Western Province coach Labeeb Levy says South African rugby needs a unified strategy to keep players on the fringes of URC squads, actively involved in the game throughout the season.

Levy and his youthful WP side are in Kimberley preparing to face a well-drilled Griquas outfit, still searching for a first Currie Cup win after back-to-back defeats against the Vodacom Bulls and Lions.

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But beyond the immediate challenges of selection and form, Levy has highlighted a broader concern – the limited game time available for players outside the main professional squads.

“There’s probably a small void in the greater SA Rugby picture in the competitive playing time of players, and collectively we need to come up with a way of how to fill that void,” Levy said.

With the Currie Cup’s schedule and format changing year to year, Levy says building any sort of rhythm or cohesion has become a major obstacle.

“If there’s an aligned competition during the year, it will allow the players who get dropped from their URC franchises to fall into another competition and continue playing. Players will then get more game time and by the time the Currie Cup comes around, the teams already have cohesion.”

Levy pointed to Griquas as a good example of what continuity and preparation can achieve.

“If we look at the team we’re playing now, Griquas. They played in the SA Cup tournament, so they would’ve had a pre-season for the SA Cup and a pre-season for the Currie Cup. It’s all about cohesion and we’re trying to find ways to keep the group working together and keep the systems positive.”

Turning his attention to Friday’s game, Levy expects further strides from his young side.

“We have to keep going, keep working and keep better. We asked the team to fix the ‘big rocks’ which is mainly around the set-piece. Last week, we asked them to strike first, which they did, and we created more chances.”

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