“Toto, I have a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore,” Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz declared to her dog and loyal companion.
South African teams participating in their first round of Champions Cup fixtures will be feeling the same as Dorothy and Toto come kick off on Saturday.
The landscape of international club rugby is about to take its first tentative steps this weekend in transforming itself into a truly global competition.
With the advent of the three heavyweight South African clubs the Bulls, Sharks and Stormers (the Lions will be in the Challenge Cup which is the competition one rung below) will be getting their first taste of Europe’s elite club rugby competition.
The Champions Cup mirrors the Champions League in football, the best against the best and this weekend will test the South African clubs to their nth degree.
South African fans should be cautious and wary of how well their clubs will fare during the initial stages of this competition; it will take some time for these teams to get acclimated to the rigours of what it takes to progress in this tournament.
The South African sides upon initially joining the URC (United Rugby Championship) took some time to get up to speed with playing in northern hemisphere conditions but soon found their feet.
The Bulls dismantled the powerhouse and multiple European champions Leinster in Ireland and the Stormers finished as champions in their first foray into the tournament.
Nobody expected the South African sides to compete as well as they did, however the tests that await them will be a far greater step in intensity and quality.
While the URC is an outstanding competition in its own right, their teams that perhaps lack an overall squad quality, some of what would be deemed “smaller” clubs just don’t have the finances for a squad containing depth which gives a team the ability to go deep into the knockout rounds.
Just about every side involved in the Champions Cup is littered with internationals and not just in the starting XV, but on the bench too.
Jake White, the Bulls head coach having won the European Challenge Cup with Montpellier in 2016, was recently interviewed and said as much.
“We will be coming up against teams packed with internationals. European teams do not just draw from the player pool of their country – they have stars from all the top rugby nations.”
“I fear South Africans are a little naive about what lies ahead. Champions Cup teams are much stronger than those in the URC. They boast packs that weigh more than a thousand kilograms, they have brilliant backs. I think we are in for a bit of a wake-up call from this weekend.”
Herschel Jantjies runs in for a try. (Photo by Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images/Getty Images)
It is going to be an acid test for the South African clubs and how quickly they can adapt to not only the intensity and quality of the Champions Cup but also the different interpretations of northern hemisphere referees and the inclement weather when they play abroad.
That being said it will also be fascinating to see how the European teams adapt to playing away fixtures in the Republic in what is essentially the southern hemispheres cricket season.
Consider Harlequins playing the Sharks in Durban for a 3pm kick off time in December, at that time it’s too hot to be on the beach, let alone playing a high intensity rugby match.
However, for the three South African clubs playing in the Champions Cup this is where you want to be, testing yourself against the very best players in Europe and a few marquees stars cherry picked from New Zealand, Australia, Argentina, the Polynesian countries and a few South Africans for good measure.
This competition is not far off from Test match rugby and in the long run this only going to benefit the South African clubs and South African rugby in general as we become familiar with the rigors and difficulties of this tournament.
South African clubs will need to be patient and adaptable before thoughts of stamping their mark on Champions Cup, they will need to learn to crawl before they can walk.
Rusty
Roar Guru
Bar 4 (Sale, Leinster, Scarlets and la Rochell) games - some highly competitive cross competition games this last week. Zebre nearly getting over Toulon and Edinburgh at Saracens probably a highlight but likewise Osprey competing so well with Leicester. Really good spread of winners - looking forward to next weekend already Top 14: 5 URC: 7 + 1 draw Prem: 5 Currie: 1
Rusty
Roar Guru
Sharks looked pretty good yesterday - noticable how much the Boks lift them. Thought Ox was excellent until his somewhat harsh red where it looked like the tacklee dipped. Also great to see Malherbe's heir in Sadie roasting Marler
Rusty
Roar Guru
lol - I hear you - went on a complete streaming fest yesterday!
Rusty
Roar Guru
Indeed which is why I was surprised to see the Bulls roll out their currie cup team for the home game with Lyon - which they surprisingly won. Seems to indicate they are opting to focus on the URC but with this win we shall see. Stormers also already now look up against it for not getting single point at Clermont Man - a weekend for full rugby saturation - loved it!
Brendan NH Fan
Roar Rookie
I should also add there are some great match ups in each round that it is hard to choose which matches to watch sometimes. You might pick Racing be Leinster but miss out on Sharks v Quinns. 21 games over 3 days, and 13 games just today across both competitions. Having a family can be difficult on these weekends.
