Leinster icon Brian O’Driscoll believes competing regularly in the northern hemisphere can only determine how competitive South African teams will be in the Champions and Challenge cups.
The Vodacom Bulls, Sharks and Cheetahs kicked off their respective maiden campaigns on a winning note on Saturday, while the Lions missed a last-minute penalty forcing them to settle for a high-scoring draw against the Dragons.
However, the DHL Stormers lost to Clermont Auvergne in France, and this week, the Sharks and Bulls face Bordeaux and Exeter Chiefs, respectively, away from home.
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The Cheetahs, based overseas for the duration of their 2022-23 Challenge Cup season, ‘host’ Scarlets in Italy.
Speaking to RugbyPass in the buildup to the second round of Europe’s premier club tournaments, Driscoll – a three-time Player of the Heineken Champions Cup – cautioned against reading too much, too soon into SA’s flying start.
“There’s good competition, the Sharks and the Stormers will be very competitive teams. What can they do this weekend now that they’re away from home? Because that’ll be very interesting to see,” the former Ireland and British & Irish Lions skipper said.
“It’s one thing playing at home on fast tracks at this time of year, but it’s a very different thing to be coming up and playing European opposition in a different climate.
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“So we’re going to learn a lot about those South African teams in Europe this season and we’ll know more for next year.”
“I think the quality rises [with the addition of SA teams],” O’Driscoll added. “We’ve seen in the URC the quality of the Sharks and the Stormers in particular, but the Bulls are very good at home.
“So the eventual winners, when they do lift that trophy, they’ll look back and I think ‘wow, that was a good competition. That was worth winning.’ Anytime you’re bringing more teams into a competition, you don’t want to lessen the quality, and I think this format and the inclusion of South African teams does bring higher standards.”
Photo: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile/Gallo Images
