If the controversy rumbles in Europe, 12,500 kilometers further south, it is “
excitement
” that reigns.
“
The Champions Cup looks very difficult, but we can't wait to get started.
We are going to play the biggest and most prestigious club competition!
Everyone wants to be part of it.
We are going to play in full stadiums, meet different cultures, it's just exciting
, ”said Durban Sharks winger Yaw Penxe, who is about to cross paths (twice) with UBB players. .
“I can't wait to face Bordeaux.
It will be a very good challenge for us.
The French will offer us a great physical density.
Same satisfaction with another winger, Kurt-Lee Arendse, that of the Springboks and the Bulls, who challenge the LOU this Saturday.
“
It's a competition that we really want to play.
We want to do well there.
We are proud to have the opportunity to show that we can compete.”
The former manager of Aviron Bayonnais, Yannick Bru, is now part of the staff of the Sharks.
And he confirms the extreme motivation of his troops.
“
Among South African players, there is a huge appetite to compete against the best European players.
The ambition is total among all the franchises involved.
They arrive determined to bring back the trophy.
»
“A new fragrance for competition”
Jake White, the manager of the Bulls, the franchise based in Pretoria, does not hide his pleasure.
“
The Champions Cup is the equivalent of the Champions League in football.
It's like playing a test match every Saturday
, appreciates the man who was at the head of the Montpellier team from 2014 to 2017.
Supporters in South Africa have not yet realized what this Champions Cup and how huge this competition is.
They will be surprised!
Yaw Penxe moderates this supposed ignorance.
“Durban loves rugby.
There is a buzz around our meetings, in particular against Harlequins
(based in London, editor's note).
English fans have been snapping up tickets for weeks…”
Read alsoRugby: in the Champions Cup, South African invaders who divide the Top 14
Jake White reveals the state of mind of his non-Springbok players.
“Young people don't often have the opportunity to play in full stadiums.
There, they will discover the hottest atmospheres in Europe, like Clermont or Bordeaux,
and it will be great for them
.
Ex-Montpellier, the opener of the world champions Handré Pollard now exercises his talents in Leicester, England.
For him,
“the arrival of South African franchises in Europe will give a new flavor to the competition.
We are not used to playing rugby in January at home.
It will be hot and humid, whereas in Europe, snow is forecast!
I'm curious to see how the teams will adapt to that."
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