'South African rugby' warned of 'disastrous' scenario

Stormers head coach John Dobson admits South Africa’s teams must start justifying their inclusion in the Investec Champions Cup – with help from tournament organisers.

A grim day in the competition saw the Bulls humbled at Loftus Versfeld by Northampton while the under-strength Stormers and Sharks were crushed on the road at Harlequins and Leicester respectively. Between the three sides, 139 points were conceded.

Smaller squad sizes and gruelling travel demands are given as explanations for the under-performance of South African teams, who must also fly to Europe to play away games in the United Rugby Championship.

Stormers playmaker Jean-Luc du Plessis on the belief in the Stormers squad ahead of the Harlequins clash

The Stormers have taken an under-strength team to London to counteract the logistical hurdle that the trip might pose to their important URC derby against the Lions in Cape Town the following week.

Stormers playmaker Jean-Luc du Plessis on the belief in the Stormers squad ahead of the Harlequins clash

The Stormers have taken an under-strength team to London to counteract the logistical hurdle that the trip might pose to their important URC derby against the Lions in Cape Town the following week.

Dobson, who was missing seven Springboks due to injury including Manie Libbok, Damian Willemse and Frans Malherbe, believes a way to overcome the challenges must be found.

“As South Africans we have to be better. We are not disrespecting (the tournament), but we need to get ourselves into a better position,” Dobson said.

Investec Champions Cup

Pool 1

P

W

L

D

PF

PA

PD

BP T

BP-7

BP

Total

1

Bordeaux

2

2

0

0

10

2

Leicester

2

1

1

0

6

3

Toulouse

1

1

0

0

5

4

Sharks

2

1

1

0

5

5

Exeter Chiefs

1

0

1

0

0

6

Ulster

2

0

2

0

0

Pool 2

P

W

L

D

PF

PA

PD

BP T

BP-7

BP

Total

1

Stade Rochelais

2

2

0

0

9

2

Leinster

2

2

0

0

9

3

Clermont

2

1

1

0

5

4

Bath

1

0

1

0

1

5

Benetton

1

0

1

0

0

6

Bristol

2

0

2

0

0

Pool 3

P

W

L

D

PF

PA

PD

BP T

BP-7

BP

Total

1

Northampton

2

2

0

0

10

2

Munster

2

1

1

0

6

3

Saracens

1

1

0

0

5

4

Castres

2

1

1

0

4

5

Stade Francais

1

0

1

0

0

6

Bulls

2

0

2

0

0

Pool 4

P

W

L

D

PF

PA

PD

BP T

BP-7

BP

Total

1

Harlequins

2

1

1

0

5

2

Glasgow

1

1

0

0

5

3

Sale

2

1

1

0

5

4

Toulon

1

1

0

0

4

5

Racing 92

2

1

1

0

4

6

Stormers

2

0

2

0

0

“I don’t know how we solve it. It’s like being invited to someone’s birthday party then complaining about the chips. We are so grateful to be here.

“I see in January we play Leinster in the URC and then Racing. Is there a way to link them up on a tour? That would make it much more palatable.

“We could take our strongest team and play both games at full bore. It’s just this December fixture that has caught us in the last two years.

“For Leicester last season we’d left our whole squad in Cape Town. This was a little bit different. We really are thin. We had Manie down to play against Quins – we’d hoped to mix it up a bit more.

“We only voluntarily didn’t choose six for this game. The rest were injury problems. It’s not a good look, though. If we came to Harlequins at full-noise, that would have been a hell of a game.”

Dobson insists the value of the Champions Cup to South Africa can not be overstated.

“We have to be part of this tournament because it’s such a high level and it’s such a great tournament,” he said

“And if we’re not careful, were we not to be part of the Champions Cup, and the URC morphed into an Anglo League and we went back to the Currie Cup of the 1980s where we were playing Griqualand West and Free State in dusty Kimberley, that would be disastrous for South African rugby.

“This competition is probably what has helped us so much in World Cups. Every breakdown is a competition. Every scrum is a 20-second contest. Every line-out or maul is a contest.

“That has been a massive boost for South African rugby, and we’ve got to make sure we can stay here, but evenings like this evening don’t help.”