SA Rugby saved: Euro Champions Cup pathway breathes new life into Mzansi’s game
GOING NORTH: The Stormers
South African rugby has finally broken into real European competition with the announcement that its franchise teams have a path into the Champions Cup via the United Rugby Championship.
The South African Rugby Union (Saru) on Tuesday announced that the Stormers, Bulls, Sharks and the Lions will join PRO Rugby teams in playing in a new tournament called the United Rugby Championship (URC) – basically an official name for what would have been this year’s Rainbow Cup competition.
To be honest, though, their involvement in the 16-team tournament that involves clubs from Scotland, Wales, Ireland and Italy is not enough to excite rugby fans.
In fact, if the South African franchises were to play in that tournament only, with no route to the Champions Cup where the big guns from France and England play, I’d reckon they’d be better off playing against the Crusaders, Hurricanes and the Blues in Super Rugby.
But the statement released by Saru added: “Subject to the finalisation of contract terms with EPCR [European Professional Club Rugby], South African teams will be eligible to qualify for the Champions Cup from the 2022/23 season if they have finished in the United Rugby Championship qualification places from the prior season.
“All points won during the URC season will contribute to rankings in the regional pools and the highest-ranking team in each of the four pools will earn a place in the Champions Cup for the following season.
“This addition to the format is expected to add even greater intensity to these age-old local rivalries.
“The remaining four places in the Champions Cup will be awarded to the four highest-ranked teams from the single-standing league table who have not already qualified through the four regional pools.”
Music to my ears, and I’m sure to that of every single South African rugby fan out there.
What that means is that our best teams will not only be facing Ireland’s best Munster and Leinster, but have a chance of crossing swords with Cheslin Kolbe and his European champions Toulouse also.
Imagine South Africa’s Sharks playing against Sale Sharks with South Africans Rohan Janse van Rensburg, Robert du Preez, Faf de Klerk, Cobus Wiese, Jono Ross, the Du Preez twins Jean-Luc and Dan, Lood de Jager, Coenie Oosthuizen and Akker van der Merwe in their squad.
You also have to wonder what impact this will have on the finances of our franchises.
I expect new TV deals, sponsorship deals and all that.
Might this also be the beginning of the end of the post-World Cup European exodus?
I reckon it will plug the hole a bit, but we will still have a surplus of players wanting to play at that level.
That brings me to the Cheetahs and the other franchises the Pumas and Griquas, but mostly the former.
Bloemfontein is a hotbed of rugby talent in South Africa and for this franchise not to have a pathway to top-class rugby is heartbreaking.
Let’s face it, die nuwe verwikkelinge will dilute the Currie Cup even more and playing in that competition alone is not good enough for survival of a franchise.
The best they could have done was to use the domestic tournament as qualification for European action. Up the stakes a bit.
If not, then try and get them involved in southern hemisphere action.
Yes, it will be a smack in the face of New Zealand and Australia – mostly the former – to feed them our “scraps” and say take on the best they have to offer, but the Cheetahs will not do worse than Aussie teams against the Kiwis in the Super Rugby Trans-Tasman.
If that can’t work, explore the Toyota link between Verblitz in Japan and see if there’s no way to get the Cheetahs in action in Japan.
Hell, even have the other SA franchises join the Japanese league.
Anyway, this announcement is good news for South African rugby and great for the top four teams. It will only benefit the country’s rugby in general.
But we also have to look at the other regions in the country and that’s what I’m keeping my eye on for now.
Meanwhile, the Bulls traveled to Italy earlier this week where they’ll face Italy’s Benetton in the Rainbow Cup final. Nothing against the Italians, but I expect coach Jake White’s manne to win that match.
Now if they’d played Toulouse, for example, it would have been a different story.
I guess we’ll just have to wait a bit.