Vodacom URC chief Martin Anayi championed South Africa’s inclusion in the competition and he has credited the teams from the Republic for the value they have added, on and off the field.

“The South African teams have been tremendously successful in terms of performance and attendance, as well as financially and commercially,” Anayi said, looking back on his accomplishments in 10 years at the helm.

“Pretty much anybody you speak to in the league will say they have raised the standard of the competition on and off the field and they will continue to do that.”

On the field, a South African team has contested every final since the inaugural URC launched in 2021-22 – the Stormers beat the Bulls, lost out to Munster the following season and the Bulls went down to Glasgow in last season’s finale.

Off the field, the financial value added by SA teams has been equally impressive. “It’s a game changer. It’s millions,” said Anayi. “More than half our revenue comes from South Africa via television and sponsorship.

“They are also providing more value to EPCR, via Investec’s sponsorship of the Champions Cup. It is a huge part of the rugby economy for Europe.”

“Huge” is a word generally associated with South African forwards, and this group is among those hardest hit by budget travel arrangements in the competition.

It’s an issue that has not escaped Anayi’s attention, and one the competition CEO is committed to resolving, even if it means relooking the scheduling: “The class of travel for our teams is something we need to address – moving to business class travel for the South African trips. Big guys need space.

“In terms of travel logistics, the regular season matches are not a problem. We know about those trips and book a long way out. It’s more when it comes to knock-out rugby. That can be hard.

“So, we can change our format in terms of having gaps in the play-offs. We can concertina the regular season and maybe start it a little bit earlier to give ourselves an extra week around semi-final and final.”