South Africa’s participating trio of clubs in the Investec Champions Cup must transform their thinking in approach and squad selections to join Europe’s elite at the top end of an exclusive international club rugby table.
The Champions Cup is the best of the best: the leading eight from France’s Top 14, eight from the English Premiership, and eight from the United Rugby Championship (URC).
South Africa’s Bulls, Sharks, and Stormers qualified for the 2025/26 competition — courtesy of their league positions in last season’s URC — and their coaches and player leadership must find a way to transition from being pretenders into contenders.
The Champions Cup is Europe’s elite, with nothing in world club rugby that compares to its Test-like intensity, variety, cross-border challenges, and sheer magnitude.
It is knockout rugby from the first match for the 24 competing teams, with no luxury of building momentum or relying on a month of form to win the title.
Squad depth
This competition tests every bit of resolve and primarily squad depth as the 24 teams balance the demands of playing in the Champions Cup and remaining competitive in their respective Top 14, Prem and URC competitions.
I was fortunate to be in Teddington, South West London, earlier this week for the official launch of this season’s competition; and even more fortunate to spend a day doing 18 one-on-one interviews with players from the different clubs.
The option was there to interview 24 players, but I focused on those clubs that will face South Africa’s big three, and clubs where there’s a South African presence, as is the case with former Bulls and Springboks assistant coach Johann van Graan having won three titles with English club Bath last season.
I’ve followed the Champions Cup and reported on it since its inception 31 years ago, and dedicated many newspaper column inches to the triumphs of the many South Africans who have played for northern clubs, before South Africa’s club introduction three seasons ago.
Toulon, when winning three successive titles, included Springboks Joe van Niekerk, Bakkies Botha, Danie Rossouw, Juan Smith, Bryan Habana, Michael Claassens, and former Sharks hooker Craig Burden.
SA flavour
Saracens, over the years, always had a strong South African presence, and in most instances there was a South African flavour to go with any Champions Cup title success story.
Now it is different because South Africa finally competes as a country with their own club teams, and not exclusively through individuals flying the flag of the Rainbow Nation
Our teams have battled to balance playing in two competitions because of squad depth limitations, but it has also been a mindset in South Africa’s players of not necessarily understanding or appreciating the magnitude of the marvel that is the Champions Cup.
In speaking with Saracens and England hooker Jamie George, the sparkle was obvious when he described the significance of the Champions Cup. “It is the one we all want to win,” George told me.
Chasing the star
It is “the star” every club player in Europe chases each season, he said. The star he refers to is the title. Toulouse have six stars, the most of any club. Ireland’s Leinster have four, and Saracens and Toulon have three.
Just 13 out of 40 clubs have a star on their jersey over a period of 30 years, and France’s Bordeaux, for all their class, quality and squad depth, only won it for the first time last season, beating Northampton Saints in the final at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.
George, like every player I interviewed, insisted there was nothing to compare to European matchdays, and now South Africa’s best teams are part of those weekends.
The Bulls, in Pretoria, this Saturday, host the champions Bordeaux.
Loftus should be near capacity, but it won’t be because there isn’t just yet the understanding among South Africa’s home support base of what a privilege it is to play in this competition.
I can’t reinforce enough how blessed South African rugby is to be part of the Champions Cup, but our teams can’t be there to make up the numbers. They must be in it to win it.
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