Donal Lenihan: Leinster look the part but 2020 could be year of the French

The Champions Cup is supposed to be the pinnacle for professional club rugby in Europe. Teams chase qualification for the 20 slots on offer through the final placing in their domestic leagues. More credence was added to this process when the automatic places which were ring-fenced for teams from all six participating countries were removed from the PRO14 last season.

If an Italian side wanted a presence at the top table, they had to earn it by qualifying as one of the best seven sides in the league.