MARK KEOHANE is puzzled why there isn’t more buzz around the blockbuster clash in Cape Town between the Stormers and Champions Cup title-holders, La Rochelle.
Reigning SA Shield holders in the Vodacom URC, the Stormers’ first game of the season at Cape Town Stadium promises to be a cracker when they welcome the back-to-back European champions to the Mother City on Saturday.
It’s the champions of South Africa taking on the champions of Europe in the first rugby XVs match on the refurbished pitch.
Writing for TimesLIVE, Keohane argues that South Africa’s entry into the Champions and Challenge cup competitions has changed the dynamic of what was previously knockout tournaments exclusive to European teams, yet supporters are still acclimatising to rugby throughout December and January in the Republic.
He highlights that the local derbies in SA always do well when it comes to crowd attendance, but is surprised at the lack of marketing of the EPCR matches on home soil.
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Keohane notes that English giants Saracens sent a star-studded team to face the Vodacom Bulls last week, while the Stormers will play their strongest lineup – which includes multiple Springbok World Cup winners – against a La Rochelle side boasting former Stormers and Bok winger Dillyn Leyds.
He believes SA’s five participating franchises must do more to promote these games to fans, at least until a local team wins either EPCR knockout tournament.
“Last weekend the Bulls smashed England’s premier club team Saracens, a three-time champion of the Champions Cup and a consistent winner of the Premiership,” Keohane writes.
“The only disappointment was that Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria wasn’t a sell-out for a clash of such magnitude, and it won’t be a surprise if we see a similar scenario play out in Cape Town on Saturday as rugby supporters still grapple with who they are watching and what competition is on display.
“During Covid’s enforced people lockdown so many matches were played without crowd attendance, and while economics no doubt is an influential factor, having the champions of Europe in Cape Town playing last season’s champions of South Africa, should not be a hard sell to a passionate rugby support base in the Western Province.”
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