Damian Penaud put the final pin in any hope of a South African team making the Investec Champions Cup as he ran in a mind-boggling six tries in a 66-12 victory over the Sharks.
Ahead of kick-off on Sunday, the Durbanites were the last SA team with any chance of making the last-16 of the premier club competition in the world.
John Plumtree’s side headed to the imposing Stade Chaban-Delmas void of several first-choice players but still boasted a matchday 23 a decent sprinkling of international quality stars.
Sharks swept aside with fellow South African teams
In fact, they started the match perfectly scoring two early tries to lead 12-0 but a yellow card to Hakeem Kunene shifted momentum into Bordeaux’s favour and the French powerhouse never let it slip with France superstar Penaud running amok with his double hat-trick.
The odds were certainly stacked against the Sharks as they clashed with the competition’s leaders and while they did have good moments a week ago against Toulouse, Bordeaux away was always going to be their biggest ask.
When one reviews the Sharks‘ campaign, the defeat to Leicester Tigers sticks out like a sore thumb as it was a ‘winnable’ fixture, but untimely injuries to the likes of Eben Etzebeth, Siya Kolisi and so on, meant that a young inexperienced team headed to the United Kingdom.
There was not much the Durbanites could have done in that case but they were not the only South African team to fall short in fixtures where youth were given the opportunity in the competition.
That same weekend, the Stormers were thrashed by Harlequins while just last week the Bulls were swept aside by Castres.
The odds for a South African team winning the tournament is certainly stacked against them as they need to travel north at least once in the two-week block of Champions Cup fixtures.
Paired with the timing of their URC tours, it does mean that the coaches need to be on the pulse and target certain fixtures. The Sharks would have seen Leicester as a game where they could have got a positive result before the injuries while the Stormers delivered in their clash against Sale Sharks in Cape Town but that was not enough in a competitive pool.
The Bulls will rue their defeat to Northampton Saints in Pretoria, a fixture that they very much could have won, but did not.
Odds stacked against them
What makes it tougher for the South African teams is the year-round schedule that their Springboks endure with the opening round of the Champions Cup taking place shortly after the November internationals. By that stage, many of the teams have started their season without their Springboks who have featured in the Rugby Championship and end-of-year tour.
Rest needs to be factored in somewhere and for many that will only come through injury or only in February when club rugby effectively pauses for the Six Nations.
“I want to bring our strongest Sharks side here and play on the biggest stage. I can understand their [the fans’] frustration. I want to go out there and give Leicester a good hiding in front of their home crowd. Don’t worry about that,” Plumtree explained after the defeat to Leicester.
“We’re all competitive. But the reality is we’ve got to look after these athletes. They are not robots. They don’t front up every week. And right now, the South African boys are treated like robots.”
It’s not just the availability of the top players that is an issue for the South African teams but also the fact that they cannot host the knockout stage matches later in the tournament.
Even if the Sharks, Bulls or Stormers finished top of the seedings they would not host a last-16, quarter-final or semi-final match due to tournament rules.
This gives these sides less incentive to actually go that deep in the tournament and risk the top talents in the away games.
“These are highlight games, why can’t we get more of them? South African teams not being able to host these play-off games is hugely detrimental to the finances and the sustainability of the tournaments. I think it’s silly, for sure,” ex-Springboks captain Bobby Skinstad bemoaned earlier this month.
Challenges
This mattered less last season as the South African teams made their debuts and attempted to go deep and were less impacted by the untimely injuries but with back-to-back year-round seasons, it has been more telling and harsh lessons have been learned.
Notably, the South African teams need to build more depth in the squad if they want to go deep in both tournaments. Bulls boss Jake White seemingly addressed that with some of his signings last campaign and the Sharks too but obviously not well enough.
Without the services of Makazole Mapimpi on the left wing for the Sharks today, talented rookie Ethan Hooker was preferred in the starting role. While Hooker has impressed out wide for the Sharks, he is a centre by trade and against a world-class winger, Penaud, he was completely outplayed.
The fact that the Sharks’ backline chopped and changed with injuries in the game certainly didn’t help but one cannot help but think that Mapimpi would have fared better out wide and Hooker in the 13 channel.
Perhaps this also points to the fact that the coaches also need to be more flexible with their selections too fielding teams with more of a mix of top talents and inexperienced rising stars.
Instead of making sweeping changes, being more willing to chop and change fringe players in for the regular starters.
The current format of the Champions Cup, which could well change again next season, meant that teams will progress with just two victories out of four – one in the case of Ulster – with several pools’ placings decided by points difference.
With the margins that tight and a real lack of cut-throat pool stages, there is an opportunity to mix things up rather than going full hog and full youth, particularly with the carrot of a home play-off removed for the South African teams.
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Src: Planetrugby.com - https://www.planetrugby.com/news/south-african-teams-learn-harsh-champions-cup-lesson-as-damian-penaud-hits-sharks-for-six
