Players born in as many as 14 different countries will feature in Saturday’s European Cup final between Saracens and Toulon but there is no question which part of the world holds the balance of power. Clue: you can forget England and France.
Virtually every key area of the pitch at the Millennium Stadium will contain at least one participant raised on the hard, unforgiving rugby fields of southern Africa. The list is staggering when you sit back and reflect upon it. Toulon have a vast array of former Springboks, from Bryan Habana and Bakkies Botha to Danie Rossouw, Juan Smith, Craig Burden and Michael Claassens. Last year they had Joe Van Niekerk as well.
Saracens? Step forward Brad Barritt and Matt Stevens, both England-qualified sons of Durban, the irrepressible Schalk Brits, the lock Alastair Hargreaves, the replacements Mouritz Botha and Neil de Kock and the non-playing Ernst Joubert, Justin Melck and Petrus du Plessis. Add in Namibia’s finest, the extraordinary Jacques Burger, and the tally of on-field African representatives on Saturday is set to be 13.
It should be remembered, too, that Saracens’ rise has been bankrolled by the deep pockets of the South African business tycoon Johann Rupert and that Brendan Venter remains their long-distance technical director. This is no minor flirtation with the northern hemisphere’s showpiece finale; some are even calling it Cardiff’s Currie Cup final.
The interest in Saturday’s outcome consequently stretches far beyond north London and the Var region of southern France. “Just from the text messages I and the other guys are receiving, people are loving it,” says the 35-year-old De Kock, once of Western Province but now one of Saracens’ most experienced squad members. “The interest in South Africa has spiked dramatically. They’re televising a lot more games, whereas a couple of years ago they would only show a couple. There’s no rugby in South Africa in December and January and people love watching the expats competing.
“There’s always been a bit of a view that Super Rugby is the pinnacle. Now they’ve been watching the Heineken Cup and seen the intensity and level of the games it’s completely altered.”
If ever there was a sentence to gladden the hearts of those seeking to extend the boundaries of the northern hemisphere club game that is surely it. No one is suggesting the new European Champions Cup is about to nudge the Champions League footballers aside but the wider fascination in whether Toulon can defend their title against a side who were still playing on a public park in Southgate less than two decades ago suggests potential further growth that will benefit all in Europe, not merely the few.
For the players, of course, such issues are wholly secondary to the outcome of today’s offshore battle of the boerewors. De Kock sighs heavily as he remembers all the finals he might have experienced had he not kept bumping into the Blue Bulls side containing Bakkies Botha, Habana, Rossouw and co, which ruled the domestic roost in his homeland, reaching seven Currie Cup finals between 2002 and 2009, winning four of them.
“Someone asked me this week if I was going to enjoy playing in the Currie Cup this weekend,” the scrum-half says, nodding. “I’ve played against Bakkies, Danie and Bryan on many occasions. They were usually the reason I never got to any finals [with Western Province] after 2001. They were so dominant with the Blue Bulls. These guys have won everything there is to win in rugby.
“They’re big human beings, they have played together for years, they know each other well and they know how to win. I get on well with all them, particularly Michael Claassens who was at Bath for several years. It will add extra motivation, I’m sure.”
De Kock is far from alone. Hargreaves, capped four times by South Africa, has also spent years fighting against the same pack of powerful Blue Bulls, having previously played in the same schoolboy cricket side as the current South African Test batsman Hashim Amla. At 18st and standing 6ft 7in tall he is big enough to look after himself but getting the better of Botha and Rossouw takes some doing. The pair, along with Habana and Smith, shared in the Boks’ World Cup victory in 2007 and, apart from the New Zealander Brad Thorn, are the only players in history to have won the holy trinity of Rugby World Cup, Heineken Cup and Super Rugby titles.
Rossouw’s record is arguably the best of the lot. Now 36, he is about to retire having so far won three Currie Cup titles, three Super Rugby titles, the domestic league and cup in Japan, a Heineken Cup, a Tri‑Nations title, a World Cup and a series victory over the British & Irish Lions. It is not so much a bucket list as a tidal wave of high achievement.
Smith, for his part, is seeking to round off one of the great modern comebacks, having officially retired from the game early last year following persistent achilles problems. He has subsequently resurfaced at Toulon and signed a contract to remain in France until 2016. Like all his compatriots, he is finding fresh stimulation in Europe rather than moving north simply for a pension pot. It continues to be a mutually beneficial arrangement: South African brawn and brain is very much the flavour of the month. Whoever wins will have at least one Bokke prizewinner to thank.
Final lineups
Toulon 15 Delon Armitage; 14 Drew Mitchell, 13 Mathieu Bastareaud, 12 Matt Giteau, 11 Bryan Habana; 10 Jonny Wilkinson (c), 9 Sebastien Tillous-Borde; 1 Xavier Chiocci, 2 Craig Burden, 3 Carl Hayman, 4 Bakkies Botha, 5 Danie Rossouw, 6 Juan Smith, 7 Juan Fernandez Lobbe, 8 Steffon Armitage. Replacements 16 Jean-Charles Orioli, 17 Alexandre Menini, 18 Martin Castrogiovanni, 19 Ali Williams, 20 Virgile Bruni, 21 Maxime Mermoz, 22 Michael Claassens, 23 Jocelino Suta
Saracens 15 Alex Goode; 14 Chris Ashton, 13 Marcelo Bosch, 12 Brad Barritt, 11 David Strettle; 10 Owen Farrell, 9 Richard Wigglesworth; 1 Mako Vunipola, 2 Schalk Brits, 3 Matt Stevens, 4 Steve Borthwick (c), 5 Alistair Hargreaves, 6 Kelly Brown, 7 Jacques Burger, 8 Billy Vunipola. Replacements 16 Jamie George, 17 Richard Barrington, 18 James Johnston, 19 Mouritz Botha, 20 Jackson Wray, 21 Neil de Kock, 22 Charlie Hodgson, 23 Chris Wyles
