The Sharks have reached the round of 16 of the Champions Cup. (Photo by Steve Haag/Gallo Images)
South African franchises will have to ‘host’ any potential Champions Cup semi-final in Europe and not in South Africa, competition organizer EPCR told AFP on Monday.
In what was previously the European Continental Championship for rugby clubs, three South African franchises – the Bulls of Pretoria, the Sharks of Durban and the Stormers of Cape Town – qualified this year for the first time.
The Champions Cup semi-finals will take place “in Europe”, an EPCR spokesman said, confirming reports by Irish website The42.ie.
“This is an agreement with SARU (the South African rugby union),” the spokesperson said.
The Bulls, Stormers and Sharks, however, will be able to host matches in South Africa in the round of 16 and quarter-finals.
“If the South African teams qualify for the semi-finals, the matches will be played in Europe,” said another source close to the matter.
The only condition for that is if two of them qualify to meet in the same semi-final, in which case the match can be played in South Africa.
Currently, ahead of the fourth and final day of the group stage, the Sharks have already qualified, while the Bulls and Stormers are also on their way to reaching the round of 16.
The semi-finals are scheduled for the end of April before the final in Dublin on May 20.
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