How South African sides are placed ahead of their first European play-offs

Dylan Coetzee
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This week’s attention in the rugby world turns to the Champions and Challenge Cup ahead of what will be a fascinating knockout round.

The 2022/23 European season has uniquely seen the inclusion of South African teams for the first time, and in preparation for this week’s action, Planet Rugby takes a closer look at how the teams have done and their prospects going forward.

Champions Cup

Stormers

John Dobson’s men face Harlequins in an intriguing last-16 clash in Cape Town and come into the fixture in decent form after drawing to Leinster in their last hit-out.

A title-winning campaign in last season’s United Rugby Championship earned the Capetonians qualification for the Champions Cup this time. The side has managed to deal with the additional fixtures and gruelling travel schedule fairly well.

After learning the hard way with a loss to Clermont in France from a strong position in the game, the team bounced back with three wins in a row against London Irish (twice) and the return fixture against Clermont.

On a whole, the URC champions have taken further strides forward this season and crucially hold an impressive record at home, with their last defeat in Cape Town coming in December 2021.

Dobson will be looking for his side to continue that run against an unfamiliar opponent and one that is similar to them in that Harlequins will throw the ball around.

It is all set up for a fantastic clash with a Stormers side in a great place at the moment. Expect a lot of points in Cape Town this weekend.

Bulls

The Pretoria men secured their Champions Cup berth after finishing as runners-up to the Stormers in last season’s URC.

Since then, unlike their bitter rivals from the Cape, the Bulls have failed to kick on as expected, with the team having a relatively disappointing season after a less-than-satisfactory run of results.

Coach Jake White rolled the dice with selection during their European campaign, which paid off against Lyon in the opener with a stunning win but backfired against Exeter as the Bulls were slaughtered on that occasion.

A strong return victory at Loftus Versfeld against the English side was enough to secure a knockout spot, with the Bulls losing in their final pool fixture against Lyon.

Ultimately, the Bulls do not come into their mammoth clash against Toulouse in the best shape, especially considering the tie is away from home.

White’s experience in France will be massive, and whilst it seems like there is Everest to climb, the wily coach and the quality of stars at the Bulls could well push an upset. That would take some doing, though.

Sharks

The Durbanites secured their qualification by finishing in the top eight last season in a period of transition for the club.

That period is still winding its way out after the club has changed significantly under new ownership with an influx of superstar quality and a change of coach to navigate.

The Sharks found solace in the Champions Cup as they did really well in the group stages and the very beginning of Neil Powell’s time with a whistle in his hand.

Powell’s side won three from four with their only loss against Quins away. Their victories included an away trip to Bordeaux, where they showed impressive metal to get over the line.

The reality is that the Sharks squad is superpowered, and some sort of success is inevitable. At the moment, it looks like the club is still sorting the jigsaw pieces out to see where they fit best.

What Powell’s men will relish is the knockout aspect. All it takes is a few good performances, and this team could find belief. If the Sharks find belief, anything is possible with their firepower. They face Munster at home in a game they are more than good enough to win.

Challenge Cup

Lions

The Johannesburg side did not take as well to the URC in the opening season as their compatriots. However, they still managed to navigate through the Challenge Cup group stage this season and secure a play-off spot.

The regular season included a stunning win against Stade Francais at home, but the side failed to replicate that away from home, whilst their other fixtures against Worcester could not be completed. The Lions played the Dragons instead and claimed a victory and a draw.

It has been a true rollercoaster season, with a positive start preceding off-field issues and perceived underlying problems at the club.

Their draw does not help with a quite frankly overpowered Racing 92 their task this weekend. It is going to be incredibly tough, but maybe a brave performance at altitude can stop the French giants. One would think it is Racing’s to lose.

Cheetahs

The situation for the Bloemfontein side is unique as they qualified through an agreement with European Professional Club Rugby that included the side playing all their home fixtures in Italy.

Outside of the Challenge Cup, the Cheetahs have had no regular tournament to play besides the Currie Cup, which has only just started.

Massive credit must go to the Free State side for fighting regardless, as they claimed two wins against Pau to make it out of the pool stage. That alone is an achievement for a side that was removed from the PRO14 to make way for other South African sides.

They face a tricky draw against Toulon with the odds inevitably stacked against them. However, the Cheetahs have had to jump through so many hoops to get to this point, and a couple of weeks of Currie Cup will have made a difference.

It still remains an uphill battle, but expect the Cheetahs to fight.

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Bulls