Jekyll and Hyde French the key

THANK God for French unpredictability. Any regular follower of the French championship coverage on Setanta Sports will marvel at the quality of rugby displayed.

In terms of skill and pace, it is vastly superior to that on offer in the home countries' domestic leagues. Hence the instalment of Toulouse, Stade Francais and Biarritz as the three front-runners for Heineken Cup glory.

How then does one explain the inability of Biarritz to beat an unexceptional Saracens side in London? Even more difficult to fathom was the complete collapse of Stade Francais against the Ospreys in Swansea on Sunday. Due primarily to injuries to key personnel including Lions Gavin Henson and Ryan Jones the Ospreys have endured a terrible start to their season. Last year's Celtic League winners are third from bottom in that competition and their form has been distinctly average.