Lessons from the story so far

English clubs go missing again...

Whatever about the revival of the England national team under Stuart Lancaster, the clubs are proving what Lancaster’s predecessor Martin Johnson discovered at the World Cup last autumn: that the relentless grunt, grind and bash of their domestic Aviva Premiership is no platform for success at a higher level.

Much-vaunted English stalwarts Harlequins, Leicester and Northampton had their European dreams ended by Irish provinces — Quins edged out by Connacht, having won in Toulouse; the Tigers unsettled at Ravenhill and Saints ripped apart by Munster in Milton Keynes — while Bath, Gloucester and London Irish were never at the races in their respective pools.

That leaves just the heavily South African-influenced Saracens as the sole red-rose standard bearer in this season’s quarter-finals. One club from a seven-team entry is not a good return but Saracens are probably the one English team capable of ending their country’s drought in Europe’s flagship tournament dating back to Wasps in 2007.

Leinster can retain their title ...

Joe Schmidt’s side must be tired of hearing it but no club has successfully defended a Heineken Cup title since Leicester Tigers recorded back-to-back final victories in 2001 and 2002.

No team has managed that feat before or since but having topped their group unbeaten and unscathed, and with a home quarter to look forward to against Cardiff Blues, with the talismanic Brian O’Driscoll back from injury and World Cup-winning new signing Brad Thorn bringing fresh impetus to the campaign, Leinster look primed for a serious stab at retaining their crown.

The one drawback is the potential away semi-final draw against either Saracens or Clermont Auvergne but this is a team that can win anywhere and by any means and a late April trip to England or France will hold no fears for the boys in blue.

But write off Toulouse at your peril ...

When Toulouse lost a magnificent game at home to Harlequins in round four of the group stages last December it was their first European pool defeat at Stade Ernest-Wallon in four seasons. When they lost their final game at Gloucester in January, it marked their first two-defeat pool campaign since 2007-08 ands gave Guy Noves’ side their worst points tally, 18, since 2006-07, the season they last failed to reach the knockout stages. And yet here they are, the four-time champions back in the last eight, and if they could have chosen an away quarter-final it would have been the one they were handed, against Edinburgh at Murrayfield. Which means Thierry Dusautoir and his talented, experienced crew could very well be headed for a semi-final date at the Aviva Stadium against either Munster or Ulster.

And only a brave Irish rugby supporter will be booking final tickets before the end of that one.

The Heineken Cup is still the best rugby competition on the planet ...

After an interminable World Cup in New Zealand short on thrills and long on, well, length, Europe’s premier club tournament made us all experience a sharp, intake of breath when it brightened what felt like an already jaded season back in November.

From the first weekend and Ronan O’Gara’s thrilling drop goal for Munster at the death to deny last-year’s finalists Northampton and through Edinburgh’s remarkable 48-47 victory over Racing Metro, Harlequins’ fantastic win in Toulouse and Leinster’s superbly clinical demolition of Bath at the Aviva, we were given shocks and drama to rival anything in sport. And that was before the final round of the pool stages, when Munster put five tries past Northampton and Connacht finally got the victory their performances in a debut season deserved, ending Quins’ bid for a last-eight spot on a night of heroics at the Sportsgrounds.

Who could ask for more?