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European Professional Club Rugby

Heineken Champions Cup: Five Talking Points Heading Into The Last Sixteen

Heineken Champions Cup: Five Talking Points Heading Into The Last Sixteen

Heineken Champions Cup five talking points heading into the knockout fixtures as Edinburgh Rugby tackle Leicester on Friday night with 7 games on Saturday.

Mar 31, 2023 by Philip Bendon
Heineken Champions Cup: Five Talking Points Heading Into The Last Sixteen

The Six Nations is done and dusted for another year but fear not, rugby fans, as the game's biggest club competition returns to our screen this evening.

Now into the first round of knockout action, the 2022/23 Heineken Champions Cup is once again proving to be a doozy. 

Ahead of tonight's action between the Leicester Tigers and Edinburgh, we dive into five of the biggest talking points surrounding the round of sixteen. 


Does The Title Run Through South Africa? 

Hitting the ground running in their first season of Heineken Champions Cup action, three South African sides will feature in the last sixteen rounds. 

Heralding a new era of inter-hemisphere competition, the South African provinces have brought a unique flavour to proceedings this season. 

Heavily criticised in certain quarters, there can be no disputing that South African sides have upped the level of the competition. 

Finishing 3rd in their respective groups, the DHL Stormers and Cell C Sharks will break new ground as they host the first-ever Champions Cup knockout games outside of Europe. Joining them in the playoffs are the Vodacom Bulls, who travel to France to take on five-time champions Toulouse. 

Having witnessed the immense interest the South African sides have brought to the United Rugby Championship over the past two seasons. This weekend's action will be an accurate barometer for how their move away from Super Rugby has been received within South Africa. 

First up are the Sharks, who take on Irish giants and two-time European Champions Munster in Durban. Both sides have announced fully loaded squads for the clash, which is fitting given the importance both sides have placed on the competition to date. The clash will also serve as a precursor to their crucial final-round clash in the URC, which is shaping to be a playoff decider. 

As the action in Durban comes to a close, Cape Town will get its first taste of knockout European Rugby as English Premiership side Harlequins come to town. 

Facing perhaps the closest iteration to themselves, the challenge facing reigning URC Champions, the DHL Stormers could be one of the most intriguing clashes of the season. Like the Stormers, Quins are a side built on all-out attack and intense pace that pressures opposition defences. Employing the mantra of you score four tries, and we will score five, on paper, this could prove to be one of the highest-scoring knockout games in Heineken Champions Cup history.


Finally, the Bulls travelling to Toulouse is about as big a challenge as possible in the competition. Jampacked with quality from one to twenty-three, Toulouse are regarded as one of the competition favourites again this season. 

In Jake White, the Bulls have a coach who has achieved it all in the game. The 2007 Rugby World Cup-winning coach has made it clear from the outset that the URC is the priority for his squad. Given they have lost their last four games in the league, it will be interesting to see how much resources they dedicate to this game. Failure to front up with first-choice players could see the Bulls' season completely derailed at a crucial juncture. 

Can An International Laden Edinburgh Turn Things Around? 

One of the more disappointing sides in the second half of the URC season who have gone from potential title contenders to second last on the combined table. 

Getting swept by Glasgow in their Christmas derby double header, Mike Blair's side has found themselves in freefall in the league. Despite losing five of their last six in the URC, Edinburgh has put together a string of impressive performances in the Champions Cup. Defeating Saracens in the final round of pool action will give the Scottish side the confidence that they can beat a physical English club. 

This mindset will be crucial for tonight’s match with two-time Heineken Cup champions Leicester Tigers. 

On an absolute tear at the moment, the Tigers come into the clash on the back of five straight victories in the English Premiership. 

Led by a resurgent Handre Pollard, Leicester have scored an average of 34 points per game in a clear indication that they have found their attacking groove. Having returned from injury, the Springbok flyhalf has reminded fans of his ability to dominate a game. 


Thus, for Edinburgh to continue their European campaign, they will need to shut down Pollard at every possible juncture. Key to this will be their backrow of Scotland captain Jamie Ritchie, Hamish Watson and Bill Mata. 

