Stormers lock Dixon: Champions Cup is hostile for South African sides but I love the travel
It can be a strange thing seeing the inclusion of South African sides in two competitions that are standard bearers for European rugby.
But in their inaugural season the three African sides in the Champions Cup – the Bulls, Sharks and Stormers – gave an impressive account of themselves, with the Bulls the only side of the trio not to make the quarter-finals.
Like their fellow far-flung sides, the Stormers will rotate their squads for domestic United Rugby Championship fixtures but players like 6ft 6ins forward Ben-Jason Dixon are hoping to be selected for the more tantalising away days in Europe.
Travel man
“I would like to go to Italy again, I want to see more, and Paris. Also the rest of France, like Toulouse and La Rochelle, and then London,” the excitable 25-year-old says.
“The travel is quite exciting as well, especially in Europe. You see places you have not seen before and countries that it’s not a given that you’ll see every year.
“This year we are going to Paris and I hope I can make the squad that is going because that is a once in a lifetime experience.
“I enjoy travelling a lot, maybe because I am still single and quite young. Some of the guys with kids don’t like the tours as much. But I enjoy the hotels, flights and the away stadiums.”
Life on the road is now commonplace for South African franchises, who often do mini-tours of URC nations throughout the season, but the lure of the Champions Cup has been there for players like Dixon long before there was a chance to play in it with the Stormers.
“From a player’s perspective, the intensity of the matches you experience in Europe is different from what I have felt before in domestic URC games,” adds the lock, whose team begin their campaign at Leicester Tigers on Sunday.
Hostility to South African sides
“It is different, it is hostile to play on someone else’s pitch, especially a play-off – they’re like Test matches. That gives the younger players exposure and valuable experience that they can use. The level of the matches and the opposition have so many different styles of play so you can learn every week.
“We were fighting on three fronts with the Currie Cup as well last season but I found it a nice experience, you get so much exposure.
“If the core team is doing well then you’re going to perform in both competitions but obviously the knockout stages of Europe are at a different level.
“I am not sure what the plan is this year, the coaches will be more clued up, they will have a way of using the best players for certain matches.
“We have a lot of rotation, we were one of the URC teams with the most players used, so that gives the fringe players and the guys who don’t play as much some exposure and deepens the squad depth.”
Life in the “European” fast lane, then, still captivates many, even if they’re thousands of miles away from the traditional hotbeds.