Irish rugby facing more Marseille misery

Irish attempts to reclaim the country’s place at the summit of European club rugby next season look like becoming even more difficult if the news from France that Marseille is being lined up to host the 2016 Champions Cup final rings true.

Leinster lost to Toulon at the Stade Velodrome in the Mediterranean port city on Sunday, 12 months after Munster suffered a similar fate there at the hands of the same opponents. Contesting a final there would be an even greater task.

The provinces have featured in eight finals since the inception of the Heineken Cup and, in a quirky twist of fate, none of those were played on the continent. Lansdowne Road, the Millennium Stadium, Murrayfield and Twickenham have instead hosted Ulster, Munster and Leinster in the past.