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Which sides would make a 12-team European rugby union Super League?

Joe Simmonds of Exeter celebrates /PA

The sporting headlines this weekend have been dominated by a highly controversial bid to launch a twelve-team European Super League in football.

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While not quite on the same scale, rugby has not been averse to introducing its own shake-ups to leagues and competitions over the years, although this is an avenue not yet explored.

But that does not mean such a Super League could not, theoretically at least, occur in the future. In the unlikely event of such a move, here are twelve teams that could make the league, taking into account their history as well as recent success.

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      DEFINITES

      Toulouse
      Arguably the giant of all giants in European rugby, there is no doubt Toulouse belong in this league. With four European titles (tied with Leinster) and a record 20 French titles, both form and history are on Toulouse’s side.

      Toulouse
      Press Association

      Leinster
      Leinster have dominated the Guinness PRO14 since its inception, certainly over the past ten years, while also adding four stars to their jersey from their European exploits.

      Saracens
      They may not be at Europe’s top table this season for off-field reasons, but Saracens have established themselves as one of the titans of the game in over the past decade.

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      Exeter Chiefs
      The current Heineken Champions Cup winners (for a few more weeks) and Gallagher Premiership winners Exeter Chiefs may not have the history to match the other teams in this league, but they have become a powerhouse in Europe in recent years.

      Clermont Auvergne
      With only three Challenge Cup titles and two French titles, ASM Clermont Auvergne do not rival their counterparts in terms of silverware. But they have three runners-up medals in Europe’s elite competition over the past decade.

      Munster
      They may not necessarily have recent history on their side, as they have seen rivals Leinster eclipse them in recent years, but some of European rugby’s greatest moments are imbued with Munster heroics.

      PRO14 Final Munster
      A dejected Tadhg Beirne (Getty Images)
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      Racing 92
      Much like ASM Clermont, Racing 92 do not have European titles to fall back on, and they only have one Top 14 title in the professional era, coming in 2016. But they have made three of the past five Champions Cup finals.

      CONTENDERS

      Wasps
      After experiencing some dark days in 2012 as they almost went into administration, Wasps have grown in power since then, reaching the Premiership final twice, including last season’s showcase. They still haven’t matched their glory days of the 2000s, where they won two Heineken Cups and four Premierships, but their history speaks for itself.

      Wasps player ratings Clermont
      (Photo by PA)

      Toulon
      They may not have torn up any trees in Europe or France over the past five years (although they reached two Top 14 finals), but Toulon’s brief domination of the continent between 2013 and 2015 earn them a place in this league.

      Glasgow Warriors
      It may seem unfair that a team like Glasgow Warriors would keep out a side like Ulster from this league, but this allows representation across Europe. The Warriors did win the PRO14 in 2015 and were runners-up in 2019.

      Glasgow Warriors
      Glasgow Warriors  /PA

      Scarlets
      In terms of Welsh representation, the Ospreys have had more success in the professional era, but the Scarlets’ success has come more recently, which just gives them the edge.

      Leicester Tigers
      Including Leicester Tigers in this league may be controversial as their record in recent years is nothing to boast about, and they have even found themselves in a relegation scrap in the Premiership, but their history and name alone puts them in the conversation in a Super League.

      Super League
      Vereniki Goneva, Mathew Tait, Logovi’i Mulipola, Ben Youngs and Manu Tuilagi celebrate after Leicester’s 2013 Premiership final win over Northampton (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

      La Rochelle
      La Rochelle may be the new kids on the block in terms of European rugby with very few honours to their name. But as they currently stand joint top of the Top 14 and await Leinster in the Champions Cup semi-final, their reputation could be starkly different in a matter of weeks.

      Ulster
      Ulster are one of a few sides, alongside the likes of Bath and Northampton Saints, who experienced Heineken Cup success in the early days of the competition. They would all have a legitimate claim to be in the competition but Ulster may shade it after making the PRO14 final in 2020.

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      R
      RedWarriors 13 minutes ago
      The Springbok selection experiment is far from over

      SA and NZ were the main countries “Whining” about the draw that put SA/NZ/IRE/FRA all on the same side of the draw. Ireland, France and Scotland are well used to it. Most countries have come face to face with the biased draw and scheduling many times since the RWC was inaugurated in 1987.

      Everyone agreed the draw was a farce , but yes someone had to pox their way through and that was SA. You get to play a France team in the QF before they have a knock out win under their belt. You won as the inferior team, the world saw that. If the draw had been harder for SA and you were scheduled to play Scotland the week before then you were out.

      England were stronger for most of the match with a 9 point lead with 10 to go. They will be massively disapointed to lose from there especially with the non peanalty awarded at the end.

      Lastly, you needed a red card to beat NZ. 100%. Not in doubt. It was a 1 point game. You were losing without the red.

      SA beat what was in front of them. Not in doubt. That they were lucky is not in doubt either. That the draw made the win significantly easier for SA to get past the QF, is not in doubt either. You play France in the SF or final, you are losing badly.

      So well done on teh wins. But less stop with the ‘Are SA the greatest team in history” rubbish.

      ‘Butt hurt’? Thats an Americanism to imply homosexuality? On about raping women now lobbing homophobic comments. Some of you Saffers, past and present have a very very disturbing attitude…historically and present day.

      54 Go to comments
      N
      NB 2 hours ago
      Have England suddenly become a 'lucky' team?

      I think you need to look at some examples in order to get your facts straight.


      If you look at the second gif in the article https://imgur.com/a/6QNcVtB#NG27wFf , you can see that Scotland are running the shape I describe, and the ‘flat option’ does not actively impede a tackler so has no need to retreat.


      Ditto this one https://imgur.com/a/hNktXel#gbQSsT4 . There is no significant contact with a defender by the flat option, so why does it need to [over-]refereed?


      I feel you’re trying to address an issue that exists mostly in your own imagination, not one that exists out on the field of play.

      83 Go to comments
      LONG READ
      LONG READ 'Wales' challenge now is to make the effort against Ireland their default setting’ 'Wales' challenge now is to make the effort against Ireland their default setting’
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