Champions Cup hosts Bilbao a new frontier for rugby country

For rugby in Spain, hosting the Champions Cup final will be a welcome diversion from the World Cup qualifier loss to Belgium in March, says Brendan O’Brien.

It is the glibbest of responses when questions are asked as to why Italy is embraced by the Six Nations and Georgia given the cold shoulder.

Namely, that a hop over to Rome is a sight more appealing for your average punter than a trek to Tbilisi that would span at least seven hours and involve a stopover in the likes of