For all the controversy that came with the decision to introduce South African clubs into European competition, no-one can claim the newcomers aren't earning their places.
A year after taking to the United Rugby Championship against clubs from Ireland, Wales, Scotland and Italy like ducks to water, South Africa's Stormers, Sharks and Bulls are wasting no time impressing on the continental stage. In fact, it's looking like all three upstarts could sail into the knockout stages ahead of this weekend's final group matchups, with the Durban-based Sharks having already booked a top-eight finish in Pool A.
The quality is all but impossible to ignore, and Ireland icon Brian O'Driscoll doesn't see any reason to deny what's plain for all to see. As one who was crowned king of Europe on three occasions during an illustrious Leinster career, O'Driscoll knows the charm of the Champions Cup (formally the 'European Rugby Champions Cup') better than most.
"It would mean that their inclusion [has been] pretty good, right? I think there's a number of factors—some people are like, 'This isn't Europe,'" the former British and Irish Lions captain told Mirror Sport. "And maybe they need to call it an alternative competition to allow for Europe and South Africa."
A renaming of the greatest club rugby tournament in the world would mark the end of an era, though that may well be on the agenda for European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR), the governing body in charge of the competition. South Africa's sides left the prestigious climes of Super Rugby—where they traditionally competed with teams from New Zealand and Australia—but are already establishing themselves as prominent players in their new domain.
"I don't have an alternative name for it," continued O'Driscoll. "Because it's like the Eurovision with Australia in it, y'know? It's not what we're used to. I suppose change is always less palatable for some people, but what they have done is brought competitiveness.
"Particularly at home. The Bulls obviously sent a pretty poor team to Exeter [a 44-14 loss in December] but yet managed to turn them over at home [39-28 in January]. We know the South African teams are going to be very good at home, and this format probably suits that very well to get into the last 16."
The three aforementioned teams from South Africa had one season playing in the URC—along with the Lions, who are in the second-tier Challenge Cup this term—before making their European debuts in earnest. All three finished among the top eight teams to make the play-offs before setting up an all-South African grand final between the Sharks and the Stormers, where the latter won on home soil in Cape Town.
That was perhaps the first sign a sleeping giant was stirring south of the equator, raising the bar at a time when many European clubs are still finding their feet in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. "You could easily have three South African teams qualify in Year One," added O'Driscoll ahead of a climactic weekend of Champions Cup fixtures. "Which I think would speak volumes for their quality."
With 10 points to their name after three rounds of pool fixtures, a losing bonus point in Lyon on Friday evening would be enough for the Bulls to join the Sharks in the next round of the competition. The same goes for the Stormers at home to Clermont on Saturday, meaning a clean sweep of South African qualifiers is certainly on the cards.
That monstrous form is all the more impressive when one considers the 'wild' commutes these clubs have had to adhere to. O'Driscoll referenced '40-hour round trips' from South Africa to certain European climes on a regular basis, though he conceded missteps are to be expected during these early phases of their integration.
"It doesn't seem like it makes an awful lot of sense in the long term, does it? This is definitely a teasing-out period," added the two-time Six Nations champion. "I think we're finding out what's gonna work, like any new competition. And hopefully things will settle; be it format, be it the South Africans' travel [or] aligning with the domestic leagues. . .it's a steep learning curve currently."
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