Skosan issues SA teams with Champions Cup warning

Courtnall Skosan says it’s exciting to have South African teams in the Champions Cup, but has warned that Northampton Saints is the team to beat in the competition.

Three South African teams — the Bulls, Sharks and Stormers — will make their competition debuts in the prestigious Champions this weekend, while the Lions and Cheetahs will play in the Challenge Cup for the first time.

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And former Lions and Springboks wing Skosan feels the inclusion of the clubs from the Republic can only be a good thing for the two competitions.

“I think that it’s really quite exciting,” he told the Champions Cup website. “We were looking forward to getting one or two of them, as some of the boys haven’t travelled to South Africa and I think it’s a great experience. It creates a different element to the competition.”

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Despite the high calibre of teams in the Champions Cup, Skosan, who is playing for Northampton Saints since 2021, has backed the Premiership side to come out on top this season.

“I think for us it’s all about cleaning up our game, just not making a lot of mistakes,” said the 31-year-old Skosan. “We have the game that can take us all the way. It’s just about making sure that it’s clean and I think that’s a big focus for us.

“The quality of players, of teams, of games – that’s the big thing. You’re basically playing international teams every weekend, which is why I say if you clean up your game, it will probably be better because it’s almost like you’re playing a Test.

“We want to do well, get a few wins at the beginning and go from there.”

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Skosan: Champions Cup tries are special

Skosan notched two tries in the Champions Cup last season and says scoring in the competition feels different to any other tournament.

“Tries are always special, but I didn’t understand the magnitude of this competition until I played it,” Skosan commented. “It’s quite special to contribute and if you get a win on top of that as well, it just adds to it. It’s special to score a try.

“The rich history, the players who have been a part of the competition, the teams who have won it – I think that for me is the coolest thing and makes it one of the biggest competitions in the world.”