Those who aren't convinced of the value of South Africa’s participation in the Investec Champions’ Cup should note the contrary opinion offered by Northampton Saints coach Phil Dowson, who made it clear after his side’s win in Round Two over the Vodacom Bulls how beneficial it can be for teams from Europe to travel down south.
Dowson was so over the moon about the Saints’ shock 30-21 win at Loftus Versfeld, playing at altitude and in the heat of Pretoria’s summer, that he was singing the praises of a mid-season trip south of the equator.
“If you'd heard that change room afterwards, you would know how worthwhile it was,” Dowson grinned.
“South Africa is world champion, and with the heritage that this stadium has, players want to play against the best players, they want to play against the best teams, they want to play in the best stadiums. They get excited by that, and they've seen it on TV, and then they get to come here. Travel is an issue, and I think we've tried to manage the week this week.
“So getting back into the British system, the British weather, we're still quite new to this as well. So we've asked Leinster, we've asked Glasgow for advice in terms of how they've dealt with it in the past. I think it's a learning curve, but I think, from my point of view and from the players' point of view, the experience of coming out here is tops. From a team-building point of view, the experience of playing against some of the best players and some of the best teams in the world.
“And there's some guys in our squad who've never flown further than Europe. We went on safari on Wednesday morning, and it was a great experience for the individuals. I don't think we should lose that either in terms of people seeing the world and learning different things.”
Those experiences were the highlight for the Saints as they embraced the journey and came out smiling.
