CAN THE RUGBY please just start? The closer we get to the beginning of the inaugural European Rugby Champions Cup (please change the name to something less convoluted), the more confusion that has been emerging.
The tournament itself is basically being run by a skeleton ERC staff and the new board has implemented changes to the qualification playoffs for the teams who don’t qualify through their domestic leagues.
Now, the highest ranked Pro12 team who hasn’t automatically qualified will play against the Aviva Premiership equivalent. A toss of a coin will decide home advantage.
The winner of that game will then play at home against the seventh-ranked Top 14 club to decide who qualifies for the premier tournament.
Originally, it was to basically be a four team mini-tournament with the English and French team playing in one semi-final and the two highest ranked Pro12 teams not qualified playing in the other, before the winners decided who would get the coveted place in the tournament.
“With this revised Champions Cup play-off format, we have respected the wishes of the three leagues,” said EPCR Director General, Jacques Pineau in a statement.
“The Board of EPCR has agreed an alteration to the initial format in the tournament Heads of Agreement, and we are confident that the play-offs will enhance what promises to be an exciting season of European professional club rugby.”
It has arguably gotten tougher for the Pro12 teams because now they will have to play both an English and a French team rather than just one of them. The Aviva-Pro12 playoff is scheduled for 23 May with the fixture involving the Top 14 club taking place the following weekend.
Either way, it does add some extra excitement to the end of the season.
