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South Africans rugby teams aren't helping themselves in Europe

DHL Stormers celebrate during the Investec Champions Cup match between DHL Stormers and Toulon at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on December 07, 2024 in Gqeberha, South Africa. (Photo by Richard Huggard/Gallo Images/Getty Images)

What’s the opposite of exploding out of the blocks? Last week, in the opening round of continental domestic rugby, South Africa’s five teams added fuel to the argument that none of them belong on European pitches and are directly to blame for a once great competition bloating beyond recognition.

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The Bulls, apparently the country’s best hope of securing a Champions Cup semi-final berth, got stuffed by Saracens in torrid conditions in north-west London. The Stormers dropped a clanger on home turf and were beaten by a double-digit score by Toulon despite leading after 57 minutes. In the Challenge Cup the Lions were undone by 16 points at Ospreys, a team that sits third-last on the URC table, while the Cheetahs could only manage a home draw against French strugglers Perpignan.

Thank goodness, then, for the Sharks who claimed a 39-21 win over Exeter Chiefs at Kings’s Park. Well, not quite. The Sharks fielded 10 Springboks in the starting XV and played three more off the bench. Exeter had to travel around 24 hours from Devon to Durban and arrived on South Africa’s east coast having lost all seven of their Premiership games this season. This should have been a cricket score. For their coach, Rob Baxter, to say after the game that his team “blew” a golden chance for a win shows how tight this really was.

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      If this sounds harsh then consider the rancour that South African clubs and their supporters have had to face for the past few years. When news broke that the Saffas would have a seat at Europe’s top table it was met with disdain and suspicion. England’s World Cup-winning coach, Sir Clive Woodward, called the decision “brainless”. France’s great wing, Philippe Saint-Andre, said it was “rubbish” and a “complete aberration”. Joe Marler snidely told TNT Sport,“You want to talk about Europe and we’re going to Natal Sharks next week, which is where? In South Africa.”

      South African rugby supporters have largely brushed this all aside and met these quips and quibbles with shrugged shoulders. After all, just about every successful side in Champions Cup history has benefited from South African muscle. The great dynastic outfits of Toulon and Saracens that dominated the competition between 2013 and 2019 had more than their fair share.

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      The backlash to South African participation in a tournament sponsored by a South African company has largely been viewed as gatekeeping with more than a whiff of first-world xenophobia. Well of course they wouldn’t want the South Africans, those snobbish Brits and Francs. Something, something World Rugby conspiracy theory. Something, something Rassie Erasmus. Something, something four World Cups. They hate us cos they ain’t us, and all that.

      I played up to this myself. Almost two years ago to the day I wrote that much of this apprehension was “rooted in a previous age where moustachioed imperialists divided the globe with rulers on a map.” I insinuated that critics, whether they knew it or not, were peddling an old colonial and anti-African sentiment, one that espoused an old theory that men raised on the continent’s southern tip had no place in civilised company.

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      Not that it mattered, though. Soon enough the five clubs would prove their worth on the pitch. Just like the Springboks they’d show that they belonged. And even though the Bulls sent a C-team to Northampton in last season’s Champions Cup quarterfinals, and even though the Stormers lost a thriller by a single point to La Rochelle in the round before, the Sharks’ celebratory reactions to winning the Challenge Cup showed that this meant something to the players. They’d had a taste of the side dish. Now it was time to take a stab at the main course.

      Which is why this past weekend was such a disappointment. If these teams aren’t going to prove that they do indeed belong, that they are able to mix it with the development sides of Ireland, France and Scotland, er, I mean, Leinster, Toulouse and Glasgow Warriors, then what is the point? The toll this new format is taking on the environment cannot be ignored. All this criss-crossing of the globe, all that carbon emitted, has to be off-set by more than just carbon credits. We need trophies and famous wins in Dublin and the south of France. There has to be something to show for all the pushback and spats on social media.

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      Eben Etzebeth of Sharks celebrates after the EPCR Challenge Cup Final match between Gloucester Rugby and Hollywoodbets Sharks at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on May 24, 2024 in London, England.(Photo by Gaspafotos/MB Media/Getty Images)

      Onto this weekend then and the chance to set things right. The Bulls have an opportunity to exact revenge on the team that knocked them out last season. Northampton Saints are not quite the swashbuckling outfit that lifted the Premiership title and are there for the taking.

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      The Sharks and Stormers have tricky ties in England but will back themselves to do the business against Leicester and Harlequins respectively. The Tigers are on a two-game losing run having been well-beaten by Sale Sharks and Bordeaux Bègles while Quins are in the midst of one of their trademark inconsistent periods. Both are beatable.

