1
Massive red flag raised by weakened Champions Cup teams – Andy Goode
We have seen weakened teams fielded in the Investec Champions Cup before but the fact it is happening at the quarter-final stage this season raises a massive red flag and action has to be taken.
ADVERTISEMENT
This is the best club tournament in the world and is supposed to be the absolute elite level of competition, so it is disheartening to see the XV picked by the Bulls and Harlequins leaving out their two most experienced internationals.
I appreciate there are extenuating circumstances in both cases but it isn’t a good look for the Champions Cup or the sport as a whole and it can’t be allowed to happen again or it will devalue the competition.
The Bulls have left behind Willie le Roux, Canan Moodie, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Johan Goosen, Wilco Louw, Marcell Coetzee, and a host of others as they have made 13 changes to the starting XV that won their round of 16 game so convincingly last week at home in Pretoria.
South African sides are always going to be up against it on a short turnaround but they surely had to back themselves to beat Lyon and expect Northampton to see off Munster, so some sort of travel plan should have been in place.
Jake White understandably seemed furious that it wasn’t and the players that he has taken to England have travelled in several different groups and taken circuitous routes.
SA Rugby responded by stating that it had cost them £175,000 to sort the flights for this weekend’s Champions Cup quarter-final against Saints, which sounds a lot but that has to be something they are able to deal with if they are going to take part in the tournament.
ADVERTISEMENT
The addition of the South African sides can add more quality and an extra dimension to the Champions Cup, but I do think we have to have a conversation about their involvement if they are going to field weakened teams when they get to the latter stages.
They aren’t the only ones who have been dealt a tough hand when it comes to travel costs and logistics over the past fortnight either, but you don’t see La Rochelle fielding the reserves or hear Ronan O’Gara complaining too much.
The champions in the past two seasons had to travel via bus and train to Paris and then flew to Cape Town via Johannesburg before flying back from Cape Town to Johannesburg to Paris and then on to Cork.
They arrived there on Monday lunchtime and have since made the three-hour trip to Dublin for the game, taking their overall journey to over 21,000km and over four days of travelling time just for these couple of games.
ADVERTISEMENT
Now they have the small matter of tournament favourites Leinster to face in their own backyard in front of over 50,000 fans at the Aviva Stadium. It is a daunting task with all those miles under their belts but they will back themselves to do it.
Harlequins have at least named a decent side for their trip to Bordeaux but the absence of Danny Care and Joe Marler, their two most experienced internationals, doesn’t look good and it doesn’t suggest they think there is much chance of them winning.
You can completely see why they would give them the week off because England internationals can only play a certain number of games and if they didn’t, they would have to miss a pivotal game in Quins’ push for a place in the Gallagher Premiership play-offs.
However, the optics aren’t good and it does need addressing because the Champions Cup is and should remain the pinnacle of club rugby in this part of the world.
You would be hard-pushed to find many people that think Harlequins will win away at a Bordeaux side that has put 100 points on Saracens over two games this season and has watched Sarries put over 50 on Quins, but this is sport and anything can happen.
There are obviously disparities in budgets and resources between the Top 14 clubs and those in the Premiership and most of the URC, except for Leinster, and that means some clubs don’t seem to think they can win the Champions Cup but they should be backing themselves.
A lot has changed in the calendar to mean more top internationals can play in more big club games, with no Premiership action at all during this year’s Six Nations, but there is obviously a bit more to be done if Care and Marler aren’t able to play in a Champions Cup quarter-final.
Hopefully, the Bulls and Harlequins will both put up a good fight but half of the games in the round of 16 were a bit more one-sided than you would like and you have to fear that it will be a similar story this weekend.
It’s one thing moaning about the team Montpellier sent to Leinster for a relative dead rubber of a pool game a couple of seasons ago, for example, but when it’s happening in a quarter-final questions have to be asked. Let’s hope we don’t see it ever happen again.
??? ????? ????? ????? ?
We are in for another incredible weekend of knock out #InvestecChampionsCup rugby, it’s getting tasty ? pic.twitter.com/HPYUMeq8E8
— Investec Champions Cup (@ChampionsCup) April 7, 2024
Comments on RugbyPass
Great role model.
2 Go to commentsOne significant tell, not a single Waratahs player stopped to whinge to the ref about Finau’s tackle. They got on with playing the game. Great tackle.
8 Go to commentsWouldn’t be a bad move if Ireland pulled into SA with a young side. Particularly in Pretoria. Invaluable experience getting thumped in the bosveld.
54 Go to commentsIreland. The Princess Diana of Rugby. I never cheered so much for a team as i did for the All Blacks in that QF.
