At face value, European rugby’s semi-finals bore all the hallmarks of sell-out occasions: The champions of England against the Red Army in one, the holders at home in Dublin against the most famous of French clubs in the other.

Mark McCall made a record-breaking start to his first crack at the European Cup as head coach of Ulster. He responded by resigning.

Maybe there will have to be a law against Toulon, one denouncing them as bad for business because they are too good for everyone else.