New format and English success breathe life into Champions Cup – Andy Goode

Reports of the death of the Champions Cup are greatly exaggerated, organisers have nailed the format, English clubs had their most successful weekend ever and it’s back with a bang.

The issues with the competition have been overstated in some quarters anyway but I think the new format is spot on and we’ll see a competitive and high quality pool stage followed by the elongated knockout stage we’ve all grown to love.

The old structure of six pools of four produced too many dead rubbers and the past few seasons of two pools of 12 was too convoluted but I think this is as good a system as you can come up with for a 24-team competition.

All four pools are stacked with quality, with Pool D obviously standing out as a group of death, the opening round demonstrated just how tight it’s going to be in the battle for qualification and only half of the games were won by the home team.

(Photo By Brendan Moran/Sportsfile via Getty Images)

Almost everyone was writing off the English clubs’ chances due to the financial issues in the Premiership and the budgets they have to work with compared to the likes of Leinster and most of the big Top 14 sides so it was phenomenal to see them have their best round ever collectively.

Never before have seven of them won in the same round of the Champions Cup and nobody would have picked Saracens to be the only one not to do so. They have Connacht and Lyon coming to the StoneX so I still expect them to make it through and, with the others all having a win on the board already, we might even see every single English side in the Round of 16.

Sale and Leicester are probably up against it the most with the quality of opposition they have to come in Pool D and bonus points will prove pivotal across the competition but it looks as if we might well see the best ever English representation in the knockout stages.

We should be allowed to bask in the glory of that opening round but, of course, the Premiership clubs do have smaller squads than some of the teams they’re up against so might find it tougher when carrying a few more injuries in January.

The opening two rounds have arguably come at the perfect time for the English because, whilst they do come hot on the heels of eight consecutive rounds of domestic action, a lot of internationals have had a bit of time off after the World Cup and returned to inject a new lease of life into them.

That is very much how a lot of the bigger URC sides have been able to approach the Champions Cup over the years and I do think some of the French teams will bounce back but the sheer number of games they have to play might count against them.

Top 14 clubs have dominated in recent seasons but they still have to play potentially 29 games in their domestic competition, whereas Premiership outfits now face the prospect of a maximum of 20 so should be able to attack the Champions Cup more.

I think there will always be a thought process in sport whereby the teams with the most money will rise to the top and we may see the English clubs knocked out before the semi-finals and final but the fact that they’ve made such a positive start has silenced some critics.

The rugby on the pitch across the opening eight rounds of the Premiership has been thrilling with so many young players coming to the fore, which we’re going to see more and more with smaller squads and comparatively lower budgets, and seeing that translate onto an even bigger stage was great to see.

All the winners prevailed in different ways as well with Harlequins dazzling on the perfect surface for them in Paris against the Top 14 leaders, Exeter grinding it out at a Toulon team that’s second in the French league and Northampton doing a bit of both at Scotstoun.

Quins’ win at Racing 92 was probably the pick of the bunch but Glasgow had lost just one of their last 22 home games prior to Friday night so that was a hell of an achievement for Fin Smith and co.

Harlequins' English outside-half Marcus Smith (L) fights for the ball with Racing92's French centre Gael Fickou (R) during the European Champions Cup first round first day group A Rugby Union match between Racing92 and Harlequins at the Paris La Defense Arena in Nanterre on December 10, 2023. (Photo by Miguel MEDINA / AFP) (Photo by MIGUEL MEDINA/AFP via Getty Images)

Bath looked exceptional again in despatching Ulster and they do have Racing 92 and Toulouse to face in the last couple of rounds but they could effectively seal their place in the knockout stage if they can get a bonus point win in Cardiff on Saturday.

I don’t think there’s any way in a million years we’ll see another seven English victories this weekend but I think at least one will win on the road and I’m predicting five triumphs for Premiership clubs in the second round of action.

Everybody loves to hate the English but everyone loves an underdog as well, which you have to say they are at least financially at the moment, so a few people will feel a bit conflicted about how well they did.

Surely nobody would disagree it’s exciting to see young talent thriving, stepping up a level and playing with freedom though. The Premiership has shown it’s in fantastic health on the field, we just need the off-field element to catch up a bit as well.