54 Go to commentsWill be great to see the Leinster first XV back in action again after their cotton wool time…
1 Go to commentsLooked up Grant Constable on google and reply was doppelgänger for Ben Smith
54 Go to commentsIt is so good that we now all get excited and debate who is best and emotionally get involved. We all back our teams which is great. Up until about 15-20 years ago, NZ was basically on its own, and then Saffa, Aussie and sometimes French and English were there. We now have at least 5-6 really top sides and another 4 who keep improving. This is so healthy. So we should not resort to rubbish comments and unhealthy debate, but rather all be chuffed that the product we watch is not competitive, exciting and often uncertain. It would be so good if World Rugger could find a way to align the rules to professional players as well as spectators. Live rugby games are SO boring as there is SO much down time as we wait for refs and TMOs and whoever else to look at every small event going back endless phases with the hope of eventually find a minute infringement to then decide cancel what was a wonderful try. This is the ultimate cork back in the bottle moment and feels like every balloon is always being popped. Come on- we must be better with the rules.
54 Go to comments“upon leaving said establishment I tripped over a stool knocking some bottles into the air and as I fell I accidently dislodged a police officer’s teaser who was passing by on an unrelated matter there by landing on said taser which caused it to discharge 50,000 watts into me. Out of shock I shouted Ireland are going to win the world cup. Upon waking up I apologised for the distress caused by my Ireland comment. The matter is closed. If you wish to pursue this matter may I remind you what I told Wayne Barnes when he sent me off. I AM A BIG ASS MAN”. Or was it “I AM A BIG ASS, MAN” or was it “I AM A BIG ASSMAN”?
2 Go to commentsThe only championship the Boks hold are: Great value for the incompetence of referees during the RWC Moaning endlessly and champions of spewing utterly ignorant 💩 at all times. Displaying the dangers of a third world education End of.
54 Go to commentsSouth Africa and Rassie do a phenomenal job of treating the 4 years in between World Cups as nothing more than a training exercise to build squad depth. The Six Nations money that keeps Irish rugby afloat is unfortunately too important to allow the same approach, and basic population size means we'll never get close to matching the depth of South Africa, England and France. That being said, Irish rugby is in a relatively good place and slowly improving inch by inch. If the other three provinces can pull the finger out and actually develop some players it'd be even better.
54 Go to commentsGood on Clarke for taking on the criticism and addressing his deficiencies, principally his laziness.
2 Go to comments“It is the people’s favourite against the actual favourite. It is the people’s champions against the actual champions. I’m joking, but it’s going to be a fantastic series.” Why did Darcy make that joke knowing it would be used as click bait? Why did RP headline it as a serious comment? Anyway, the tired comment isn’t very astute. SA players may have played more games etc. Darcy over estimated as a pundit.
54 Go to commentsNot sure Frisch will ever make the French team with Depoortère and Costes waiting in the wings to take over from Danty and Fickou.
1 Go to commentsThe Irish are tired and the Boks are old. The test series won't confirm who is best in the world, it will confirm which team needs to pursue the task of rebuilding with the most urgency.
54 Go to commentsGrant, the first time I have seen an article written by you. Maybe I have missed your previous stuff. These days all professional players effectively play a common season so all top players are equally tired, or rested. That is the job of the coaching ticket to build squad depth and juggle resources so players are ‘ fresh’ when the big games come. Possibly Ireland are less inclined to juggle squad compared to Rassie, who is prepared to take the risk to rest players as well as build depth throughout the year so come WC he has a full squad, experienced and rested enough to win 7 games. After all, to win WC you need to get through the tournament and then win the final big 3 games. Ireland should try and build a bit so come final 3 they are ready. So far only played final 1(QF). I am so looking forward to the Irish tour. Hopefully Rassie has enough time to align his guys, as he draws them from across the globe, and not from 2 sides locally( eg Leinster, Munster). No excuses, going to be exciting.
54 Go to commentsIn football, teams get fined and sometimes docked points for deliberately fielding weakened teams yet Leinster can pretty much do as they please with no comebacks. Could it be because Ireland run the URC? Could it be that Ireland run the ERC? Whichever it is, it stinks!!
6 Go to commentsIreland are only the People’s Champions in Irish eyes. The rest of the world do not care for them very much because of attitudes of people like Gordon, Ferris, Best, Jackman…I could go on!!
54 Go to commentsNot sure how Karl Dickson can ever ref a Quins game, he played for the club for 8 years as understudy to Care and is still close friends with half the team
3 Go to commentsAre bookies taking bets on how many times Vunipola's eventual statement will use the term “elders"? My money is on at least 4 times.
4 Go to commentsSo Ireland will be tired, despite having the most rested test squad in the world. They only play tests, champions cup and urc play off games ffs! Case in point; Leinster sent a B squad to SA for their last two games while their first xv rested up and trained at their leisure for the sf vs Saints at the so called ‘neutral venue’ of Croke Park. So tired? Do me a favour… And as for “people’s champions”? Seriously??? Outside of Ireland they are respected for their ability to win 6N. And of course plenty of inconsequential test friendlies without any real pressure. WC ko games when the pressure is white hot? Not so much…
54 Go to comments