The Investec Champions Cup must be treated like the biggest prize to chase, not a nuisance to manage, writes SIMON BORCHARDT.
This season, South African clubs have again selected B teams for certain away matches, with disastrous results.
When a second-string Stormers side was thrashed 61-10 by Harlequins in London, it was not just “humiliating” – as coach John Dobson admitted – it was damaging. Damaging to the Stormers, damaging to the competition, and damaging to South Africa’s credibility in Europe.
With a final pool match against Leicester still to come in Cape Town, Dobson left his entire first-choice squad at home for the Harlequins fixture. The logic was sound. Having already beaten Bayonne away and La Rochelle in Gqeberha, the Stormers could afford a loss in London and still qualify for the round of 16 with a home win against Leicester.
They did beat the Tigers in Cape Town – who themselves travelled without several first-choice players and later complained about a “51-hour round trip” via Joburg – but that defeat in London ultimately cost the Stormers a home playoff. Selecting two competitive teams, with a mix of first- and second-choice players, may well have produced two wins instead of one.
The Champions Cup is marketed as “the one to win” and is supposedly the pinnacle of club rugby. Yet too often this season it has looked like a rest-and-rotation exercise, with supporters paying full price to watch mismatches.
And it is not just South African teams. La Rochelle sent 15 academy players to face the Stormers and lost 42-21. Pau lost 61-12 to Bristol in England, Edinburgh went down 63-10 to Bath in England, and Sale were crushed 77-7 by Toulouse in France.
But South African teams attract the most criticism – and rightly so. Participation in a European Cup is a privilege for non-European teams and it demands respect.
Judging by crowd attendances, South African fans still see the URC as the priority and the Champions Cup as a distraction. But why should supporters care deeply about a competition when their teams so often don’t?
The Sharks sent a B team to Toulouse and lost 56-19. A week later, interim coach JP Pietersen selected their Springboks for a home match against Saracens – who rested key players – and won. They then reverted to a second-choice side at Sale and lost again. A 50-12 win against Clermont at Kings Park proved to be insufficient for the Sharks, who missed out on the playoffs on points difference.
Bulls coach Johan Ackermann picked his best side against Bordeaux Bègles and they were competitive in defeat at Loftus. He then rested those players against Northampton to prioritise a URC match against the Sharks, and the result was an embarrassing 55-5 loss at Franklin’s Gardens. After a home defeat to Bristol in which they conceded 61 points, the Bulls were fortunate to qualify for the playoffs with just one narrow win, against Pau in France.
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At the heart of the issue is a structural problem. Since leaving Super Rugby and heading north, South African rugby has effectively had no off-season. URC teams play during the Rugby Championship and lose Springboks again during the November tour. Even when those Boks are available to their clubs, mandatory rest periods limit their involvement.
Long term, the answer is a global season. Align the Rugby Championship with the Six Nations, create a schedule that allows clubs to treat domestic and European competitions with equal importance, and give players in both hemispheres a proper break at the same time.
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In the short term, the Champions Cup format needs fixing.
Enabling teams to qualify for the round of 16 with one or two wins from four pool matches encourages risk-free rotation. Two pool-stage defeats should end European ambitions.
Make selection matter by encouraging teams – through the format – to field their best players.
Photo: Warren Little/Getty Images
