In modern rugby, power is king

WITH due respects to the Celtic League, the real rugby season starts this weekend.

For excitement, colour, and passion, the Heineken Cup stands unrivalled as the premier competition in the northern hemisphere. The Six Nations Championship has suffered as a consequence. In terms of quality and competitiveness it has now matched its Super 12 equivalent in the southern hemisphere. And for Ireland’s three representatives, the coming weekend affords an opportunity of starting the competition on a positive note.

Last season saw Munster defeated at the penultimate stage of the competition for the third time in recent seasons. The semi-final defeat to eventual winners Wasps was a classic - when Lawrence Dallaglio described it as the greatest club match he had ever played in, you begin to appreciate the magnitude of the occasion. While his words in once sense were a great tribute to Munster, in effect they offer a scant consolation.