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"contents": "<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The European Cup finals staged in Cardiff this past weekend served as a reminder of where South African rugby is falling short.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While the Springboks have won back-to-back World Cups over the past seven years, the South African franchises have struggled to compete in Europe’s leading club tournament.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Zero teams qualified for the Champions Cup playoffs this season, while only one – the Bulls – progressed beyond the Challenge Cup round of 16.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It was great to see coach Johann van Graan and Thomas du Toit flying the flag for South Africa in Bath’s resounding 37-12 win over Lyon in the Challenge Cup final, and former Springbok centre Rohan Janse van Rensburg contributing to Bordeaux-Bégles’ 28-20 Champions Cup victory over Northampton Saints.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But really, is this the best we can hope for, some of our best coaches and players moving abroad and winning major club titles with foreign clubs?</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This question is particularly relevant now that plans to stage a World Club Cup are at an advanced stage.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The inaugural tournament is set to kick off in June 2028, and the news, as SA Rugby</span><a href=\"https://www.netwerk24.com/netwerk24/sport/rugby/europese-kampioenebeker/rian-klub-wb-sal-sa-spanne-dwing-om-kampioenebeker-ernstig-op-te-neem-20250524\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> CEO Rian Oberholzer told Rapport</span></a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, should force the South African franchises to take the European tournaments more seriously in the intervening years.</span>\r\n\r\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2735246\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/2216726400.jpg\" alt=\"Club World Cup rugby Van Graan\" width=\"1715\" height=\"1183\" /> <em>Johann van Graan, head of Bath Rugby, before the EPCR Challenge Cup final against Lyon Olympique Universitaire at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, on 23 May 2025. (Photo: David Rogers / Getty Images)</em></p>\r\n<h4><b>How World Club Cup could work</b></h4>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There’s a lot that needs to be worked out, financially and logistically, before the tournament kicks off in three years.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That said, news of a meeting between the chief decision-makers in Cardiff was quickly followed by a European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) press release, which highlighted an agreement between domestic competitions such as the French Top 14, United Rugby Championship and Super Rugby Pacific.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Clearly there is a collective will to get this concept over the line.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The “Rugby World Club Cup” will be staged every four years, in the first year of the existing World Cup cycle.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“We had great meetings with our board, great meetings with our general assembly, who represent the three leagues and stakeholders from seven unions, and everyone is unanimous about wanting to deliver a World Club Cup – through EPCR,” chairperson Dominic McKay confirmed.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The entire club schedule is set to change, with domestic tournaments staging their playoffs earlier to ensure the World Club Cup plays out at the climax of the season.</span>\r\n\r\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2735244\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/1445768558-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1569\" /> <em>Dominic McKay, chairperson of European Professional Club Rugby. (Photo: David Rogers / Getty Images)</em></p>\r\n\r\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2735243\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/TL_2402155.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1829\" height=\"1118\" /> <em>The Sharks’ Eben Etzebeth during a United Rugby Championship match against the Scarlets at Kings Park Stadium in Durban on 17 May 2025. (Photo: Steve Haag Sports / Gallo Images)</em></p>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Champions Cup playoffs will fall away that season, while the pool matches could serve as a pathway to the global club event.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sixteen teams will qualify for the World Club Cup and compete across four pools. Eight of the qualifiers will be drawn from the Champions Cup, seven from Super Rugby Pacific and one from Japan Rugby League One.</span>\r\n<h4><b>How South Africa fits into the equation</b></h4>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the wake of the announcement some have expressed concerns about player welfare, given that the new tournament will add fixtures to an already congested rugby calendar.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“To reassure everyone, we’ve thought about this from a player’s perspective, from a fan’s perspective and from a future fan’s perspective,” McKay added.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At the moment, organisers plan to stage the entire tournament in Europe, which could solve the problem of teams flying in and out of the southern hemisphere – and from far-flung Japan – weekly.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But back to the question of the South African teams – will they actually feature at this tournament?</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In answering that question, it’s worth looking at which 16 teams would qualify on the basis of 2024-25 season results. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Based on the rankings after the Champions Cup pool phase, Bordeaux, Toulouse, Leinster, La Rochelle, Northampton, Castres, Toulon and Glasgow would advance to the elite tournament.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Going by the Super Rugby Pacific log after 12 rounds, the Chiefs, Crusaders, Brumbies, Hurricanes, Reds, Moana Pasifika and the Blues would qualify. One of the Kubota Spears or Toshiba Brave Lupus – who will contest this week’s JRLO final – would represent Japan.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At a glance, it’s a good spread that promises to serve up some dream match-ups, but the South African teams are conspicuous by their absence.</span>\r\n\r\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2735242\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/TL_2400359.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1737\" height=\"1158\" /> <em>Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu of the Stormers is tackled by Cam Winnett and James Botham of Cardiff Rugby during their United Rugby Championship match at Cape Town Stadium on 16 May 2025. (Photo: Shaun Roy / Gallo Images)</em></p>\r\n<h4><b>Three years to get things right</b></h4>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nobody expects a South African team to win the Champions Cup at this stage.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Bulls, Sharks and Stormers are still coming to terms with the nature of the tournament since making their debut in 2022-23, and don’t warrant comparison with perennial title contenders such as Toulouse and Leinster.