Munster better off in Amlin?
No doubt once the pool stages are completed next weekend the focus will shift within the ERC boardroom to finally resolving the issues that have polarised opinions within the Anglo-French faction and the other four participating countries. There is very little wrong with this tournament as it stands so here’s hoping common sense will prevail some time soon and that a clear vision for the future of the two European competitions is agreed before the quarter-finals resume in April.
However, the only question on the lips of rugby fans this week is who will join Harlequins, Clermont-Auvergne, Toulon and Ulster in the knockout stages of the Heineken Cup in three months time? At this stage Saracens, Munster, Leicester, Toulouse, Biarritz, Northampton, Leinster and Montpellier remain in the mix, some in a better position than others when it comes to controlling their own destiny. With four slots remaining to be filled, and three more from that list set to be diverted to Amlin Challenge Cup duty, one of those illustrious names is set to lose out altogether.
