SA teams show they care about Champions Cup success

Though they failed in their objective of advancing deeper into the Investec Champions Cup, the Stormers and Bulls debunked theories that SA rugby teams don’t place a high premium on success in the tournament.

No SA team has reached the Champions Cup semifinals, and the Stormers and Bulls came agonisingly close to ending that hoodoo when they slumped to narrow defeats in last-16 clashes.

Critics say some South Africans seem less motivated to play for their clubs in the Champions Cup than for the Springboks.

There have also been rumblings of discontent among European clubs that SA teams don’t add value to the tournament and often field second-string lineups.

Those detractors will have to take back their words after the Stormers and Bulls fought valiantly away from home in testing conditions.

A gutted Stormers team will switch their focus back to achieving success in the United Rugby Championship after they were edged 28-27 by Toulon in a high-octane Investec Champions Cup last 16 encounter in France on Saturday, coach John Dobson said. The outcome was in the melting pot until the dying moments before the Stormers endured the heartbreak of being denied a try in debatable circumstances at a vibrant Stade Mayol stadium. The Cape side thought they had snatched the game out of the fire, but joy turned to despair when it was ruled the Stormers had been held up over the line following a TMO review. A frustrated Dobson questioned the decision not to award a try to his team after Toulon flank Charles Ollivon, who was on the ground and appeared to be offside, prevented lock Adre Smith from scoring. “I was very impressed with the fight shown by the Stormers,” Dobson said. “We needed to score twice with eight minutes to go, and we should never have been in that position. We would’ve loved to have won this game at one of the cathedrals of rugby, but we were maybe not quite good enough in some areas “We would’ve loved to have won this game at one of the cathedrals of rugby, but we were maybe not quite good enough in some areas. “The Stormers didn’t get our usual scrum dominance, and it just seemed to be a bit more of a mess. “But our players mustn’t lose heart – it was still a fantastic performance. Now we have to focus on the URC.” “We had to adapt to some Champions Cup interpretations. “Obviously a bit frustrated at the end there. “Once it goes to the TMO, then maybe you can’t see the grounding, and the on-field decision for some reason is no try. “What’s frustrating for us is that Toulon flank Charles Ollivan is clearly inside the field of play and on the ground. “I believe Adre Smith got it down, but I don’t understand why it wasn’t awarded. “A very frustrating way for the game to end.” Dobson said work needed to be done on the Stormers’ defensive drills ahead of their next URC match against Irish side Connacht at the Cape Town Stadium on April 18. “I think we could have been more accurate around some of our spacing on defence, but we defended really well with heart and physicality. And you can see that Toulon was visibly tiring after some great defensive sets,” he said. “A very big moment would have been after we scored to go ahead and then we really messed up an exit and ended up with them scoring a try, which is one of the worst things in rugby.” Stormers playmaker Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu said the option of a drop goal was not considered in the frenetic final moments. “We probably had them in the contest,” he said. “It wasn’t the sort of game that we were looking for a bonus point or needing to win by any sort of points difference. “Upon reflection, I probably could’ve dropped into the pocket, but it’s easier said when things don’t go our way. “I don’t want to make any comments on what I saw (about the disallowed late try), but I think we could have been a lot more fortunate with some of the calls towards the end. “In the one maul I remember seeing JD Schickerling’s feet in the air when he was trying to get the ball to the back of the maul, whatever that means. “Some people thought it was a try (at the end) and some people didn’t. “I think we really got the game plan right. We got a lot of unforced errors out of them. We did well in the kicking game and any scraps that were on the floor. “I think we can be proud of our performance. It’s not the result we want, obviously, but we won’t go out with our heads down.” Follow The Herald WhatsApp channel today and stay connected to the stories shaping our world. The Herald

The scores from both matches tell their story.

With a hostile French crowd baying for their blood at the Stade Mayol, the Stormers were edged 28-27 by Toulon in a high-octane clash.

The outcome was in the melting pot until the dying moments before the Stormers endured the heartbreak of being denied a try in debatable circumstances.

It was a similar story in Scotland when the Bulls were pipped 25-21 by the Glasgow Warriors and were left to rue costly missed opportunities.

At the end of the day, both defeats were difficult to swallow, and there can be no denying the Bulls and Stormers left everything out on the field.

A frustrating inability to take advantage of scoring opportunities came back to bite the Bulls when they were beaten 25-21 by Glasgow Warriors in a hard-fought Investec Champions Cup clash in Scotland, says coach Johan Ackermann. Life was made tougher for the SA side when they were forced to contend with strong winds and heavy rain during the match as well as pre-match illness in their squad ahead of the last 16 showdown at Scotstoun Stadium. The Bulls were outscored by four tries to two on a tough day for SA teams in the Champions Cup after the Stormers were eliminated by Toulon earlier on Saturday. “First of all, I’m extremely proud of the players and the effort they put in,” Ackermann said. “There was a lot of heart. The guys showed strong character. “It was a challenging week — not as an excuse but we had a lot of players sick early in the week. There were moments that we didn’t know if Harold Vorster or Handre Pollard were going to play. But the guys showed fight, I’m very proud. In tough conditions, we were close to getting the victory.” Ackermann said hard work lies ahead for his team on the training pitch before they resume their United Rugby Championship campaign with a clash against the Dragons in Newport on April 17. We obviously stayed in the fight by scoring well, but then at some times we didn’t finish or made mistakes. The defeat hurts but that competition is done. Now we turn our attention to the URC “We didn’t use all our opportunities in Glasgow’s 22 and unfortunately a few of the kickoffs come to mind where we didn’t exit well and made mistakes. We also gave them soft entries through our discipline when they went offside a few times. That gave them territory and possession. “Credit to them, they capitalised and scored. When our discipline is better, we’re in the game a lot more. So that is a big thing for us to fix.” Ackermann said the inclement weather in Glasgow had been tough to negotiate. “Even the last kickoff, we wanted the ball to roll dead but it didn’t. On an artificial pitch, it often does. It just didn’t go our way. “I don’t think people understand how tough the conditions were, especially in the second half. We were playing into a very strong wind. At one stage, they kicked the ball and it rolled almost 70m. “The players had to dig deep to stay in the fight. It’s easy to criticise from afar, but those were tough conditions. “We obviously stayed in the fight by scoring well, but then at some times we didn’t finish or made mistakes. The defeat hurts but that competition is done. Now we turn our attention to the URC.” The first half was hard-fought as both teams threw everything at one another in at times torrential rain. The Bulls ran hard in the opening minutes but were unable to break through the Glasgow defence and the first points on the scoreboard were from a penalty goal by Handre Pollard. The hosts fought tooth and nail to stamp their authority as the clock wound down and their determined efforts finally paid off with their fourth try in the corner in the dying minutes, which pushed them 22-14 ahead with less than seven minutes to play. Follow The Herald WhatsApp channel today and stay connected to the stories shaping our world. The Herald

Ahead of the Toulon clash, Stormers coach John Dobson said his team had finally built enough depth to be able to have a proper crack at the Champions Cup.

Bulls captain Marcell Coetzee said it had been the team’s goal to target success in both the URC and Champions Cup from the start of the season.

He said the Bulls had been determined to challenge in both competitions and would not lean towards one or the other.

On the evidence of what transpired at the Stade Mayol and Scotstoun Stadium, SA teams clearly care about Champions Cup success.

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