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What South African fans, critics and stakeholders do expect, of course, is progress.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Unfortunately, results show how the leading teams have regressed over the past three seasons. After qualifying for the playoffs in 2022-23, the Bulls, Sharks and Stormers registered one win apiece in the 2024-25 pool phase, and did not feature again in the premier European tournament.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There’s a concern across all four South African franchises that they don’t possess the personnel or resources to compete across two tournaments and, with this in mind, have prioritised the URC.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Will anything change in the 2025-26 season?</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">All three teams have made some important signings, and it’s hoped that the new additions as well as a fresh mindset may lead to more favourable results in the Champions Cup.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At the very least, these teams should be gunning for two home wins during the pool phase and – for the more ambitious – a home quarterfinal.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As Oberholzer recently suggested, time is running out to get things right.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The local teams need to start building towards that World Club Cup sooner rather than later.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If they continue on their present course, South African rugby could face the ultimate embarrassment of missing the quadrennial event altogether. The next tournament will be staged in 2032, and by then many of the current players may have moved on.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When Rassie Erasmus took up the role of director of rugby in 2018, he pledged to transform South African rugby into a superpower.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Boks have racked up the accolades in subsequent years, and are currently at the top of the rankings, but South Africa’s franchises aren’t even among club rugby’s chasing pack, let alone contenders for the top prize.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A hat-trick of World Cups is a worthwhile goal – and a feat that is unlikely to be matched in future, if ever again.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But we’ve reached the point where South African rugby needs to be more ambitious in between World Cups, and the franchises need to be held to a higher standard.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Again, few will bet on a South African team to win the inaugural World Club Cup in 2028, but it would be a travesty if none of the franchises makes the 16-team cut. </span><b>DM</b>",
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"name": "Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu of DHL Stormers is tackled by Cam Winnett of Cardiff Rugby and James Botham of Cardiff Rugby during the United Rugby Championship match between DHL Stormers and Cardiff Rugby at DHL Stadium on May 16, 2025 in Cape Town, South Africa. (Photo by Shaun Roy/Gallo Images)",
"description": "<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The European Cup finals staged in Cardiff this past weekend served as a reminder of where South African rugby is falling short.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While the Springboks have won back-to-back World Cups over the past seven years, the South African franchises have struggled to compete in Europe’s leading club tournament.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Zero teams qualified for the Champions Cup playoffs this season, while only one – the Bulls – progressed beyond the Challenge Cup round of 16.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It was great to see coach Johann van Graan and Thomas du Toit flying the flag for South Africa in Bath’s resounding 37-12 win over Lyon in the Challenge Cup final, and former Springbok centre Rohan Janse van Rensburg contributing to Bordeaux-Bégles’ 28-20 Champions Cup victory over Northampton Saints.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But really, is this the best we can hope for, some of our best coaches and players moving abroad and winning major club titles with foreign clubs?</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This question is particularly relevant now that plans to stage a World Club Cup are at an advanced stage.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The inaugural tournament is set to kick off in June 2028, and the news, as SA Rugby</span><a href=\"https://www.netwerk24.com/netwerk24/sport/rugby/europese-kampioenebeker/rian-klub-wb-sal-sa-spanne-dwing-om-kampioenebeker-ernstig-op-te-neem-20250524\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> CEO Rian Oberholzer told Rapport</span></a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, should force the South African franchises to take the European tournaments more seriously in the intervening years.</span>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_2735246\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"1715\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-2735246\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/2216726400.jpg\" alt=\"Club World Cup rugby Van Graan\" width=\"1715\" height=\"1183\" /> <em>Johann van Graan, head of Bath Rugby, before the EPCR Challenge Cup final against Lyon Olympique Universitaire at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, on 23 May 2025. (Photo: David Rogers / Getty Images)</em>[/caption]\r\n<h4><b>How World Club Cup could work</b></h4>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There’s a lot that needs to be worked out, financially and logistically, before the tournament kicks off in three years.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That said, news of a meeting between the chief decision-makers in Cardiff was quickly followed by a European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) press release, which highlighted an agreement between domestic competitions such as the French Top 14, United Rugby Championship and Super Rugby Pacific.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Clearly there is a collective will to get this concept over the line.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The “Rugby World Club Cup” will be staged every four years, in the first year of the existing World Cup cycle.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“We had great meetings with our board, great meetings with our general assembly, who represent the three leagues and stakeholders from seven unions, and everyone is unanimous about wanting to deliver a World Club Cup – through EPCR,” chairperson Dominic McKay confirmed.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The entire club schedule is set to change, with domestic tournaments staging their playoffs earlier to ensure the World Club Cup plays out at the climax of the season.</span>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_2735244\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"2560\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-2735244\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/1445768558-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1569\" /> <em>Dominic McKay, chairperson of European Professional Club Rugby. (Photo: David Rogers / Getty Images)</em>[/caption]\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_2735243\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"1829\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-2735243\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/TL_2402155.