The Hollywoodbets Sharks, with automatic qualification for the Investec Champions Cup courtesy of their third-place finish in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship 2024/25 campaign, kick off arguably rugby’s greatest rivalry outside the Rugby World Cup when they take on French giants Toulouse in early December.
The rest of the group stage fixtures include Saracens at Hollywoodbets Kings Park the following Saturday, before taking on Sale in Manchester in January and then completing their pool games when they host Clermont Auvergne in Durban on 17 January.
Pitting teams from the top eight in the VURC, as well as those from France and England, has created a truly spectacular tournament, embraced by legions of rugby fans around the world.
Indeed, in the last final, the TV audience globally reached over 20 million viewers, a testament to the tournament’s pulling power and reach.
South Africa’s entry into the northern hemisphere competition, after 27 years of Vodacom Super Rugby, came alongside their inclusion in the VURC as they looked to new markets after an almost three-decade long relationship with Australian, New Zealand and later Japanese teams.
The Investec Champions Cup celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, with the first edition, then known as the Heineken Cup, taking place in 1995, the same year that the Springboks first won the Rugby World Cup.
With salary caps in excess of R200 million in France and less than half of that for the South African franchises – the Hollywoodbets Sharks, DHL Stormers, Vodacom Bulls and Lions – it’s no secret why the power of the Euro to attract top talent from around the world has translated into great success for the French teams.
They have contributed 13 champions and a further 16 losing finalists, with England coming in a distant second (10 winners and six runners’ up), followed by Ireland (seven and seven respectively) and then Wales with one losing finalist, Cardiff in the inaugural 1995/96 season.
No South African side has yet to claim the title, but given the growth of the Hollywoodbets Sharks, DHL Stormers and Vodacom Bulls, and the development they have enjoyed in the VURC, it’s only a matter of time before a winning team emerges from the four-time Rugby World Cup champions.
Toulouse, with eight final appearances and six titles are the most successful team in the history of the tournament, with Irish giants and reigning VURC champions Leinster coming in second with four championship titles from eight finals.
The last English team to win were Exeter Chiefs, winning the only Champions Cup final they’ve ever appeared in (2020), while Saracens are the toast of England, boasting the third best record in the tournament overall, with three titles and one runners-up medal.
Crowd numbers have changed over the years, with the very first final, between Toulouse and Cardiff, attracting 21800 spectators at the National Stadium in Cardiff. That wasn’t the lowest figure though, not because of disinterest, but the Covid pandemic during the 2020/21 season, where only 10 000 lucky fans were granted entry into Twickenham to witness Toulouse defeating La Rochelle 22-17.
The crowd attendance record is 82,208 fans attending the Irish derby semi-final between Leinster and Munster at Croke Park in Dublin which by far surpasses the first-ever final.
Clearly this is a winning product that continues to blossom.
