A good start is half the battle

IT says everything about how competitive the Heineken Cup has become that only one side — English champions Saracens — secured a winning bonus point from the opening round of 12 games with a home victory over Benetton Treviso.

As if to underline the point further, in the remaining 11 contests seven teams secured a losing bonus point while two others, Connacht and Castres, just missed out on doing so by a point in their away defeats to Harlequins and Scarlets respectively. Finally, we had that last-gasp draw by Leinster in Montpellier.

Is it any wonder that this great tournament is getting harder to win? At one stage there was a danger that all four Irish sides might lose their opening clashes but Ulster, Munster and Leinster all managed to claw their way back into their respective contests and secure notable results. Leinster’s achievement in overturning a 10-point deficit away from home to pilfer that draw at the death will prove invaluable come January. But winning your opening game at home is even more crucial. Ulster just had to somehow scrape a win in Ravenhill against a highly rated Clermont Auvergne given they are travelling to Welford Road on Saturday to face Leicester. Their forwards were magnificent and laid the foundations for a famous win, even if Clermont failed to deliver once again on Irish soil.