Boks relishing test with Europe’s best
THE format for next season’s two European competitions is expected to be revealed before the finals at the end of the month.
The tournaments have been played over eight weeks, rather than nine, for the last two seasons because of the pandemic. A number of coaches want a return to the old system of groups of four followed by the quarter-finals.
Others prefer the current model of four pool matches with the knockout stage beginning with a double-header last 16 which this year produced a number of tense finishes.
There used to be 20 teams in the Heineken Champions Cup. That number has increased to 24 in the last two seasons and how many will be involved going forward has yet to be confirmed.
It is likely to be 24 because clubs in the three leagues involved, the Premiership, Top 14 and United Rugby Championship, are operating on the basis that the top eight finishers this season will qualify, as long as a team below that does not win the Challenge Cup.
The first step will be the announcement of the weekends which next season will be given over to Europe, eight or nine. Discussions have been held with the three leagues with next year’s campaign followed by the World Cup in France.
Next season will be a first for the Champions Cup with three South African teams having already qualified through their finishing positions in the URC, the Bulls, Stormers and Sharks.
“We will brief youngsters that this is where you become a man against top sides like Toulouse who have world class players,” said Marcell Coetzee, the Bulls’ captain who played in the Champions Cup with Ulster. “That is where you want to play your rugby at the end of the day. You want to measure yourself every weekend against the best and the European sides are going to get a nice bite of the cherry playing in South Africa.
“Having played for Ulster, I know what a great tournament it is. It is like playing international rugby every weekend and I think South Africans are going to love it.
“It is a special tournament that has a great history behind it. You are up against the top teams in France, England and Ireland and it allows you to measure yourself as a team and as a player. We want to be competitive on all fronts and we will target the Heineken Cup when the time comes.”