Bilbao, Amsterdam, Milan: Where should Champions Cup rugby go next?
The best thing about the Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup finals weekend is its location: Bilbao.
It is not the first time the two premier continental fixtures have ventured to El Botxo – the San Mames Stadium hosted Leinster’s victory over Racing 92 in 2018 and Cardiff’s Challenge Cup win over Gloucester a day prior.
But amid myriad stadiums across the British Isles and France, it is great to see the organisers, European Professional Club Rugby, venture to pastures new.
The sevens game in Spain is thriving, Barcelona’s Camp Nou has hosted Top 14 matches and the Iberian peninsula has been flirting with a Rugby World Cup bid.
It got me thinking: where else should the Champions Cup final be headed?
Italy
Next year the pair of trophies are off to Lyon but beyond that I think we should finally get European finals in Italy.
Whether it be at the Stadio Olimpico, another Serie A arena or a mixture of the two to support the vastly different attendance figures the two finals could draw, it feels right that Italy gets the premier final at some point.
Milan would be epic, too. Imagine getting the San Siro filled with rugby nuts ahead of its decommissioning. It would go a long way to support a potential Italian Rugby World Cup bid too.
Italy’s three Nations Championship fixtures this autumn are in Turin (South Africa), Genoa (Argentina), and Udine (Fiji) so EPCR will get a good look at those. Naples should be in the mix too.
Amsterdam
There were murmurs a couple of years ago that the Dutch city could play host to the Champions Cup final but that never materialised.
The second tier South African Cheetahs actually host their home matches in the Netherlands, so it is not entirely out of the question.
But this would be rugby really trying to break new ground. Major positives include the airport being a huge European hub and the city being reachable by train for much of mainland Europe and the UK.
But it would heavily rely on tourist fans – which could cut into EPCR’s marketing budget.
Champions Cup final in Germany?
I do think EPCR could get pretty radical and try to go somewhere completely beyond the usual scope of ideas, and one of Munich, Lisbon or Prague would meet that criteria.
With Munich, which has recently ventured into hosting NFL matches, there is a casual fanbase there that will want to watch any live sport – as we saw with recent athletics championships hosted in the city.
It’s also famed for its beer halls and ability to generate an atmosphere – perfect for ovalball.
As for Prague, it has hosted major football finals and it is a destination city that rugby could head into. Czechia is versatile, and this year has been, or will be, host of skiing world cups, biathlons, athletics, biking and canoeing. Rugby must get on its calendar.
The use of a stadium in Lisbon would have a similar influence on rugby as Bilbao. The Iberian peninsula is ripe for the taking when it comes to rugby, with the sport increasingly heading south.
I love that rugby is back in Spain this weekend. But I cannot wait for EPCR to take a risk and head somewhere new. It would be a great experience for fans and a vote of confidence in the growth of the game – as long as they don’t host one in South Africa.
Former England Sevens captain Ollie Phillips is the founder of Optimist Performance. Follow Ollie @OlliePhillips11