Ospreys can end the cup hoodoo

THE 13th season of Heineken Cup rugby kicks off tonight — so isn’t it about time the Welsh and Scots turned up?

Now, before pints of Brains Dark and McEwans are flung in my general direction, why not assess a few facts?

Of 88 quarter-final places available since 1996-97 — the previous season’s inaugural tournament moved straight from pools to semi-finals — Wales and Scotland have filled just 14 slots between them. The Scots’ contribution to that paltry total is one.