg (Golden Lions); school - Affies (Blue Bulls)

Gurthro Steenkamp: born - Paarl (Western Province); school - Paarl Boys' High (Western Province)

Bandise Maku: born - King William's Town (Border); school - Dale (Border)

Rossouw de Klerk: born - Vredenburg (Boland); school - Paarl Gim (Western Province)

Danie Rossouw: born - Sabie (Mpumalanga); school - Rob Ferreira (Mpumalanga)

Pedrie Wannenburg: born - Nelspruit (Mpumalanga); school - Oakdale (South Western Districts)

Heini Adams: born - Worcester (Boland); school - Esselen Park, Worcester (Boland)

Burton Francis: born - Paarl (Western Province); school - Klein Nederburg, Paarl (Western Province)

Gerhard van den Heever: born - Bloemfontein (Free State); school - Affies (Blue Bulls)

  • Of the 22 players playing for the Blue Bulls on Saturday, three were born and raised in the land of the Blue Bull.

  • On page two, we look at the Cheetahs players...