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'That's bananas': Irish legend gobsmacked by Stormers' travel plan
Brian O’Driscoll couldn’t quite believe what he was hearing last Sunday when listening in from the BT Sport studio to what match commentator Nick Mullins was saying about the onerous travel plan the Stormers were set to undertake to ensure they could fulfil their next two matches. Having travelled from Cape Town at the start of the new year to box-tick a January 8 URC assignment at Glasgow, Stormers defeated London Irish seven days later to enhance their Heineken Champions Cup round of 16 qualification prospects.
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With their two-game UK tour over, it was here that the logistics were about to become incredibly exhaustive for the reigning URC champions. This Saturday, Stormers have another Champions Cup pool match to play, this time at home in Cape Town versus Clermont, before they again quickly commute north in order to fulfil their January 27 URC game in Ireland versus Ulster.
It’s an itinerary that bowled over the legendary Irishman. “It was Nick Mullins who brought up what the Stormers’ next route is,” said O’Driscoll, chatting to RugbyPass ahead of this weekend’s round four European matches.
“Their travel plan over the next fortnight: Heathrow, Dublin, Doha, Jo’burg, Cape Town, play Clermont; Cape Town, Jo’burg, Doha, Dublin, drive to Belfast, play Ulster, drive to Dublin, Doha, Jo’burg, Cape Town. That is bananas.
“Talking about player welfare: Okay, they don’t have to fly out of (many) time zones, but we have got to look at the scheduling. A little bit of that is obviously their relationship with Qatar Airlines, having to fly through Doha and all that carry on, but in the long-term that is another reason for the South Africans to lose a little interest because it will just take the good out of their ability to play against the best teams in Europe.”
Sacha Mngomezulu produces the perfect grubber for Suleiman Hartzenberg ?@THESTORMERS get their third try just before half-time to open up a comfortable lead ?#HeinekenChampionsCup pic.twitter.com/CmxFbJnraf
— Rugby on TNT Sports (@rugbyontnt) January 15, 2023
Away from the eye-watering Stormers travel schedule, O’Driscoll is a fan of seeing the South African teams take part in the Champions Cup. Collectively, the Stormers, the Sharks and the Bulls have won seven of their nine pool matches so far with the unbeaten Sharks qualified for the round of 16 and the Stormers and the Bulls on the cusp of joining them this weekend.
“They have been a really good inclusion in the URC and once they get their feet under the table as well in Europe, they will get a better sense as to what they need to do,” reckoned O’Driscoll. “The format at the moment probably suits them a little bit where some of them haven’t sent their strongest teams away from home but yet they will be very tough to beat in South Africa… You will see all three in the last 16.”
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If there is a downside to all the Champions Cup changes in recent years, it’s that the current pool stage doesn’t seem to be as intensely competitive. Previously, when all teams had to play six group matches and just eight qualified for the quarter-finals, the margin for error was minimal. Now, with the two pools of twelve format scheduling teams to play just four games each before 16 clubs advance to the round-of-16 knockout stage, there is the possibility that teams could advance this weekend having won just one of their four recent matches.
“I’m so mindful I’m not here to bash it,” said O’Driscoll, a three-time Heineken Cup winner with Leinster. “Has it lost a little bit of its mystique and energy? If you are honest it has, but you have to understand the circumstances we found ourselves with this format. It’s a covid format. We have had one year of it and will know a lot more after year two.
“Having teams limp into the knockout stages having won one game out of four doesn’t feel right. I just think in Europe’s elite competition you don’t want it to be easy to limp into any knockout phase. Dominic McKay (the EPCR chairman) came on Rugby Tonight a few weeks ago and he spoke candidly that they are exploring all options. Also, the South African teams coming in is a new dimension to it.
“We will fall back into a format pretty soon that is going to be a little more challenging, a bit less inclined to be able to pick and choose which games you will be able to go for and which ones you hold back. To pick and chose second-string teams because you don’t fancy a game doesn’t feel like Europe’s elite competition.”
- BT Sport is the home of the Heineken Champions Cup. Tune in Saturday, January 21, for Leinster vs Racing 92 at 3pm exclusively live on BT Sport 2 bt.com/sport/rugby-union
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Comments on RugbyPass
Big difference from the Saders. Forwards really muscled up and laid a solid platform. Scooter brought some steel and I liked the loosie combination. Newell has been rather disappointing this season but stepped up big time - happy also to see Franks dot down. He should do that more often! Reihana had a good game and there seems to be more flair and invention with him in the saddle. McNicoll plays well from the back and is reliable plus inventive when he joins the line. Keep it up chaps!
3 Go to comments🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
29 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
1 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusaders , you can keep going.
3 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
29 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
29 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
29 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
29 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to comments