Opinion: EPCR needs to follow UEFA’s lead as fans have ‘had enough’ and action needed ‘before it’s too late’
The official balls during the Investec Champions Cup.
Another European weekend came to an end with the semi-finalists of both the Investec Champions Cup and Challenge Cup confirmed.
Over the last two weeks there has been scintillating, gripping and tension-filled rugby for fans to enjoy.
And this will have only helped quiet the growing complaints about the current formats of the competitions, but only slightly.
Complaints have been growing over the last number of years, but the noise from fans seems to be louder this year.
They have had enough and want to see a change to re-establish the prestige of winning European silverware again.
Notable issues
There are three notable issues.
The first is the disrespect of clubs toward the competitions through sending ‘weakened’ teams to fulfill fixtures.
This has become particularly laughable in knockout matches, with three-time champions Saracens throwing in the towel ahead of their match with Toulon being the most recent example, but also when the Bulls did the same last year facing Northampton Saints in the quarter-final.
Another major problem is the progression of clubs to the knockout stage with only one victory in the pools.
They have no chance of progressing in the next round as they face the top seeds, and so the fixture proves pointless, with Ulster being the egregious example this season and Racing 92 the season before.
A third major concern is the scheduling of knockout fixtures, as witnessed by the struggles faced by Munster this campaign and La Rochelle last year.
It is incredibly taxing to play consecutive away fixtures in Europe, not just for those involved with the players and staff of the club but also for the fans.
It is unjust to ask a fan to pay over the odds on travel, accommodation, and tickets two weeks in a row in order to support their side, while it is also unfair to expect players to go to recover, travel and prepare for two away fixtures in a row.
The European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) needs to start acting upon the complaints being made by the fans before it’s too late and they start showing their discontent with their feet, making their competitions irrelevant.
So how can these European rugby competitions be pre-emptively fixed?
Take a page out of UEFA’s book and establish a third European competition.
This could deal with the three current major issues while also having a knock-on effect on the growth of the sport across Europe.
So how could it possibly work?
The competitions would be restructured to be smaller; the Champions Cup and Challenge Cup would be made up of 16 clubs, while the third-tier competition would be made up of 12 teams.
This deals with the issues regarding the talent disparity between those qualifying for the competitions while also decreasing the number of fixtures while making each one more important.
Currently, the winners of the Challenge Cup and the top eight from each respective domestic competition are qualifying for the Champions Cup, but there is a huge difference in ability between Leinster (1) and Edinburgh (8) in the URC, so ensuring only the top clubs capable of winning the competition qualify can only be for the best.
In this hypothetical competition of 16 clubs, split into four pools of four, each side would play three pool fixtures.
The top two in each group would progress to the quarter-finals, eliminating the unwanted Round of 16, while the bottom two would not drop down a level but simply be eliminated.
The format would be the same for the Challenge Cup.
It perfectly hits the balance of making the games more important, with each fixture essentially being a must-win if a team wishes to lift the trophy.
The current calendar would not be impacted by the changes to the competitions, and it allows for the knockout matches of old to feel like major one-off events again, helping bring back an immense fan experience.
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Qualification for the Champions Cup could see the top five placed teams in each respective domestic competition take part alongside the Challenge Cup champions from the season prior.
While the next five best-placed teams in the domestic leagues qualify for the Challenge Cup alongside the champions of the third-tier competition.
The clubs taking part in this competition would be relatively even, ensuring there is no significant talent disparity.
Similar to the theoretical Champions Cup, each match would hold significance, as winning the competition would earn a club a place in the top European competition the next season.
Now, creating a third European competition may not be viewed as essential due to the fact that qualification for these Champions and Challenge Cups would be based on merit, but it would help European rugby long term.
Currently across the URC, Top 14 and the Premiership, there are 38 clubs, with 32 of these set to participate in these imagined European competitions.
The bottom six clubs would then take part in this hypothetical competition of 12 clubs; the other six spots being made up of invitational clubs, similar to the current iteration of the Challenge Cup, which currently invites South African side Cheetahs and Georgian team Black Lion.
Clubs from developing rugby nations like Spain, Portugal and Romania would receive these invitations for the development of the sport in their nation.
It gives these developing nations a way for their players to compete at the highest club level, in turn helping them on the international stage.
In this example, you could have two South African clubs and the champion from each domestic competition from Georgia, Romania, Portugal and Spain.
The format of the competition would have four groups of three, with the top two going through to the quarter-finals, with the winner qualifying for the next season’s Challenge Cup.
It could have an impact similar to that of the Europa Conference League, the third tier of European competition in football.
This competition has allowed clubs that would ordinarily have no realistic expectation of winning a major piece of silverware an opportunity, as seen with Olympiacos becoming the first Greek club to ever win European silverware last season.
There is then an opportunity the club can then build upon this success in their domestic league or in a higher level of European competition.
Issues involved
Now, I understand this is idealised and there are a number of issues behind this plan, particularly the financial implications it would have on clubs.
Complaints could stem from TV revenue being impacted for several clubs if they had to compete in a tier below where they wouldn’t have previously.
Another financial issue would include the home and away fixtures due to the fact each club only plays three pool games, meaning some clubs could play only one home fixture before elimination, again being a financial loss that they may be worried about.
Premiership Rugby, the Ligue Nationale de Rugby, and the federations involved in the PRO Rugby Championship DAC would need to come to an agreement about their desire to make the structural changes and how qualification would exactly work.
However, overall, the creation of a third European competition would have so many positives in terms of the competitions, the spectacles fans would be subjected to, and the development for Tier 2 European nations.
It may not be perfect, but something needs to be done about the situation we currently find ourselves in as fans of European club rugby.
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