      The Lions players and coaches have had the good fortune of sleeping in their own beds this week and will welcome Pau to Johannesburg on Saturday. Ellis Park won’t be full but it’ll still be 1,753 metres above sea level which could be the difference in the closing stages of the contest. The Cheetahs are the least likely winners as they head north to Cardiff. And though they won’t be expected to win, they are just the sort of group that could spring a surprise.

      Three wins from five matches; that is what should be demanded by the South African public. Looking further ahead, a semi-final place should be the minimum requirement from at least one South African team. Anything else should be regarded as a failure.

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      Comments

      12 Comments
      M
      MA 108 days ago

      There is way too much rugby. The URC should be a round-robin, and the Premiership a flat league (not going to mention the French because they seem intent on doing their own thing).

      This would make the Champions and Challenge Cup more meaningful. The result would be bigger audiences at the games because they would become calendar highlights for the fans, not repetitive events. Rivalry will build because a loss will sit in the dark chambers of supporters hearts for a long time. Stop making rugby for the networks and start making it for the fans

      J
      JPM 108 days ago

      Good article Daniel with the right questions asked for a change in particular ito of environmental impact and carbon emissions. This format is totally absurd on that point of view and this week end results show that it doesn't even make sense on the plain rugby side.

      D
      DC000 110 days ago

      Saffa teams can't win away in any way, shape ornform. They'll get destroyed as they aren't used to playing in superior NH comps.

      I
      Icefarrow 111 days ago

      This is just the norm for SA franchises. Unlike their national side, they just all lack ambition and innovation.

      G
      GrahamVF 108 days ago

      Exactly the opposite of the French.

      H
      Head high tackle 111 days ago

      I read where England is wanting Ireland and Wales to form a comp and get SA teams out. It will be interesting to see where this goes in the next couple of years. Lose and the SA teams will be rubbished, Win and they will be hated. Lose lose for them..... They could only manage 3 wins in SR in 20+ years.

      L
      Luke Toner 110 days ago

      The Irish condition to the RFU reportedly is that the SA and Italian sides are not dropped (and the SRU also backs that). England are less keen on that idea, because it would very much make them the junior partner in any merger.


      The Welsh teams leaving the URC to merge into a new Premiership is the most likely mooted change (maybe 25% chance in next few years), but the break up of URC itself seems unlikely.


      Especially in Ireland, the matches against South African teams are popular, and seen as good for irish development and making URC more exciting.

      I
      Icefarrow 111 days ago

      These kinds of rumours get bandied around every year. I wouldn't put any real faith in them.

      E
      Ed the Duck 111 days ago

      SARU isn’t going to pass up the EPCR rewards available and while it’s going to take a little time to get accustomed, I’ve got no doubt the Boks teams will get there soon enough. Much as they are doing in the URC, remember how poorly they fared in the early games/tours, and look how they’re performing now. EPCR is a step up from the URC and as the logistics playing field starts to even itself out and their game experience grows, they will compete and no doubt, at times, prevail.

      W
      WW 111 days ago

      Time to bring the boys back home, we have plenty competition here to keep us sharp and competitive enough to win RWCs.

      f
      fl 106 days ago

      ha!

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      J
      JW 1 hour ago
      Razor has an about turn on All Blacks eligibility rules

      Yep, another problem!


      I think he would have, in the instance I mentioned, which wasn’t changing anything other than correctly applying todays eligibility quidelines. Which is an arbitrary construct, as the deal likely would have played out completely differently, but I just ‘allowed’ him to have 1 year sabbatically for his ‘loyalty’, rather than having some arbitrary number like 70 caps required.


      So if Richie had a 3 year deal, and the first year he was allowed to use him still, I don’t think he’d really not transition to Dmac being his main 10, as he’s obviously the only one he can use for the following two years, therefore likely his only real option for the WC (very hard for Richie to overtake him in such a short time). Richie would purely be a security net in a situation like I proposition where there are only small changes to the eligibility.


      The system is not working well enough though, as we don’t have the Rugby Championship or World Cup trophies, do we? Well on that last question, that’s all I’m really saying but I would not believe a word this author says, so it’s entirely a ‘what if’ discussion, but if the author is right and now they are actually going to be more flexible, I think that’s great yeah. Ultimately thought I think those two players were an anomaly signing their contracts and futures up so far ahead, especially of when they were performing. Both jumped at the opportunity of good contracts when their All Black prospects weren’t looking that bright.

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