I've been wondering about these names for some of the Currie Cup teams. These "Team XV" denominations were usually reserved for invitational teams. Currie Cup sides were WP, Northern Transvaal, Natal, etc. Now it's "Sharks XV" and Stormers XXIII", clearly sending the message that these are makeshift teams. It's not THE Stormers, it's A Stormers collection of players. Not THE Sharks, but A Sharks collection of players.
How are the players supposed to have any team pride playing for a "Stormers XXIII"? Why not call it Western Province (or The Stormers, if you must) and be done with it, so they know they are it - Boks or no Boks, they represent their province in no uncertain terms - and putting a XV or XXIII after a team name is uncertain terms in my book, because it intimates that you're just part of a cobbled together side making up numbers. So if you lose you can just go "Oh, we're not THE Stormers, we're just A Stormers 23".
No wonder barely anyone cares about Currie Cup - sometimes, looking at the weekend smashing of the "DHL Stormers XXIII" by Boland (not a Boland XV or a Boland XXIII, but Boland), it seems like some of the players don't care for it much either.
Why would you when you're just making up numbers in "a squad of 23".
