A radical proposal to overhaul the Investec Champions Cup by scrapping the pool stage and introducing a straight knockout format is gaining support.
According to The Telegraph, the English clubs are driving plans for a revamped 16-team tournament that would begin with a two-legged round of 16 before moving into quarter-finals, semi-finals and a final.
The proposed format would reduce the number of European weekends from eight to five, but supporters of the plan believe it would create a more elite and commercially attractive competition.
“It would make every game box office,” a source told The Telegraph.
The competition would reportedly also be played in two blocks after the Six Nations, rather than being spread across several windows during the season.
The current format has come under increasing criticism, with 24 teams split into four pools and only eight sides eliminated before the playoffs.
This season, the Vodacom Bulls and Leicester Tigers both qualified for the round of 16 after winning just one pool match.
While the playoffs have delivered high-quality contests, the pool stage has often featured weakened teams and one-sided scorelines.
“The competition needs to become elite again,” another source said. “Everyone can see this set-up is not working.”
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The proposal would also increase the importance of domestic leagues.
Under the reported model, the top five teams from the English Premiership, French Top 14 and Vodacom URC would qualify automatically, with an extra place awarded to the league of the defending European champion.
French rugby figures are understood to be receptive to the idea, although discussions remain at an early stage.
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The future involvement of South African teams also remains uncertain after SA Rugby president Mark Alexander recently confirmed that the union is reviewing participation in all competitions because of player workload concerns.
Photo: Willem Loock/Inpho
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