Eliminated with the Pretoria Bulls by Toulouse (33-9) in the knockout stages of the Champions Cup, Jake White, former coach of the Springboks world champions in 2007 and ex-manager of Montpellier, had launched: "We will now see
what that separates men from little boys.
It's an extremely tough competition to win..."
And, in the end, we saw: no South African team made it to the last four of the Champions Cup or even the Challenge Cup, the small competition .
Announced as terrors, the two teams from the other side of the globe present in the quarters, the Durban Sharks and the Cape Stormers, spectacularly exploded in the quarters respectively against Toulouse (54-20) and Exeter (42-17 ), former winners of the European Cup.
“In the locker room after the match, it was dead calm.
The disappointment could be read on the faces of the players and felt in the atmosphere of the locker room, “
said Neil Powell, the coach of the Sharks, swept away to Ernest-Wallon.
"
It
doesn't reflect who we are"
The score is heavy and does not reflect the physiognomy of the match, the Durban players conceding four tries in the last twelve minutes.
“During most of the match, we were really in the game.
The turning point of the match was the disallowed try because of a forward pass,
continues Neil Powell, referring to this action between Makazole Mapimpi and Grant Williams.
I think if we had scored that try, we could have taken a bit of a gap and tried to keep the pressure on them to finish the game in a better way.
And his captain Siya Kolisi added, bitterly:
“It's never easy to defend against Toulouse, they exploit any space left to them.
I'm still proud of the guys, but it's not nice to lose like that, because it doesn't reflect who we are."
Read alsoChampions Cup: "I still have chills when I think back to the atmosphere here in Toulouse", says Kolisi
In the other clash between Europeans and South Africans of the weekend, the Stormers did not exist against the Exeter Chiefs, winners in 2020 against Racing 92, who already led 21-0 at the break.
In the end, the players from Cape Town conceded six tries (only scoring three) and left the competition through the back door.
Ditto for the Cheetahs of Bloemfontein and the Lions of Johannesburg in the Challenge Cup, released respectively by RC Toulon (36-21) in eighths and by Glasgow (31-21) in quarters.
“In eight hours by plane, you are in France or in England.
It's a win-win”
How to explain this zero point for the southern teams which were announced as terrors?
First of all, they had - for the first time - to manage two competitions head on, the United Rugby Championship (URC, the former Celtic League) and the now intercontinental games.
And even three, if we add the historic Currie Cup (created in 1884) that they continue to play “at home”.
This year, the South African teams, which had hit hard last season in the URC (Stormers 18-13 victory over the Bulls, after eliminating Ulster and Leinster), fall into line this year, apart from the Cape team which is second in the standings behind Leinster.
Read alsoWelcome to the South African Rugby European Cup
Inevitably, the long journeys between South Africa and Europe seriously handicap the southern teams.
Like the complicated journey that the Sharks had to make to come to Toulouse and the galleys of the Lions forced to return to South Africa on a commercial flight... "
South Africa is on the same time zone
( than Europe)
,
nuanced in
Midi Olympique
Frédéric Michalak, who played for the Sharks
.
When they played in Super Rugby, the teams left on three or four week tours for Australia or New Zealand, each time with a big time difference to evacuate.
There, in eight hours by plane, you are in France or in England.
For me it's a win-win.
This openness is beneficial.
4 out of 8 quarters won away from home in past two seasons
In the Champions Cup, only the Sharks managed to win in France (19-16 against UBB) during the group stage, when the Stormers lost at Clermont and the Bulls fell to Lyon on the last day.
These three teams, on the other hand, were undefeated at home in the first round.
But insufficient to rank among the best teams and welcome in the quarters.
This is what Jake White of the Bulls will have retained:
“It's really very hard to win outside … This is probably the lesson to be learned.
You have to be good at home in the group stage to make sure you have a chance to play at home in the quarters.
However, when you look in the rear-view mirror, you realize that winning away in the first qualifying matches is no exception.
During the 2020-2021 season, there were four away successes (out of eight matches) in the round of 16 and two away wins in the quarterfinals, i.e. half of the matches played.
And last year, during the unprecedented round of 16 contested on home and away matches, there were six away victories (out of 16) and the same number of victories away from home in the quarters (2 out of 4).
Like what, it is not impossible.
The South Africans have just discovered a new competition.
Sure they come back stronger next season.