Both sides have named powerhouse squads for their home openers, with no South African-based team yet to reach a semi-final in the tournament’s 32-year history

The EPCR leadership, having supported South Africa’s desire to join the Investec Champions Cup and evolve it from what was an exclusive European club competition, asked for just one thing: that the South African teams prioritise the tournament and put their best foot forward.

If the week’s narrative leading into the opening round is a measurement, then South Africa’s traditional big two, the Bulls and Stormers, have made a statement in their selections.

Winning at home is non-negotiable in the group matches if there is to be progression to the play-offs. The Bulls and Stormers are at home and they have put out powerhouse match day squads.

The Lions had yet to release their match 23 for a tough introduction to the competition, against La Rochelle in France.

What was so encouraging was John Dobson naming his match 23 on Tuesday. There was intent in letting the home supporters know the big guns had been loaded for the match against English Premiership’s Bristol Bears.

On Thursday, the Bulls were the first of the rest of the tournament teams totalling 24 to confirm the 23 for Loftus.

Players from both camps have spoken of chasing a first Investec Champions Cup star and of being rugby pioneers for South Africa in the tournament.

In the 32-year history of the competition, 32 South African-born players have won gold and the right to wear a star on the front of their jersey.

This is a test of endurance, patience, selection and balancing playing in the URC ― for the likes of the Bulls and Stormers ― and translating it all into wins at home and on the road.

No South African team, based in South Africa, has made the semi-finals.

The Bulls and Stormers have the quality in players and the depth to be those pioneers.

Dobson spoke of the respect he and his players have for the competition’s history. Only 13 teams have won it, with Toulouse being the most successful with six titles.

That statistic tells you it is the toughest club competition in world rugby.

French clubs La Rochelle, Toulouse and Bordeaux have dominated in the past six years and Toulon famously won three titles in succession with seven South Africans in their match 23.

The focus this weekend and in the group stages is on the Bulls and Stormers, who are not strangers to the competition. The Lions will be brave but the expectation is that they will struggle on the road, if not necessarily at home.

The Stormers and Bulls were both outstanding in beating the Sharks and Lions respectively a week ago in the URC.

They will need to be as good to conquer the Bears and Stade Francais.

The interest from the South African public has been surprisingly low, which stunned two-time title winner Lawrence Dallaglio.

He said that history proves South Africa wins everything in rugby when they decide they want to win it. Statistics support this. His view was that if South Africa’s best clubs decide they want to win this title, pick their best line-ups for every match and give it a crack on the road in the two away group matches then they could be the ones to bring down France’s domination.

The difficulty of the tournament is that it is stop-start. One round in October, one round in December and two in the first fortnight of January 2027. The finals weekend is on May 22 and 23.

Early form can often count for little six months later in the final push to the title.

This is a test of endurance, patience, selection and balancing playing in the URC ― for the likes of the Bulls and Stormers ― and translating it all into wins at home and on the road.

The pre-tournament talk has been big and bullish. The same must be true for Saturday’s two home South African performances in Pretoria and Cape Town.