• Latest
  • Trending
From Brentford to Durban: The revamped Heineken Cup prepares to take off – The Guardian

From Brentford to Durban: The revamped Heineken Cup prepares to take off – The Guardian

09.12.2022
How ‘Shotgun Wedding’ Made Jennifer Lopez the Perfect Dress Made for Action

How ‘Shotgun Wedding’ Made Jennifer Lopez the Perfect Dress Made for Action

28.01.2023
Birmingham City goalkeeper Neil Etheridge racially assaulted by fan in FA Cup tie with Blackburn, claims Blues boss John Eustace

Birmingham City goalkeeper Neil Etheridge racially assaulted by fan in FA Cup tie with Blackburn, claims Blues boss John Eustace

28.01.2023

Odds, Lines, Slices, NFL Picks for AFC, NFC Championship Games 2023: Pattern Pick Under Eagles-49ers

28.01.2023
David Seaman and his wife Frankie pack on the PDA as they share a kiss outside the hotel in Manchester

David Seaman and his wife Frankie pack on the PDA as they share a kiss outside the hotel in Manchester

28.01.2023

DEADLINE: Investors in Y-mAbs Therapeutics, Inc. with Substantial Losses Have Opportunity to File Class Action – YMAB

28.01.2023

2023 NFL Playoff Table: Picks, Predictions, Odds, AFC, NFC Championship Schedule by Top Model on 16-6 roll

28.01.2023
Chloe Ferry cuts a racy figure in a black corset top

Chloe Ferry cuts a racy figure in a black corset top

28.01.2023

LatinFinance reveals os vencedores da premiação de 2022 faire " Offers of the year" (Premio de Negócios do Ano)

28.01.2023

NFL Conference Championship Game Pick, Odds, Predictions, Top Expert Betting: This 4-Way Bet Pays 10-1

28.01.2023
Cindy Crawford puts on a leggy display in a plush white bathrobe

Cindy Crawford puts on a leggy display in a plush white bathrobe

28.01.2023
Free horse racing advice for Saturday and Sunday

Free Cheltenham and Doncaster horse racing advice

28.01.2023

Chiefs vs Bengals how to watch: time, TV channel, streams, key matches, picks for 2023 AFC Championship Game

28.01.2023
Saturday, January 28, 2023
  • World
  • Economics
  • Sport
    • Basketball
    • Football
    • Nfl
    • Golf
    • F1
    • UFC
  • Technology
  • Culture
    • Arts
  • Media
    • Film
    • Celebs
    • TV
  • LifeStyle
    • Auto
  • Travel
OLTNEWS
  • World
  • Economics
  • Sport
    • Basketball
    • Football
    • Nfl
    • Golf
    • F1
    • UFC
  • Technology
  • Culture
    • Arts
  • Media
    • Film
    • Celebs
    • TV
  • LifeStyle
    • Auto
  • Travel
OLTNEWS
No Result
View All Result

Home » Football » From Brentford to Durban: The revamped Heineken Cup prepares to take off – The Guardian

From Brentford to Durban: The revamped Heineken Cup prepares to take off – The Guardian

09/12/2022 03:06:18
in Football
0
0
SHARES
Share on WhatsappShare on Facebook

Related posts

Juventus star Weston McKennie has ‘agreed’ to move to ‘next club’, reveals Massimiliano Allegri with reports Leeds set to sign US international on loan

Juventus star Weston McKennie has ‘agreed’ to move to ‘next club’, reveals Massimiliano Allegri with reports Leeds set to sign US international on loan

28.01.2023
Romelu Lukaku linked with Tottenham transfer ‘if Antonio Conte stays’ but the Chelsea outcast is being watched by another Premier League club with Inter Milan set to return the striker after a second nightmare

Romelu Lukaku linked with Tottenham transfer ‘if Antonio Conte stays’ but the Chelsea outcast is being watched by another Premier League club with Inter Milan set to return the striker after a second nightmare

28.01.2023


JIts season’s Heineken Champions Cup even makes the expanded Eurovision Song Contest a parochial concept. This weekend alone there are openers in places as disparate as Pretoria, Durban, Brentford and Le Havre, involving almost absurd contrasts in temperature and altitude. It’s “Europe”, captain, but not as we know it.

