Fixing the format flaw that cost Sharks a Euro play-off spot
The European Professional Club Rugby organising committee has put measures in place to avoid a repeat of the awkward and troublesome situation where a team was eliminated from the play-offs despite winning more games than sides that progressed.
The Sharks, who played in a challenging Champions Cup Pool One that featured Glasgow Warriors, Toulouse, Sale Sharks and Saracens, finished fifth, despite winning two of their four games (defeating Saracens 28-23 and Clermont Auvergne 50-12).
They were eliminated due to a points difference rule, having won the same number of games as Sale Sharks (on 11 points with three bonus points) and Saracens (10 points, two bonus points).
The Sharks were knocked out, despite also finishing with 10 points (two wins and two bonus points), because the English team they had defeated had a +13 points difference and the South African team had a -10 points.
Despite winning two of their four games (defeating Saracens 28-23 and Clermont Auvergne 50-12), they were eliminated due to a negative points difference and the structural format of the competition.
The format flaw allowed Leicester Tigers, who finished fourth in Pool Three with just one win and six points, and the Bulls, fourth in Pool Four with just one win and seven points, to advance at the expense of a Sharks team that had more points and more wins.
Liam McTiernan, the EPCR Director of Legal, Governance & Regulation, explained to Jan de Koning how two ‘significant’ tournament rule changes that will come into effect for the new season will change all this.
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In a change from previous seasons, in which the four highest-ranked teams in each pool automatically qualified for the Round of 16, from the forthcoming (2026/27) season, only the top three teams from each Pool will automatically qualify.
The remaining four Round of 16 places will go to the four teams with the highest number of match points across all pools, regardless of which Pool they are in. The four places in the Challenge Cup Round of 16 will be awarded to the next four teams with the highest number of match points, regardless of which pool they are in.
In a change to how ranking will be determined, if two teams are tied on match points, the team with the most wins will be awarded a higher ranking before the best points difference is taken into consideration.
This stops teams from sneaking through on defensive bonus points over a team with more victories.
McTiernan said it took three years of ‘analysis, workshopping and simulating different outcomes’ to fix the format problems.
He added that the Sharks’ situation was an ‘unsatisfactory outcome’, the South African franchise knocked out despite having more wins than teams that advanced to the play-offs.
(WATCH as Liam McTiernan, the EPCR’s Director of Legal, Governance & Regulation, chats to Jan de Koning about the value of the format change…..)
“It takes at least three years for a new tournament format to bed in,” the EPCR legal head said.
McTiernan said the new format will “award” the best teams in the play-off qualifying race.
“We are trying to improve the aggregate quality of the teams advancing to the Last 16 [play-offs],” he told Jan de Koning.
“In a competition of 24 teams, you have a whole range of different qualities,” he said, adding: “Some pools will be easier and some pools will be tough.
“It [the new format] should equalise the situation across the pools.
“We don’t want to penalise a team in a really tough group that finished fifth, but still won a couple of games and allow a team who was in an easier pool and coasted into fourth place and have not taken the tournament and their responsibilities too seriously.”
The new format will avoid last season’s almost farcical situation where teams that won just one game will advance at the expense of a team that won two games.
“It [the new three teams per pool and the four next best teams format] will work in tandem with the try bonus point change,” the EPCR legal official said.
“It will stop cheap bonus points, which are distorting the pools, from being awarded.
“This will ensure we give preference to teams who won games.”
He said they hope the changes will ensure teams ‘front load’ the tournament with their efforts and the best teams do quality.
@JanDKrugby
@rugby365com
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