Champions Cup really will be for Europe’s elite

IT’S about time that the qualification format for the Champions Cup was changed, so I was delighted to see the announcement this week that moving forwards only the top seven in the PRO12 will make Europe’s elite competition.

don’t think either Zebre or Treviso bring anything to the tournament, so why should they be guaranteed a place? There should be no divine right to the top table.

It’s only fair the best teams get to play in the Champions Cup, and the Italians aren’t among those.

To some that might seem harsh, and I know there are people who say they deserve their place in the competition to try and develop the game in that country. And I can see their point, to an extent.

But you can’t convince me that Zebre and Treviso are benefiting from things as they stand. They’re playing against the best teams in Europe despite being beaten week in, week out in the PRO12. I think both sides would benefit from concentrating on their domestic league, improving there for a few years, and then stepping back up into Europe should they prove good enough.

I’ve been on the wrong end of a couple of hidings in my time, and it doesn’t help anyone if you’re getting beaten by 30 or 40 points every week. That’s what’s happening to Zebre and Treviso right now, especially when they meet the best teams from England and France.

They’re not adding anything to the competition, so why should they be involved at all?

Maybe we’ll see them back again in the future, but at the moment, that looks a long way off.

As for the other sides in the PRO12, I think the qualification change is good news for Wales. If the new rules had been in place for this season, then we’d have had three teams in the Champions Cup – Scarlets, Ospreys and Cardiff Blues. That can only be good for the game in this country.

I also think the fact only the top seven will qualify helps simplify things for everyone involved, that includes the players and the supporters.

It’s a bit like qualification for the Champions League in football in that regard, and what it will do is get rid of the end of season play-offs we saw this weekend.

Of course the Blues want to be in the Champions Cup, and they’ll do whatever they can to get there.

But their play-off semi-final with Stade Francais in Paris on Friday felt like something of a token gesture to me. At the end of a long season, and with player welfare paramount these days, do we really need to be playing these games? I don’t think so.

The play-offs are also confusing for the fans. Do they all really understand what’s going on and the process by which qualification is achieved? I’m guessing not.

I’m sure some of the clubs and some journalists are confused by it all, so what hope have the supporters got? That might sound condescending, but a simple qualification rule makes everything so much easier for everyone involved and the crucial thing is, it won’t alter the fact the best teams will still succeed.

From a Welsh point of view, you would like to think the Scarlets and Ospreys would qualify for the Champions Cup each season. Only the Scarlets made it this season, but they produced some excellent displays by beating Toulon at home and pushing Saracens really close to secure a draw.

We saw in the final at Murrayfield last weekend how good a side Saracens are, so that result at Parc y Scarlets bodes well for Welsh rugby.

It means I’m hopeful about what the regions can do in Europe in the next few seasons. Every year we seem to be so negative about our chances. Yes we’re up against it in terms of budgets, squad sizes and player quality, but the Scarlets showed the way this year.

Next year both they and the Ospreys will play Champions Cup rugby and in the future, we can only hope the Blues or even the Dragons can join them.

It’s not out the question for either of those two teams to finish in the top seven and that’s what they should be fighting for. There’s a lot to play for because the Champions Cup is where everyone wants to be. It’s the top table of club rugby in the northern hemisphere, and wouldn’t it be great for three of our Welsh teams to be playing in it? They’ve been given the chance. Now it’s up to them to take it with both hands.

“The Italian teams add nothing to the competition so why should they be involved at all?”