And the hits just keep coming...

Leinster and Munster have been given little reward for years of sustained European achievement with incredibly difficult Heineken Cup pools, says Donal Lenihan. Conversely, things look good for under-achieving Ulster.

FOR THE Irish in Europe last season, it was very much a case of what might have been. When Munster and Leinster emerged on opposite sides of the draw for the semi-final stages of the Heineken Cup, the prospect of an Irish invasion of Paris on the last weekend in May took hold. When both progressed from their respective quarter-final encounters against Northampton Saints and Clermont Auvergne, we dared to dream that European rugby’s most cherished prize would stay in Ireland for a third successive season.

Those lofty aspirations were dealt a hammer blow within a 24-hour period when the combined power and technique of the Toulouse and Biarritz scrum quashed any Irish hopes of success – back to the drawing board with tails firmly between the legs.