Talk about refreshing the parts other years never got to. This weekend, the Harlequins will be on the edge of the Indian Ocean, facing humidity and 30 degree heat. Next week they will be back next to the River Crane in Twickenham to freeze their Christmas nuts. People talk about the brave new world of a Club World Championship, but in many ways it’s already here.

So welcome, for better or for worse, to rugby Games without borders. For English and French clubs, in particular, this is uncharted territory. Don’t ask, just yet, about the carbon footprint or the number of away fans Lyon will take to watch them play against the Bulls. Instead, sit back and contemplate the novelty of a revamped tournament that looks so bonkers on paper it just might work.

Admittedly, it may take some time for people to grasp the whole idea. “If I’m being honest, I don’t know if the introduction of South African teams has necessarily improved the Heineken Cup for European teams,” Exeter’s Rob Baxter muttered this week. The Chiefs are always up for new experiences but the logistics of the trip are diabolical. “It’s great for South Africa…it probably makes it more difficult for us. I’m sure our players are looking forward to a week in South Africa [but] from a rugby organisation, administration and cost point of view it is a nightmare.

His Harlequins counterpart Tabai Matson, on the other hand, tried not to sound too cheerful – “I don’t think my wife wants to hear that we’re training in 29C and I’m wearing a jersey” – into his phone. calls home from Durban this week. The stark reality can still wait. The Sharks’ decision to pick Siya Kolisi, Eben Etzebeth, Bongi Mbonambi and a bunch of other Springboks involved against England less than a fortnight ago certainly has rugby fans in both hemispheres sitting up and taking notice. .

Because, if nothing else, the participation of South Africa’s top three provincial teams adds an extra pinch of intrigue. Take away Leinster, the top three or four French teams and maybe Saracens and how many European-based teams are equipped to secure the cup? The possibility of being forced to travel to Loftus Versfeld later in the tournament to face a strong and motivated Bulls side makes things a little less predictable.

La Rochelle players celebrate with the trophy after winning the Champions Cup last season. Photography: David Rogers/Getty Images

As Stormers coach John Dobson clarified this week, it will also take time for the South Africans to acclimatize to the different rhythms of the competition. His Bulls counterpart Jake White feels the same way, wondering if a “wake-up call” awaits some of his less experienced players. “The Champions Cup is the equivalent of the Champions League in football – taking part in it is like playing a Test every Saturday. European teams don’t just tap into their country’s pool of players – “They have stars from all the top rugby nations. I’m afraid South Africans are a little naïve about what to expect. The Champions Cup teams are much stronger than the United Rugby Championship teams.

In short, no one knows exactly what to think of the new landscape. The other significant adjustment is that, unlike last season, the last 16 – including the top eight from each of the two pools – will be played over one leg, not two. There are just four pool games to establish crucial early momentum and secure a qualifying hold. If you can’t get started quickly, especially at home, things will get very difficult very quickly.

In this regard, there are four particularly important games on the opening weekend. The first is the aforementioned Sharks vs. Quins game: without an injured Marcus Smith to conjure up some magic, a serious push from the top five Quins is going to be needed. The second is Racing 92 v Leinster, moved from Paris to Le Havre because – like you – La Défense Arena was rented this weekend for a rap concert. If Racing and Finn Russell start slow, it will make their trip to Harlequins in round two even more vital.

The latest rugby union news and analysis, plus all the week’s action in review

Privacy notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertisements and content funded by third parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google Privacy Policy and Terms of use to apply.

And if an English challenge is to materialize anywhere other than Premiership leaders Saracens, then Gloucester and Sale will need to beef up at home to Bordeaux-Bègles and Ulster, respectively. The second legs are sure to be tough and, with home advantage in the round of 16 also potentially influencing the quarter-final draw, there is even less room for maneuver in the group stages than ever before.

