Jake White: It will take time for South Africans to warm up to EPCR tournaments

Bulls director of rugby Jake White said just as South Africans disregarded Super Rugby before the Bulls started dominating in the late 2000s, local fans will take time to warm up to our clubs playing in the European Professional Club Rugby tournaments (EPCR).

SA sides have not met with much success in the EPCR Champions Cup – the Bulls, Sharks and Stormers each only reaching the quarter-finals once.

The country’s teams have done better in the second-tier EPCR Challenge Cup with the Sharks beating Gloucester in the final to become last season’s winners. The Lions reached a quarter-finals in 2023.

White, who won the Challenge Cup when coaching French team Montpellier in 2016, was speaking to media ahead of the Bulls, Sharks and Lions playing round of 16 matches this weekend.

The Bulls and Sharks dropped into the second-tier tournament after only clinching one win apiece in their Champions Cup pools.

The Stormers, while also winning one match, finished sixth in their pool while the others were fifth, and so were shown the door in both events.

OPINION: 3/12 by our Champions Cup teams is not good enough

SA hasn’t cottoned on to EPCR

White said if South African teams were to join a tournament they should do so having the ability to win it. However, it is currently an uphill battle because South Africa’s clubs do not have the depth that sides like Leinster and Toulouse do.

“When we decide it is important, that it is something we would like to win as a country and make the decisions in and around those calls then it will become a lot bigger and exciting for supporters,” he said.

“But it’s still big for the other clubs playing in it. Maybe we haven’t cottoned on to it.”

Former Springbok legend Naas Botha spoke along the same lines last month, saying the Champions Cup is the second most important trophy after the World Cup.

He said SA teams should “rethink the matter and make the Champions Cup the number one priority”.

How to draw appeal to EPCR tournaments?

White again said South African teams would fare better if their top players returned to play in South Africa instead of playing for overseas clubs.

He even suggested if internationals such as New Zealanders Jordie Barrett (Leinster) and Aaron Smith (Verblitz), who are playing for international clubs, came to play in South Africa, it would increase the appeal of EPCR tournaments.