BizNews Rugby: Tim Cocker – The Champions Cup needs a format shift; and SA teams should take it more seriously

Once the pinnacle of European club rugby, the Champions Cup is struggling to maintain its former prestige.

Published on:

04 Apr 2025, 1:14 pm

Once the pinnacle of European club rugby, the Investec Champions Cup is struggling to maintain its former prestige. In a discussion on the BizNews Rugby Show, analyst Tim Cocker from Eggchasers Rugby sat down with BizNews Rugby insider Rory Steyn and co-host Patrick Kidd to dissect the tournament's decline. Cocker argues that constant format changes have diluted the competition, making it harder for fans to engage. Meanwhile, teams that barely qualify are making it into the knockout stages, undermining the elite nature of the event.

With South African teams failing to make the Round of 16 despite their success in the URC, questions arise about the tournament's structure and its ability to deliver top-tier rugby. Could a return to a streamlined, high-stakes qualification system—where only the best truly compete—revive the Cup's allure? And with sponsors now backing a devalued product, is it time for a radical rethink?

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The Investec Champions Cup, once the pinnacle of European club rugby, is facing mounting criticism over its current format. Rugby analysts, including Tim Cocker from EggChasers Rugby, have raised concerns that the tournament has lost its elite status, with declining fan engagement and a format that is increasingly difficult to follow.

Speaking on the BizNews Rugby Show, Cocker highlighted that the competition, once revered for its high-stakes clashes between Europe's best, has been diluted. "It was so special that teams would only face each other once every five or six years, creating a sense of anticipation. Now, it feels like the storytelling in rugby has been lost," he said.

One of the biggest criticisms is the qualification process. BizNews Rugby insider Rory Steyn pointed out the contradiction of a so-called 'elite' tournament allowing teams that finished eighth in their domestic leagues to qualify. Additionally, a team can advance after winning just one of its four pool games. "That is the exact antithesis of elite," he argued.

Another major issue is the overabundance of fixtures. Unlike other major sports leagues that thrive on scarcity—such as the NFL or the IPL—rugby seems to be stretching itself too thin. "The Champions Cup has fallen into a death spiral where more games, lower quality, and less jeopardy means the money isn't coming in," Cocker explained.

A proposed solution would be to streamline the tournament, reducing it to a 16-team competition where only the very best qualify. This would increase the value of each fixture, both for broadcasters and fans. "Scarcity has value," Cocker said, pointing to the success of the NFL's short but intense season model.

As the tournament heads into its knockout stages—without a single South African team remaining—there are growing calls for a rethink. With sponsors having stepped in at a time when the competition is arguably at its weakest, the urgency for reform has never been greater.

Whether rugby's governing bodies will act on these concerns remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: the Champions Cup is at a crossroads, and without change, it risks fading further from its former glory.