French flexing financial muscles

WITH four Top 14 sides in the Heineken Cup quarter-finals, this is shaping up to be the ‘Year of the French’ and it’s a surge sourced by economics off the pitch as much as élan or elbow grease on it.

Fluctuations in the sterling/euro exchange rate are fuelling the growing French dominance in European club rugby, and it is England’s Guinness Premiership which appears to be suffering most in the new order.

The proof is in this weekend’s fixture list. Northampton will be the only English representative, while Ireland provides the second largest contingent thanks to Munster and Leinster’s progress through the group stages.