Former Sharks fullback Clement Poitrenaud regrets the likely integration of South African teams into next season’s European Champions Cup.

The 39-year-old played for the Durbanites in 2017 when they featured in Super Rugby. In 2020, SA Rugby withdrew its franchises from the competition and realigned itself with European tournaments.

This season, the Vodacom Bulls, Lions, Sharks and Stormers have been competing in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship, alongside Irish, Scottish, Welsh and Italian teams. 

The Sharks, Stormers and Bulls are positioned, via the URC, to qualify for next season’s Champions 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 Saturday’s quarter-final against Munster in Dublin.

“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.

“Sporting-wise, it’s rather exciting, with a different kind of rugby and new players,” said Poitrenaud, whose Toulouse side are 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. Even if we won it last year, it would be nice to repeat it for the last time it is played in this form.”

© Agence France-Presse