Five Talking Points Ahead Of Round 2 Of The Heineken Champions Cup

Can The South African Sides Be Successful In “European” Rugby?

South Africa’s addition to the biggest club rugby competition in the world has certainly caused a stir in the Rugby world. 

Change always brings both good and the bad, especially in the early days. 

Traditionalists will argue that the competition no longer is the realm of the European elite, while also flagging the additional travel to a country heading into their summer months. 

For those interested in seeing the continued growth of the game outside of a prism of the traditional north versus south viewpoint, the change has been a breath of fresh air. 

Bringing with them a sizeable fan base, South Africa’s provincial sides offer the tournament a new market that is crying out for a tournament to rival the heydays of Super Rugby.

While remaining on the point of Super Rugby, the South African sides brought with them a new approach to the Champions Cup in Round 1. Both the Sharks and Bulls employed the all-out-attack ideology – if you score five tries, we will score six. 

Both sides emerged victorious in highly entertaining fixtures, but both sides gave up losing bonus points. In the case of the Bulls, they conceded two log points to Lyon.

While the two clashes on South African soil saw home success, the same could not be said for the reigning United Rugby champions, the Stormers.

Rushing out to a sensational 14-3 halftime lead away to French giants Clermont Auvergne, the…