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1829\" height=\"1118\" /> <em>The Sharks’ Eben Etzebeth during a United Rugby Championship match against the Scarlets at Kings Park Stadium in Durban on 17 May 2025. (Photo: Steve Haag Sports / Gallo Images)</em>[/caption]\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Champions Cup playoffs will fall away that season, while the pool matches could serve as a pathway to the global club event.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sixteen teams will qualify for the World Club Cup and compete across four pools. Eight of the qualifiers will be drawn from the Champions Cup, seven from Super Rugby Pacific and one from Japan Rugby League One.</span>\r\n<h4><b>How South Africa fits into the equation</b></h4>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the wake of the announcement some have expressed concerns about player welfare, given that the new tournament will add fixtures to an already congested rugby calendar.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“To reassure everyone, we’ve thought about this from a player’s perspective, from a fan’s perspective and from a future fan’s perspective,” McKay added.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At the moment, organisers plan to stage the entire tournament in Europe, which could solve the problem of teams flying in and out of the southern hemisphere – and from far-flung Japan – weekly.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But back to the question of the South African teams – will they actually feature at this tournament?</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In answering that question, it’s worth looking at which 16 teams would qualify on the basis of 2024-25 season results. </span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Based on the rankings after the Champions Cup pool phase, Bordeaux, Toulouse, Leinster, La Rochelle, Northampton, Castres, Toulon and Glasgow would advance to the elite tournament.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Going by the Super Rugby Pacific log after 12 rounds, the Chiefs, Crusaders, Brumbies, Hurricanes, Reds, Moana Pasifika and the Blues would qualify. One of the Kubota Spears or Toshiba Brave Lupus – who will contest this week’s JRLO final – would represent Japan.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At a glance, it’s a good spread that promises to serve up some dream match-ups, but the South African teams are conspicuous by their absence.</span>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_2735242\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"1737\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-2735242\" src=\"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/TL_2400359.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1737\" height=\"1158\" /> <em>Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu of the Stormers is tackled by Cam Winnett and James Botham of Cardiff Rugby during their United Rugby Championship match at Cape Town Stadium on 16 May 2025. (Photo: Shaun Roy / Gallo Images)</em>[/caption]\r\n<h4><b>Three years to get things right</b></h4>\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nobody expects a South African team to win the Champions Cup at this stage.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Bulls, Sharks and Stormers are still coming to terms with the nature of the tournament since making their debut in 2022-23, and don’t warrant comparison with perennial title contenders such as Toulouse and Leinster.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What South African fans, critics and stakeholders do expect, of course, is progress.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Unfortunately, results show how the leading teams have regressed over the past three seasons. After qualifying for the playoffs in 2022-23, the Bulls, Sharks and Stormers registered one win apiece in the 2024-25 pool phase, and did not feature again in the premier European tournament.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There’s a concern across all four South African franchises that they don’t possess the personnel or resources to compete across two tournaments and, with this in mind, have prioritised the URC.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Will anything change in the 2025-26 season?</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">All three teams have made some important signings, and it’s hoped that the new additions as well as a fresh mindset may lead to more favourable results in the Champions Cup.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At the very least, these teams should be gunning for two home wins during the pool phase and – for the more ambitious – a home quarterfinal.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As Oberholzer recently suggested, time is running out to get things right.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The local teams need to start building towards that World Club Cup sooner rather than later.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If they continue on their present course, South African rugby could face the ultimate embarrassment of missing the quadrennial event altogether. The next tournament will be staged in 2032, and by then many of the current players may have moved on.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When Rassie Erasmus took up the role of director of rugby in 2018, he pledged to transform South African rugby into a superpower.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Boks have racked up the accolades in subsequent years, and are currently at the top of the rankings, but South Africa’s franchises aren’t even among club rugby’s chasing pack, let alone contenders for the top prize.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A hat-trick of World Cups is a worthwhile goal – and a feat that is unlikely to be matched in future, if ever again.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But we’ve reached the point where South African rugby needs to be more ambitious in between World Cups, and the franchises need to be held to a higher standard.</span>\r\n\r\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Again, few will bet on a South African team to win the inaugural World Club Cup in 2028, but it would be a travesty if none of the franchises makes the 16-team cut. </span><b>DM</b>",
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Johann van Graan, head of Bath Rugby, before the EPCR Challenge Cup final against Lyon Olympique Universitaire at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, on 23 May 2025. (Photo: David Rogers / Getty Images)
Dominic McKay, chairperson of European Professional Club Rugby. (Photo: David Rogers / Getty Images)
The Sharks’ Eben Etzebeth during a United Rugby Championship match against the Scarlets at Kings Park Stadium in Durban on 17 May 2025. (Photo: Steve Haag Sports / Gallo Images)
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu of the Stormers is tackled by Cam Winnett and James Botham of Cardiff Rugby during their United Rugby Championship match at Cape Town Stadium on 16 May 2025. (Photo: Shaun Roy / Gallo Images)