Cheetahs Rugby
South Africa's involvement into the top-flight of Northern Hemisphere club rugby has received a massive boost with the confirmation that the four Vodacom United Rugby Championship teams and the Toyota Cheetahs will play in next season's two European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) knockout competitions, the Heineken Champions Cup and the Challenge Cup.
This means that the South African teams will now cross swords with the best clubs from England and France, after already successfully integrating with teams from Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales in the Vodacom URC.
Under EPCR qualification, the four Shield winners and the next four highest-ranked clubs in the final league table of the Vodacom URC will take part in the Heineken Champions Cup, with the remaining in the EPCR Challenge Cup.
As a result, the DHL Stormers, Cell C Sharks and Vodacom Bulls, all of whom finished in the top eight of the Vodacom URC, will play in the Heineken Champions Cup, while the Emirates Lions and the Toyota Cheetahs will contest the EPCR Challenge Cup.
"We now have an opportunity to also start rubbing shoulders with the top clubs from England and France in two other competitions which have caught the imagination of rugby supporters around the globe for more than two decades," said SA Rugby CEO Jurie Roux.
"A big word of thanks also to the Toyota Cheetahs for their patience. I'm sure they can't wait to face international opposition again, and we're very grateful to have them included in the EPCR."
