CHAMPIONS CUP
Leighton Koopman|Published
The time for talk is over, and the hour has come for the South African franchises to turn their words about taking the Champions Cup seriously when the tournament kicks off Saturday.
Arguably in their best position in terms of playing rosters since joining Europe’s elite club competition, the Stormers, Bulls and Lions must show that they will treat every match like a knockout game to stay in the tournament.
There have been plenty of questions raised about the participation of SA sides in Europe, and rightly so. The opposition has mainly come from France and England, understandably so when no SA side has progressed past the quarter-finals since joining.
While the Sharks have won the Challenge Cup, the second tier of the European Professional Club Rugby competitions, there is still a wait for a local team to reach the final four and make it to the final.
Stormers set a high standard
After some good build-up to the opening weekend, the Stormers, Bulls and Lions will start their campaigns on Saturday.
The Stormers face Bristol Bears at DHL Stadium in Cape Town, while the Pretoria side will come up against Stade Français at Loftus Versfeld. The Lions have the daunting task of facing former back-to-back champions La Rochelle in France. It will be a proper baptism of fire for the Lions in their debut season in the tournament.
However, there should be no excuses for the two full-strength home teams to come out on top. These opening matches will likely indicate how the rest of their respective campaigns may go.
With the announcement of his team this week, Stormers director of rugby John Dobson said they are targeting a strong Champions Cup campaign and challenged the other SA teams to do the same. His senior players, captain Ruhan Nel and Damian Willemse, echoed the sentiments regarding their ambitions.
“We need a South African team to make a semi-final or a final this season,” said Dobson.
“From our side, we want to respect it, and the way to do that is to do well in it. It’s a prestigious competition. We want to test ourselves against the best teams in the world. We want to be at the top table of world rugby, so we’re desperate to stay part of it.”
Damian Willemse is looking for a star next to the Stormers badge.
The victorious team in the Champions Cup gets to add a star on their jersey as a symbol that they’ve conquered European club rugby. So, that is another goal the Cape side will work towards.
“For us as a club, it would mean the world to add a star to our badge,” Willemse said.
“We really want to add a star to our badge, but obviously, it’s still early days. We’ve got a very tough match against Bristol.”
The Stormers last played in the quarter-finals in the 2023, losing out to Exeter Chiefs, while last season they came agonisingly close to a Top 8 spot against Toulon. They lost 28-27 after a last-gasp try was overruled.
Bulls seek home improvement
Bulls head coach Johan Ackermann also wants to see his team do better than the one group-stage victory they picked up last season. They were the last side to play a quarter-final match, having reached that stage in 2024 before losing heavily to Northampton Saints. That 59-22 demolishing at Franklin’s Gardens showed the gulf in class between the two teams.
“We didn’t win our home games last year against Bordeaux and Bristol, and we got only one win away from home. If we won another one, we could’ve played a home game in the round of 16. If you can get three wins (in the group), that’s even better, but win your home games, and you give yourself a chance.”
The words of the SA coaches and players ring true, but it’s time to convert them into action and not give European fans and pundits the opportunity to question their involvement in the Champions Cup again.
Yes, it’s going to be a fine balancing act between the URC and Champions Cup, and resting Springboks on top of that after the November Nations Championship Tests. But the depth within the SA franchises should put the teams in a better position to chase that elusive semi-final and final berth and European crown.
The opening weekend will not decide the fate of the SA teams’ campaigns, but it will set the tone for what lies ahead. The Stormers and Bulls must make home advantage count, while the Lions will need to show they can compete with Europe’s best on foreign soil.
If the local sides are serious about reaching the business end of the competition, they must start delivering now. The ambitions have been made clear; the results must follow.