It’s in the interest of SA Rugby to embrace the EPCR Cup competitions

IT IS clear that South Africans remain somewhat insouciant to the enormity of the EPCR Champions Cup, and its second-tier tournament, the Challenge Cup.

Loftus lacked a degree of interest this past weekend as the Bulls whipped French Top 14 club Lyon, while Cape Town Stadium enjoyed a bit more support in the stands, but perhaps not enough befitting the arrival of one of the best rugby teams in the world, La Rochelle.

The defending champions narrowly pipped their hosts the Stormers in dramatic fashion, proving once again their stellar credentials.

Meanwhile, the build-up to the Challenge Cup clashes that involved the Cheetahs, Lions and Sharks have been rather muted, either due to those teams’ poor current standing within the consciousness of South African rugby, or due to those unions downplaying the importance of the matches.

The Lions, for instance, made a raft of changes for their loss against Benetton in Treviso, leaving their firstchoice players on the sidelines.

But perhaps the biggest contributing factor to what seems to be a general apathy towards the tournaments, is that SA Rugby and its participating members have not done enough to impress the importance of the competitions, or help educate their support base. Very little effort has been invested in promoting the magnitude of these occasions, or the prestige garnered from winning either tournaments when viewing it from the outside.

The South African rugby-loving public is unfamiliar when it comes to Cup competitions that follow a knockout format, and sporting such a rich history stretching over 125 years ourselves against a competition that only has two seasons of build-up, will make the introduction and growth of any “new” tournament in the country a difficult proposition.

Nevertheless, South African rugby has made it clear that Europe is our future. Whether it be the United Rugby Championship, or EPCR tournaments, it is in the interest of all of the game’s stakeholders to work tirelessly towards its success. With such a wellspring and ground swelling of support in rugby now, SA Rugby and their associated members have the perfect platform to secure the future of the sport. The EPCR Champions Cup and Challenge Cup are a part of that quest.