'As South Africans we have to be better' - Champions Cup review

The Stormers lost 53-16 away at Harlequins on Saturday

Controversy enveloped the Investec Champions Cup in round two, with weakened teams fielded by two South African sides and Stormers head coach John Dobson stating: "We have to be better".

Rotated sides are not new in the competition, and have at times been used by the South Africans since their entry two years ago, but the issue of respect for Europe's premier club competition reared its head again with huge, one-sided losses for the Stormers and Sharks.

With a number of injuries in their squad the Sharks made eight changes to their XV from the home win over Exeter, opted to leave key Springboks Andre Esterhuizen, Siya Kolisi and Ox Nche at home, travelled to Leicester Tigers and were routed 56-17.

The Stormers, also carrying injuries to the likes of Manie Libbok, Frans Malherbe and Damian Willemse, chose to rest six players and were walloped 53-16 at Harlequins.

"We really are thin," said Dobson. "We had Manie [Libbok] down to play against Quins - we'd hoped to mix it up a bit more.

"We only voluntarily didn't choose six for this game. The rest were injury problems. It's not a good look, though. If we came to Harlequins at full-noise, that would have been a hell of a game."

The Sharks conceded eight tries in a chastening 56-17 loss at Leicester Tigers on Saturday

Supporters at Twickenham Stoop enjoyed plenty of tries, eight in all for Quins, but no "hell of a game" and some may feel the tournament was disrespected with five Stormers debutants included.

The South African squads are not weak, all boast World Cup-winning Springboks, but selection decisions factor in long distances travelled to play in both the Champions Cup and United Rugby Championship (URC).

The Bulls did play a strong side but suffered a shock home defeat by Northampton Saints, the South African sides conceding 139 points in all, with Dobson insisting the Champions Cup is valued.

"As South Africans we have to be better. We are not disrespecting [the tournament], but we need to get ourselves into a better position," he said.

"I don't know how we solve it. It's like being invited to someone's birthday party then complaining about the chips. We are so grateful to be here.

"I see in January we play Leinster in the URC and then Racing. Is there a way to link them up on a tour? That would make it much more palatable.

"This competition is probably what has helped us so much in World Cups. Every breakdown is a competition. Every scrum is a 20-second contest. Every line-out or maul is a contest.

"That has been a massive boost for South African rugby, and we've got to make sure we can stay here, but evenings like this evening don't help."

The Sharks retain a good chance of qualifying from Pool One but both the Bulls and Stormers are yet to gain a point in this year's competition.

Following their dismantling of the Sharks, Leicester head coach Michael Cheika said responsibility for poor South African form does not lie with the competition.

"Teams make their own decisions. I don't think the competition's to blame," Cheika told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"The competition's scheduled as it is. We make our decisions according to what our priorities are. Obviously, Sharks have different priorities."

Premiership progress

Saracens won 28-17 away at Stade Francais on Sunday, with Liam Williams scoring a try and Stade's Sekou Macalou red carded

Saracens and Northampton were the only two English sides to register wins during the opening weekend but the Premiership sides collectively fared better in round two.

Sarries and English champions Northampton won again but there were also impressive victories for Sale Sharks, Harlequins and Tigers.

On Friday Sale swept past a misfiring Racing 92 side at the Salford Community Stadium before Saints claimed a famous away win on Saturday with an impressive performance at Bulls.

Tigers registered eight tries in that thumping win over the Sharks at Welford Road, before Quins cruised past the Stormers in London.

On Sunday, three-time Champions Cup winners Saracens came from behind to win away at Stade Francais to move up to second in Pool Two, trailing leaders Northampton by a point.

Bath, Bristol Bears and Exeter Chiefs all suffered consecutive defeats in round two.

Bristol prop up Pool Two after their defeat at La Rochelle, while neighbours Bath are one place higher, courtesy of a couple of losing bonus points as they fell agonisingly short away at Benetton.

Exeter were ruthlessly exposed by defending champions Toulouse at Sandy Park but they remain above bottom club Ulster in Pool One.

Champions again?

Toulouse have scored 19 tries in two rounds of the Champions Cup

As the English clubs, by and large, took a step forward, and the South African sides had a weekend to forget, Toulouse motored on with the minimum of fuss and the maximum of class.

Having scored 61 points and nine tries in beating Ulster last weekend, they improved on that in an emphatic 64-21 victory at Exeter, crossing the line 10 times.

The European champions had the bonus point - and realistically, the victory - secured before half-time in Devon, but did not ease up after the interval. Having scored five tries in the first half, they scored five in the second too.

Antoine Dupont, who started it all off with a try in the eighth minute, produced a passing masterclass, finding space where none seemed to exist, and opening doors that appeared locked. As he worked his magic, the Sandy Park crowd watched on with a mixture of despair and hushed awe.

Ugo Mola, the Toulouse head coach, had a look of satisfaction as he addressed his players on the pitch shortly after the match. The message - don't let up, even when the match is won - was heeded.

And in the post-match television interviews, the players said all the right things. Centre Pierre-Louis Barassi was named man of the match, scoring two tries and producing an outstanding run of around half the length of the pitch to set up a score for Matthis Lebel - but spoke only of being pleased for the team.

Blair Kinghorn, brought on as a replacement to score one and create another, talked of how the strength of the squad meant there was no room to slack off in training if you wanted to play.

But it was flanker Jack Willis who perhaps summed up best the thinking inside the Toulouse camp.

"We made some incredible memories last year," he told Premier Sports. "But we know the target's on our back and we know we have to be better than last year."

No team ever won a trophy with emphatic victories in the pool stage. But Willis knows that. And so do his team-mates. And that's why European rugby's other big names should worry.