1
'South African rugby' warned of 'disastrous' scenario
By PA
Stormers head coach John Dobson admits South Africa’s teams must start justifying their inclusion in the Investec Champions Cup – with help from tournament organisers.
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A grim day in the competition saw the Bulls humbled at Loftus Versfeld by Northampton while the under-strength Stormers and Sharks were crushed on the road at Harlequins and Leicester respectively. Between the three sides, 139 points were conceded.
Smaller squad sizes and gruelling travel demands are given as explanations for the under-performance of South African teams, who must also fly to Europe to play away games in the United Rugby Championship.
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Dobson, who was missing seven Springboks due to injury including Manie Libbok, Damian Willemse and Frans Malherbe, believes a way to overcome the challenges must be found.
“As South Africans we have to be better. We are not disrespecting (the tournament), but we need to get ourselves into a better position,” Dobson said.
Investec Champions Cup
Pool 1
P
W
L
D
PF
PA
PD
BP T
BP-7
BP
Total
1
Bordeaux
2
2
0
0
10
2
Leicester
2
1
1
0
6
3
Toulouse
1
1
0
0
5
4
Sharks
2
1
1
0
5
5
Exeter Chiefs
1
0
1
0
0
6
Ulster
2
0
2
0
0
Pool 2
P
W
L
D
PF
PA
PD
BP T
BP-7
BP
Total
1
Stade Rochelais
2
2
0
0
9
2
Leinster
2
2
0
0
9
3
Clermont
2
1
1
0
5
4
Bath
1
0
1
0
1
5
Benetton
1
0
1
0
0
6
Bristol
2
0
2
0
0
Pool 3
P
W
L
D
PF
PA
PD
BP T
BP-7
BP
Total
1
Northampton
2
2
0
0
10
2
Munster
2
1
1
0
6
3
Saracens
1
1
0
0
5
4
Castres
2
1
1
0
4
5
Stade Francais
1
0
1
0
0
6
Bulls
2
0
2
0
0
Pool 4
P
W
L
D
PF
PA
PD
BP T
BP-7
BP
Total
1
Harlequins
2
1
1
0
5
2
Glasgow
1
1
0
0
5
3
Sale
2
1
1
0
5
4
Toulon
1
1
0
0
4
5
Racing 92
2
1
1
0
4
6
Stormers
2
0
2
0
0
“I don’t know how we solve it. It’s like being invited to someone’s birthday party then complaining about the chips. We are so grateful to be here.
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“I see in January we play Leinster in the URC and then Racing. Is there a way to link them up on a tour? That would make it much more palatable.
“We could take our strongest team and play both games at full bore. It’s just this December fixture that has caught us in the last two years.
“For Leicester last season we’d left our whole squad in Cape Town. This was a little bit different. We really are thin. We had Manie down to play against Quins – we’d hoped to mix it up a bit more.
“We only voluntarily didn’t choose six for this game. The rest were injury problems. It’s not a good look, though. If we came to Harlequins at full-noise, that would have been a hell of a game.”
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Dobson insists the value of the Champions Cup to South Africa can not be overstated.
“We have to be part of this tournament because it’s such a high level and it’s such a great tournament,” he said
“And if we’re not careful, were we not to be part of the Champions Cup, and the URC morphed into an Anglo League and we went back to the Currie Cup of the 1980s where we were playing Griqualand West and Free State in dusty Kimberley, that would be disastrous for South African rugby.
“This competition is probably what has helped us so much in World Cups. Every breakdown is a competition. Every scrum is a 20-second contest. Every line-out or maul is a contest.
“That has been a massive boost for South African rugby, and we’ve got to make sure we can stay here, but evenings like this evening don’t help.”
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Non sense ito of carbon emissions and lack of depth. The conclusion should be obvious…
This competition has not helped SA whatsoever in World Cups. Have they forgotten the Springboks won in 2019, back when they were still in Super Rugby? Not to mention the enormous gap between club and country. International regimes always go on about how the first thing they teach you is to forget everything your club taught you.
Also, no one is forcing them to simultaneously compete in two tournaments. It's a European competition, they shouldn't have to roll over just because South Africa find the current schedule problematic. The franchises seem to be coming to the realisation they have no political sway within Europe. During the Super days, they were able to demand things like additional franchises in exchange for allowing the Jaguares and Sunwolves into the competition.
Its a fair request for scheduling to be improved for SA teams. Given the travel barrier it is reasonable to give it priority as a major barrier to a more level playing field. Hopefully the organizers of URC and Champions Cup take note that SA away games get priority in the scheduling (to be scheduled as tours)
Nailed it Dobbo!...the problem is however how to solve the problem!...you still want to be invited in future to the party, after all one day you might just win a prize!