What odds a Leinster v Sarries final?

IF THIS were any other competition beginning less than three weeks after so compelling a World Cup final, the weary yawns of sated rugby fans may have drowned out the hype.

Instead, we embark on a 17th Heineken Cup campaign that promises to pick up where New Zealand and France left off on October 23.

In fact, there is no reason to suggest Europe’s clubs cannot top their Test counterparts in terms of spectacle. Can we honestly say any game at the World Cup beat the drama that unfolded in Cardiff in May when Leinster came back from the dead to overcome Northampton and win the title for a second time in three seasons? Just a look down the fixtures suggests there will be plenty more where that came from on the road to the final at Twickenham next May.