How South African teams will 'distort' European Cup

SPOTLIGHT: Former Toulouse fullback Clement Poitrenaud said he regrets the likely integration of South African provinces into next season’s European Cup.

“I’m still a bit old-fashioned, and attached to some traditions, and for me that distorts this competition,” said Poitrenaud, who is now Toulouse’s backs coach, ahead of their quarterfinal against Munster in Dublin on Saturday.

“It’s as if South Africa were entering the Six Nations Tournament.

“It would no longer be the Six Nations Tournament,” added the former France fullback, who won the cup three times with Toulouse.

The 39-year-old also played for South African side Sharks in 2017, when they featured in Super Rugby alongside teams from Australia and New Zealand.

The South African Rugby Union withdrew its franchises from Super Rugby in 2020 and realigned itself with European competitions.

Since this season, four South African franchises (the Bulls, Lions, Sharks and Stormers) have been competing in the United Rugby Championship – the former Celtic League – alongside Irish, Scottish, Welsh and Italian teams.

Three of them (Sharks, Stormers and Bulls) are in a position, via the URC, to qualify for next season’s European Champions Cup – although EPCR, the organiser of the continental competitions, has yet to formalise their participation.

“Sporting-wise, it’s rather exciting, with a different kind of rugby and new players,” said Poitrenaud, whose Toulouse side is bidding to retain the title they won for the fifth time last year.

“There is nostalgia for this competition when you say it is the last,” he said.

“Even if we won it last year, it would be nice to repeat it for the last time it is played in this form.”