Cape Town — Imagine seeing European champions La Rochelle taking on Super Rugby kings Crusaders?
That could be a reality if plans for a mooted Club World Cup are to be believed and actually carried out.
The Telegraph UK newspaper reported this week that a 16-team competition set to start in 2025 is on the cards, with eight teams from the northern hemisphere, seven from Super Rugby and a Japanese outfit.
There would be four pools of four teams each, who will play two matches against teams from a different hemisphere, with the pool winners advancing to the semi-finals.
It is believed that it would take place every four years, in place of the European Champions Cup playoffs and before the British and Irish Lions tour, so likely during June.
On the outset, it sounds like a good idea. When South Africa’s teams competed in Super Rugby, we always wondered how they would fare against the top European clubs.
Now that the Stormers, Bulls, Sharks and Lions are in the United Rugby Championship, that goal has been achieved as the first three teams have qualified for the Champions Cup and the Lions are in the Challenge Cup.
But it would be vital to ensure fairness and getting the detail right. Are seven Super Rugby Pacific teams too many? While at least three New Zealand franchises — Crusaders, Blues and Chiefs — are good enough to take on the best in the world, the Australian sides have been battling for years.
Yes, the Brumbies finished fourth on the log this season and lost 20-19 to the Blues in Auckland, so maybe just the top Aussie team should qualify.
The Hurricanes ended fifth on the log and the Highlanders eighth, so those two Kiwi sides shouldn’t be shoo-ins either for a Club World Cup.
What about Argentina’s Jaguares? They were superb in the 2019 Super Rugby season and made it all the way to the final, where they lost 19-3 to the Crusaders in Christchurch. Since they were kicked out of the competition, most of their top players have joined other teams — including talismanic flank Pablo Matera, who played for the Crusaders this season and is set to move to a Japanese club.
But surely there’s enough talent in Argentina to revive the Jaguares? And those stars who are overseas could return home for what would be a lucrative competition.
In that regard, having the Club World Cup take place only every four years is problematic, as a full-strength Jaguares would need to be accommodated in a strong competition instead of just the Super Liga de Americana.
Also, what if a team like the Stormers make it through to the Euro Champions Cup quarter-finals for three years in a row, but then miss out in the fourth year when the Club World Cup takes place? That would be a bit unfair, so having it every year would be the best outcome to ensure the integrity of the tournament.
But that would bring other issues, such as player welfare, when to play the Champions Cup playoffs and which governing body should run the tournament.
Whatever the details, though, the exciting part is that the best provincial/club rugby team in the world would be crowned, and it would become much like the Uefa Champions League in soccer, which is recognised as the most prestigious club competition.
IOL Sport