“The Heineken Cup has to rediscover a great deal of the old lustre”

Rugby’s most outspoken and influential journalist

IT IS not long since the forthcoming rounds of the Heineken Champions Cup were seen as epic points of the season. There were definitely times when growing numbers preferred the club-on-club action in the elite game to international.

European rugby offered different cities, different stadiums, and was about £1,000 cheaper per person for the weekend even when your club was playing away on the Continent. But the tournament has shrunk in visibility. Of course, Covid has been a factor but these days everything is guided by the bottom line and the truth is that Europe doesn’t make enough money for the top clubs.

And where does it fit in anyway? There are those who want to expand it to make it a world club tournament, one of those concepts that sound great until you factor in such matters as player welfare, travel and the crowded season. Such a tournament can only