It’s time to step up or face being left behind
It’s time for a re-think for the founding nations of the URC feast after the Bulls stepped-up to beat reigning champions Leinster in their semi-final in Dublin. We all knew the four South African Super Rugby sides were going to bring a new dimension to the tournament, but to go to the home of the champions of the last four years and beat them in front of their own fans was quite a statement.
Given they had been beaten 31-3 in their first match in the tournament on September 25th against the same side in the same venue it was an amazing turn-around to triumph 27-26. Jake White once again proved himself to be a tactical genius as he proudly steered his side into the final at the first attempt.
“The Bulls are a quality team, they came with a good plan, they were well coached and once they had a lead and played that pressure game, they didn’t have to do huge amount, but they just put the squeeze on us,” was the verdict of the Leinster head coach, Leo Cullen.
Two weeks on from seeing his side being over-powered by Ronan O’Gara’s La Rochelle team in the Heineken Champions Cup final it must have been a gut-wrenching defeat for his players and coaching team. It meant they finished the season with a piece of major silverware for the first time since 2017.
With 13 major titles in 20 years they have become the yardstick for the teams playing against them in what was the Celtic League, then the PRO12 and PRO14 and now the URC. Their six appearances in the Champions Cup final have all come in the past 13 years and they stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Toulouse as the greatest club in European competition.
They have done that by mining the rich seam of talent in Irish rugby and by adapting and innovating in their game plan. They have left most of their domestic rivals miles behind – they beat Glasgow
“To go and beat the champions of the last four years was quite a statement”
Warriors 76-14 in the quarter-final – but now they have met their match in the shape of the big four from South Africa. It ended up 3-2 in favour of the new boys against the champions this season.
The South African teams will step into European competition for the first time next season – the Cheetahs will join the Lions in the Challenge Cup and the Bulls, Stormers and Sharks will play in the Champions Cup – and if this season is anything to go by they are going to make a similar impact.
With only the Ospreys qualifying for the Champions Cup in Wales there is a danger the Welsh regions could become even more marginalised. It is time for the four teams to come together and try to address the current malaise in the game, both on and off the field, to ensure better results next season.
I’d love to see the four head coaches sit down and talk about playing style, sharing resources and expertise and trying to push Welsh rugby forward collectively, rather than relying on being the best in Wales to save their blushes. Does anybody really care who wins the Welsh Shield in the URC if every team is in the bottom half of the table?
Beating Leinster, Munster and Ulster used to be the yardstick for Welsh teams. Now there is an even bigger target – beating the South African sides! There were a couple of successes on home soil – Scarlets beat the Lions 36-13 and Cardiff beat the Sharks 23-17 – but two wins out of 16 against South African sides isn’t much to write home about.
Standards are rising and the Welsh regions need to find a way to respond. You can bet your bottom dollar that Leo Cullen and his coaching staff will be looking to tinker with their squad and their tactics to try to return to the top.
In fact, everyone needs to step up or find themselves being left further and further behind.