Pool A looks particularly diabolical, with the robust quartet of Bulls, Leinster, Saracens and Racing 92 or Bordeaux likely to undergo major changes. The Pool B top four, meanwhile, could easily prove very heavy in France, with Top 14 leaders Toulouse, defending champions La Rochelle, Montpellier and either Ulster or Munster potentially leading the charge. .

And if it all finally culminates in a Leinster-Toulouse final at the Aviva Stadium on May 20, it will be another sign of this increasingly Franco-Irish era. The 2023 Six Nations could easily see the same two nations battling it out for the title and Leinster, for all their sustained excellence, would absolutely love to triumph on home soil having lifted the Champions Cup just once since 2012. either, one thing is for sure: we can no longer call it Europe.

Related

Previous Post

Sebastian Yatra and Rita Wilson team up for Tom Hanks movie – HOLA! UNITED STATES

Next Post

Luka Doncic and Tim Hardaway Jr. make NBA history in Mavs’ winning streak Sports Illustrated

Related Posts

Juventus star Weston McKennie has ‘agreed’ to move to ‘next club’, reveals Massimiliano Allegri with reports Leeds set to sign US international on loan
Football

Juventus star Weston McKennie has ‘agreed’ to move to ‘next club’, reveals Massimiliano Allegri with reports Leeds set to sign US international on loan

28.01.2023
0

Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri has revealed Weston McKennie will not feature in their next game as he has 'agreed' to...

Read more
Romelu Lukaku linked with Tottenham transfer ‘if Antonio Conte stays’ but the Chelsea outcast is being watched by another Premier League club with Inter Milan set to return the striker after a second nightmare

Romelu Lukaku linked with Tottenham transfer ‘if Antonio Conte stays’ but the Chelsea outcast is being watched by another Premier League club with Inter Milan set to return the striker after a second nightmare

28.01.2023
Virgil van Dijk praise, Joel Matip appreciation and Jordan Henderson admiration – Everything Jude Bellingham said about Liverpool ahead of potential summer transfer

Virgil van Dijk praise, Joel Matip appreciation and Jordan Henderson admiration – Everything Jude Bellingham said about Liverpool ahead of potential summer transfer

28.01.2023

From Cristiano Ronaldo to Bruno Fernandes and Tottenham transfer target Pedro Porro – Sporting Lisbon’s incredible XI if they didn’t sell their best players

28.01.2023

Dennis Rommedahl wore UGG boots on the Charlton bench, was one of the fastest players in Premier League history and was the star of the World Cup for Denmark

28.01.2023

Lucas Moura scores for the Tottenham Under-21s in the win over Arsenal after returning from injury, as team-mate Richarlison looks on as he asks for the Brazilian’s shirt

28.01.2023
Load More
Next Post
Luka Doncic and Tim Hardaway Jr. make NBA history in Mavs’ winning streak Sports Illustrated

Luka Doncic and Tim Hardaway Jr. make NBA history in Mavs' winning streak Sports Illustrated

Recent Posts

  • How ‘Shotgun Wedding’ Made Jennifer Lopez the Perfect Dress Made for Action
  • Birmingham City goalkeeper Neil Etheridge racially assaulted by fan in FA Cup tie with Blackburn, claims Blues boss John Eustace
  • Odds, Lines, Slices, NFL Picks for AFC, NFC Championship Games 2023: Pattern Pick Under Eagles-49ers
  • David Seaman and his wife Frankie pack on the PDA as they share a kiss outside the hotel in Manchester
  • DEADLINE: Investors in Y-mAbs Therapeutics, Inc. with Substantial Losses Have Opportunity to File Class Action – YMAB

Archives

  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • EN

© 2020

No Result
View All Result
  • World
  • Economics
  • Sport
    • Basketball
    • Football
    • Nfl
    • Golf
    • F1
    • UFC
  • Technology
  • Culture
    • Arts
  • Media
    • Film
    • Celebs
    • TV
  • LifeStyle
    • Auto
  • Travel

© 2020

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.