SA teams need to take Champions Cup more seriously after another season of abject failure

When the South African Rugby Union (Saru) made the bold decision to move north after Super Rugby fell apart in 2o2o, it was welcomed by Ireland, Wales, Scotland and Italy.

France and England were less enthusiastic about the move. It took a great deal of convincing by Saru and its United Rugby Championship (URC) partners to pry the door to the Champions Cup open against initial French and English resistance.

As rugby’s equivalent of soccer’s Champions League, and as part of a European competition in the form of the URC, playing in the Champions Cup was an important step.

It would be fair to say that after a third Champions Cup season, South African teams continue to fail miserably and are adding little value.

In addition to the Sharks being destroyed 66-12 by Bordeaux Bègles in France at the weekend, the Stormers also went down, 31-22 at Racing 92 in Paris, while the Bulls notched up a 48-7 victory over Stade Francais at Loftus.

Jaden Hendrikse of the Cell C Sharks during the Heineken Champions Cup match between Cell C Sharks and Union Bordeaux-Begles at Hollywoodbets Kings Park on January 14, 2023 in Durban, South Africa. (Photo: Steve Haag / Gallo Images / Getty Images)

There are mitigating factors for the struggles of SA teams: travel fatigue, a non-stop 12-month season and the concept of summer rugby, which sap player resources and motivation.

For decades South African players were used to an off-season through December and into early January. That’s no longer the case as they play Champions Cup and URC matches through that period.

And it’s not only the players. Coaches and other management staff, who are older than the players and generally have families, do not have a chance to enjoy a summer break with their loved ones. That too takes a mental toll.

Yet, despite these legitimate hurdles, you can imagine French and English suits on their WhatsApp group questioning their decision to allow SA teams to the party.

Away defeats are not unusual in the Champions Cup, but six out of six away losses by the Bulls, Sharks and Stormers with an average losing score of 47-14 was not a good look. No matter how you spin it and what excuses are used, it’s not good enough.

To add to the concern, the three SA teams each managed to lose one home game in the competition. They collectively won three out of 12 group phase matches.

The Sharks and Bulls now drop into the secondary Challenge Cup knockout stages with the Stormers missing out completely.

The Sharks won the Challenge Cup last year, which can hardly be held up as concrete evidence that SA teams are adding value in Europe.

Veering off

In 2022, on the eve of the South African teams’ debut in the Champions Cup, Bulls coach Jake White warned that it would not be easy.

The Stormers and Bulls had contested the inaugural URC final a few months earlier in 2022, the Boks were world champions and it all seemed rosy.

“I think everyone [in South Africa] is a little naive, both from a supporter point of view and a young player point of view,” White said as a prelude to the Bulls’ opening Champions Cup encounter against Lyon in December 2022.

“We will be coming up against teams boasting several Test internationals, both in the starting team and on the bench.

“Remember, most of the European teams don’t just draw from the player pool base in their country, they have South Africans, Kiwis, Aussies, Argentinians and players from the Pacific islands.

Ben Loader of the Stormers during the Investec Champions Cup match between DHL Stormers and Sale Sharks at DHL Stadium on January 11, 2025 in Cape Town, South Africa. (Photo by Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images/Getty Images)

“I have experienced this competition before when coaching Montpellier, and whether it is the Champions Cup or the Challenge Cup, it is incredibly tough.

“Generally, the depth of those teams is much stronger than we have gotten used to in the URC and which we have in our systems in South Africa. I’ve tried very hard over the last few weeks to explain to the guys in our squad just how good these teams are.”

His words were prophetic, and three seasons on, White has struggled as much as anyone to get that point across.

The results add credence to this theory that SA teams haven’t worked out how to juggle two serious tournaments simultaneously. After nearly three seasons, the excuse is wearing thin.

Future

It was also interesting to read that Sharks shareholder Marco Masotti wants to take the Sharks on tours of the US as a pre-season jaunt to build the “brand” in the US before the 2031 Rugby World Cup in that country.

It’s understandable that as an owner, Masotti wants to make his team globally recognisable and maximise their value.

Surely though, that journey’s first steps should be dominating the market the Sharks are already in instead of veering off and trying to conquer a new market where rugby is a minority sport.

For the Sharks, adding more travel and games and creating hype in the US, while struggling and even failing in the market that they occupy, seems like folly at this stage.

Maybe becoming a dominant force in Europe will lead to a natural progression into the US market — assuming there is this much-promised fertile ground for rugby to flourish in the US.

The Springboks’ success has skewed the reality of South African rugby’s overall strength.

Sure, we can select a strong Springbok team from a pool of 50-60 players. But player depth and solving issues around player welfare in the face of an endless season are proving elusive.

A global season for sport has been on World Rugby’s agenda for more than two decades and we’re no closer to a real solution.

It seems World Rugby is betting on the US providing a financial lifeline to the sport because it is host to the men’s and women’s Rugby World Cups in 2031 and 2033.

It could well be the silver bullet, or it could not. Either way, it’s a long way off and rugby’s growth and sustainability need to be addressed now.

“The expanded men’s and women’s Rugby World Cups in the United States in 2031 and 2033 present an unprecedented opportunity to establish rugby as a truly global sport,” said the World Rugby chairman, Brett Robinson, in his annual report.

“By establishing our sport in the US, and bringing it to new audiences, new commercial partners and new participants, we will take steps to improve rugby’s long-term financial sustainability.

“We are already making great progress in the US and working hard to create a legacy for the sport.”

It sounds great, yet there are no details of what this growth and long-term financial sustainability looks like.

As it stands now, it’s every nation for itself in a series of interlocking tournaments. That’s the reality.

Considering the circumstances, South African teams should start taking their Champions Cup obligations more seriously. They are in it. Now they need to show if they are in it to win it.  DM