The 2020 rugby season was like no other in this history of the game in South Africa, with unique challenges thrown up for all of the teams and their supporters.

When Vodacom Super Rugby was halted in early March due to the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting national lockdown, there was much uncertainty about whether there would be any more rugby played in 2020.

It was a testing time for everyone around the world, but rugby eventually resumed in October without crowds and in the form of two competitions in one.

Vodacom Super Rugby Unlocked saw the DHL Stormers compete with six other South African teams in a single round, playing three away games and two games at DHL Newlands, with their encounter with the Cell C Sharks cancelled due to COVID-19 protocols.

At the end of that competition, the DHL Stormers were in second position on the standings, having lost one game against the tabletopping Vodacom Bulls at Loftus Versfeld.

Log points from Vodacom Super Rugby Unlocked were then carried over into the Carling Currie Cup, with DHL Western Province playing the reverse fixtures of the earlier competition.

Narrow defeats against the Vodacom Bulls and Xerox Lions were followed by three consecutive victories until their final league game against the Cell C Sharks was cancelled due to COVID-19 protocols once again.

At the conclusion of the league phase of the competition, DHL Western Province were in second position, which secured them a home semifinal at DHL Newlands.

Out of their 12 league games DHL Western Province won seven, lost three and had their two games against the Cell C Sharks cancelled. They finished the league phase having conceded the least tries in the competition while also scoring the most – tied with the Vodacom Bulls who were the only team that finished above them on the standings.

The powerful DHL Western Province forward pack also dominated the set-piece statistics, with the most effective line-out in the competition and a scrum that was the envy of all their opponents.

The fact that there were no fans at any of the games for the entire season also robbed DHL Western Province of one of their biggest advantages – their passionate supporters known as the Faithful.

Playing in empty stadiums was not the only challenge that the teams faced, as weekly COVID-19 screening and testing impacted on their training schedule and disrupted preparations throughout.

Despite these obstacles, DHL Western Province managed to achieve their goal of securing a home semifinal spot. However, they were to go down against a Cell C Sharks team that they had not played since March in what was the last competitive game to be played at DHL Newlands.

DHL Western Province Head Coach John Dobson said that a big focus on the return to rugby had been on improving the kicking and territory game, which had proven something of a weakness in Vodacom Super Rugby.

“We did not play enough in opposition territory before lockdown and with the move to European competition coming up it is something that we worked particularly hard on.

“While it may not be the most attractive part of the game, it is crucial in order to succeed against European teams in those conditions going forward. We need to be able to play both styles of rugby.

“It paid off in that we made dramatic improvements and won the territory battle in just about every game we played after lockdown in both competitions,” he said.

Dobson added that with the territory game in a good place, the emphasis now will be on creating more rhythm on attack.

“It was a plan in a tough comeptition, played in tough conditions, but we know we need to develop our attacking game to suit what has always been the DNA of this region.

“We know where we want to go, we have some areas we can improve and that is what we will focus on,” he said.

While SARU are yet to confirm competitions and fixtures, the DHL Stormers and DHL Western Province will play their home games at Cape Town Stadium going forward.

The DHL Stormers are set to play in the Rainbow Cup from April to June, which will see four South African franchises compete with 12 other teams from Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Italy.

The DHL Stormers will also face the British and Irish Lions in the opening game of their upcoming tour on July 4 at Cape Town Stadium.

Although there is still uncertainty about competitions, fixtures and crowd attendance at matches in 2021 due to COVID-19, the DHL Stormers can look forward to playing in a new competition against European opposition and playing their home games at the impressive Cape Town Stadium.

While 2020 was a rugby season like no other, 2021 is also set to see big changes for Western Province Rugby as new frontiers are reached from a new home base.