A dynamic trio that forms as well-balanced a backrow as you could find. Their battle with Pollard and the Tigers' backrow of Hanro Liebenberg, Tommy Reffell and Olly Cracknell will make for a fascinating subplot. 

How Many Former Champions Remain?

In total, eight former champions are heading into this weekend’s round of sixteen. Of those eight, there is a genuine possibility that seven of them will qualify for the quarterfinals. 

The one clash that will see at least one former champion bow out is Leinster and Ulster's derby match-up at the Dublin Aviva Stadium.


In a reminder that form is temporary, and class is permanent, it would be a fascinating quarterfinal round should seven sides that have lifted the title proceed. 

The primary outliers are, of course, the South African sides. Should any of the Stormers, Sharks or Bulls progress, there will be calls for celebration or a new force in the competition. 

Yet, from an old-school rugby perspective, a match-up of two former champions just heightens the senses and brings with it a reminder of the incredible battles this competition has produced over the past twenty-eight years. 

Two South Africans To Derail Sharks?

Two-time European Champions Munster travel to Durban to tackle the Cell C Sharks on Saturday.

Facing off against the Heineken Champions Cup newcomers is not a first-time experience for Munster, who already faced their URC foe last season. 

Coming away with a resounding 42 – 17 win at Thomond Park back in 2021 will mean little come to their clash this week. 

Having both fallen to rather shocking comprehensive defeats in last weekend’s URC matches, it is tough to pinpoint precisely where both sides are in terms of their form heading into the business end of the season. Munster’s heavy defeat to Glasgow will have brought the squad back to earth following their incredible run of wins over the past few months. Whilst for the Sharks, their defeat away to Scarlets will be equally disappointing given the strength of the team.


 

Yet, welcoming back their Irish international stars this weekend will undoubtedly add an extra layer of quality to the side. 

Interestingly it is two South Africans who could have a major say for the Irish side this weekend. Forming a gargantuan secondrow partnership are Springbok RG Snyman and South African-born turned Irish international Jean Kleyn. Coming in at 6’8” and 6’9”, respectively, the two men bring significant bulk to the Munster pack, a component that Munster teams have previously lacked. 

This power is a major boost for Munster, given the Sharks possess an equally massive pairing secondrow partnership in Springbok veteran Eben Etzebeth and former Munster man Gerbrandt Grobler. 

Snyman’s addition is a significant event for Munster, given the Springbok has spent practically his whole Munster career on the sideline with injuries. Returning to full fitness, Snyman will help offset the loss of injured Irish international star Tadhg Beirne. 

Both players bring with them a strong carrying game, with Kleyn being more of a tight operator who does the hard yards in the close quarters. His partner is renowned as a wide-ranging runner with a strong offload game that should help Munster create mismatches out wide.   

Perhaps most crucially, however, is Snyman’s ability at the line-out. Combining with captain Peter O’Mahony, the giant lock forms one of the best line-out pairings in the game. Capable of not only securing their own ball with regularity but also pinching the opposition ball, their presence will put significant pressure on Sharks Hooker Bongi Mbnomabi. 

How fitting it would be if one of the Springbok’s biggest weapons comes proves to be the deciding factor in helping his Irish club knockout a South African side. 

Irish Midfield Battle To Be Front And Centre 

Already billed as an Irish trial match, Leinster’s meeting with Ulster at the Aviva Stadium has several exciting subplots to follow. 

None more so than the head-to-head between inside centres Robbie Henshaw and Stuart McCloskey. 


Starting the Six Nations in flying form, McCloskey filled the gap left by an injured Henshaw to such a high standard that many wondered if the Ulsterman had finally realised his immense potential. Unfortunately, as has been the case throughout his career, McCloskey fell victim to a niggling injury at just the wrong time and, with it, missed the final two rounds of the Championship.

Yet, upon his return in the final two rounds, Henshaw reminded the world why he is considered one of the best players in the game. 

Thus, the stage is set for a meeting of two physical specimens to clash in a meeting that could go a long way to decide who wears the green number 12 shirt at the World Cup. (Before Connacht fans lose their mind, we know Bundee Aki will have his say in this battle).