Brendan NH Fan
Roar Rookie
French fans aren't happy but games change things and a few tight games and ding-dong battles will change the mood. the big problem for SA teams is it is a cup and slow starts are not favourable. With Stormers losing in France any other loss could mean an away game against one of the top sides. SA teams need to play smarter away from home and make sure to get an LBP and stop the opposition getting a TBP as 1 point could be the difference of playing Ulster in Belfast or playing Toulouse in France, neither great but I would take Ulster any day.
Brendan NH Fan
Roar Rookie
It allows teams to focus in on a cup run if the league isn't going great (looking at you sharks). Its one thing to be able to do it in the URC but the best teams can do it away from home in the South of France and pick up big wins. We only need look at the games for Leinster and Stormers with how both did in France. Its fine to win at home but no team is going on a run unless they get away wins in England and France. For Cheetah's fans it will be great for them to go on any bit of a run being back among the big boys. only upwards for SA development
Brendan NH Fan
Roar Rookie
Like the old Super 10s this a cup game and people can go on runs and turn league form on their heads. It is also a clash of styles. Playing a French team with an English ref is a much harder challenge than playing another URC team with a ref you are use to. French will be big and physical so it will challenge South Africa to develop their game plan. If 2 SA teams make the quarters it will be a good result for them. English rugby is what I am curious how it goes as they look like they could be in trouble dealing with breakdown work against the URC and T14 teams who will make it a mess if they can.
Brendan NH Fan
Roar Rookie
One of the issues for all new teams is how quick the competition is. the group is 4 games where the top teams (who will get home quarters and easier last 16 get three wins. this means you can't have slow starts and 1 loss in the opening two rounds will put the team under pressure. If you lose at home you are really up against it. How you play these games is alot different to the league and sometimes the games have big swings.
Rusty
Roar Guru
I am not worried about the French - just like the URC once things get going there will be nothing but praise for the inclusion due to diversity and additional competition because lets be honest barring the Irish teams there has been pretty low standard levels from the Pro14 sides
Rusty
Roar Guru
Sharks looks good but will they play like they did at the RDS against one of Europes best or like they did at home against one of Europes worst....
Intotouch
Roar Rookie
The crowds in France will be a bit of a shock but they’re used to competing in European Winters now. . For years now only the top English club (singular) have looked as good as the best French and Irish sides so I don’t see them being a bother for SA teams. Will depth be a challenge for them at the pointy end of the season? I thought depth was a great asset in SA rugby. . What I’m worried about is the French. If they hate going to SA, or get e-coli there like three URC sides did recently, a major row will blow up. There was a poll in a French paper asking readers what they thought of SA teams being in the European cup and 80% ish voted for “unnatural and shouldn’t be there”. The English sides won’t want stiffer competition from the URC, less chance of winning or making more money and always resent that URC teams don’t face relegation. This could get ugly. If SA teams want to stay doing badly this year while they’re new and people aren’t used to them could benefit them in the long run. . The only thing I don’t like about the SA teams involvement is there won’t be the great flow of away fans that was a magical part of the tournament. It is pretty weird to have to travel so far for a match in the H cup.
Rusty
Roar Guru
totally agree CPM - its going to force evolution which can only be good for our game long term
CPM
Roar Rookie
Exciting times ahead here for our four franchise teams now waging war on two fronts where they have to build and emulate top teams like Leinster and La Rochelle by having two match 23’s of similar strength. . I’m loving the URC and soon will be loving the Champions Cup. This is great for player and coach development due to the sheer diversity of the opposition, conditions and even match officials where it’s either adapt or die. . Great work SARU :thumbup:
Rusty
Roar Guru
Actually the hardest and largest question is how to stream it while in mainland Europe!?
Rusty
Roar Guru
Been thinking about this quite a bit - obviously exciting fare to watch but inline with your great article I think the SA teams are going to take some time to adapt to the depth and player rotation required to compete on so many fronts
Harry Jones
Expert
The worst-performing SA side — the Sharks — have named a hard, fast pack: 15 Boeta Chamberlain 14 Werner Kok 13 Francois Venter 12 Ben Tapuai 11 Makazole Mapimpi 10 Curwin Bosch 9 Jaden Hendrikse 8 Phepsi Buthelezi 7 Vincent Tshituka 6 Siya Kolisi (capt) 5 Gerbrant Grobler 4 Eben Etzebeth 3 Carlu Sadie 2 Dan Jooste 1 Ox Nche. Substitutes: Dan Jooste, Ntuthuko Mchunu, Khutha Mchunu, Hyron Andrews, Sikhumbuzo Notshe, Grant Williams, Lionel Cronje, Rohan Janse van Rensburg