Home and abroad, South African players took centre stage in European club rugby action in 2023, with all five local franchises involved in the Champions and Challenge cups.
South Africa’s second assault on the premier EPCR competitions kicked off in early December, after a promising first entry into Europe in 2022-23, and on the whole it has been a rousing success for the teams from the Republic.
Earlier this year, the DHL Stormers, Sharks, Vodacom Bulls, Lions and Cheetahs made it through the pool stage and into the knockouts. The Lions feasted on Racing 92 in the Challenge Cup playoffs, while the Stormers made home advantage count in a 60-point thriller with Harlequins, and a Bok-powered Sharks proved too strong for Munster to make it through to the last eight of the Champions Cup.
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That was where the dream ended for SA, as the Sharks put up a brave fight but were simply overwhelmed by Toulouse in France, and the Stormers had little answer to a fired-up Exeter Chiefs at Sandy Park.
The Bulls locked horns with a formidable Toulouse side in the last 16, but Jake White’s charges ran out of steam at Le Stadium as the five-time winners scored 21 unanswered points in a 33-9 rout to end The Herd’s campaign.
Dillyn Leyds and Raymond Rhule claimed winners’ medals as La Rochelle launched a stunning fightback to beat Leinster and retain the Champions Cup in Dublin.
In the Challenge Cup, the Lions delivered an exceptional performance against Racing to advance to the last-eight stage, but The Pride’s title pursuit was halted by Glasgow Warriors, who capitalised on their inexperience to win.
The Cheetahs’ tough round-of-16 match against Toulon ended in a 36-21 defeat, but the Free Staters gave a good account of themselves, scoring three second-half tries against the team that would win the tournament. Cheslin Kolbe helped the French giants lift the trophy with a Man of the Match performance against Glasgow at the Aviva Stadium.
A new season brought with it renewed hopes, and with the experience of a debut campaign under the belts and bolstered squads, the Bulls, Sharks, Lions and Cheetahs kicked off their respective Champions and Challenge cup crusades on a winning note in 2023-24.
The boot of Johan Goosen gave the Bulls the edge over English powerhouses Saracens in a 27-16 win at Loftus, before the men from Pretoria were denied by Lyon in France.
A youthful Stormers side missed out on a losing bonus point against a Handre Pollard-inspired Leicester Tigers on the road, but claimed a famous victory over La Rochelle at home.
The Sharks came flying out the blocks in their maiden Challenge Cup appearance with a resounding 45-5 victory over Pau at Kings Park, only to run into a fired-up Cheetahs outfit in an eight-try thriller in Bloemfontein.
Having demonstrated their competitiveness in a round 1 rout of Zebre Parma in Italy, the 2023 Currie Cup winners have taken a big step towards the EPCR playoffs, and so, too, the Lions who are second in pool 2 with nine points after impressive victories over Perpignan and Newcastle Falcons.