This is without a doubt the main story for the tournament in 2022-23.The Bulls, Stormers, and Sharks will be South Africa’s entry into the most prestigious club competition in Europe Heineken.
They will be immediate contenders for the title if it goes as well as their introduction to the United Rugby Championship last year.
In their first season in the United Rugby Championship, the Stormers, Bulls, and Sharks all made the end-of-season play-offs, with the Stormers defeating the Bulls in the final. The Stormers made an immediate impact on the competition. They won the title by defeating the Bulls, a team from South Africa.
The Champions Cup introduces a new level of competition for the best teams from the English and French top flight.
However, the prospect of Springbok veterans Makazole Mapimpi, Eben Etzebeth, and Siya Kolisi competing against Harlequins on the opening weekend demonstrates the instant glitz and intrigue that their arrival brings.
How does it function?
The new standard is two 12-team pools in which each team plays two other teams—at home and away—before making it to the last 16 if they finish in the top eight of their pool.
It is complicated, which is why it sounds complicated.
Covid, a fixture blockade, and the need to condense the competition led to the introduction of the format for the first time.
However, it has proven to be a success, making the pool stages more intense than the previous system, which consisted of four groups in which each player played everyone else home and away.
The fates had already been decided by the time the sixth fixture round arrived, stragglers had lost interest, and there were many dead rubbers.
After roughly 160 minutes of rugby, Ulster and Harlequins were both eliminated by a single point after two legs of the last-16 matchup.
The abacus can be put away for this year, though. From the last 16 to the final, which takes place on May 30 in Dublin, we are back to straightforward one-on-one shootouts.
Leinster has won the European title four times. Three of those titles went through a rough period about a decade ago, but when it comes to the business side of things, they are still there.
In six of the last eight seasons, they have reached the semifinals at least once.
Josh van der Flier, the most recent World Player of the Year, is a member of their team. Johnny Sexton, 37, is still expertly manipulating the situation. Dan Sheehan, Garry Ringrose, and Jamison Gibson-Park are three more of their regulars and first-choice picks for Ireland, the best team in Test rugby.
The men are theirs. In addition, they are motivated after losing the May final to a last-minute try against La Rochelle.
Another illustrious line of European royalty. A record five Champions Cup titles have been won by Toulouse, with their most recent victory coming in 2021 at Twickenham.
They have led the French Top 14 by five points from the start of the season like a train. Romain Ntamack, a flyhalf from France, is playing outside Antoine Dupont and Ange Capuozzo, an Italian flyhalf, is lurking wide. They have some of the brightest young stars in European rugby.
In addition, they snagged England back row Jack Willis following the administration of Wasps.
Coach Ugo Mola is a cunning operator who is also familiar with the competition. He has been in charge for seven years and played a role in the club’s first Champions Cup victory in 1996.
See who has returned. Saracens are back in the big league after being demoted and spending time playing Doncaster Knights.
Despite the absence of two years, their team has retained its depth and strength, with Maro Itoje, Owen Farrell, Jamie George, and Billy Vunipola remaining as key players for England.
In the Premiership final of last season, they lost to Leicester, but since the start of this campaign, they have won nine out of nine games, which is a warning sign.
They should have a good time easing back into European competition with games against Lyon and Edinburgh in the pool stage.