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Jacques Raynaud, president of European Professional Club Rugby, has gone on record defending the integration of South African franchises into the Champions Cup structure, stating their involvement is 'réelle' — real — amid ongoing questions about fixture congestion and geographic sprawl. The intervention comes as EPCR points to record audiences and what Raynaud termed 'popular success' observed during the recent finals weekend in Bilbao, suggesting the expanded format is commercially delivering even as purists grumble. Raynaud's remarks also touched on French dominance within the competitions, though specifics on what that means for future qualification pathways or broadcast negotiations remain opaque. The EPCR boss used the platform to address broader debates affecting European club rugby, signalling the governing body is alive to mounting pressure over calendar, player welfare, and the creeping influence of private equity. Whether record eyeballs in the Basque Country silence critics of the South African experiment is another matter entirely.