Look almost anywhere in Europe this weekend and you can see why Dan Carter wanted to play in the Heineken Cup. From his new patch, Perpignan in the south, to Limerick in the west and Glasgow in the north, there are match-ups which have an edge about them as the cup goes into the second half of the pool stage.
Even Leinster, riding high in our Pool Two with three wins from three, won't be entirely sure about going to winless Castres. The Dubliners may have won by 30 points last week, but at home Castres can be a handful should the mood take them. Table-topping Sale may be up against the Pool One strugglers Montauban, but their 30-point win seven days ago will count for little in the south of France. Little is cut and dried.
Cardiff Blues are riding high in Pool Six and Biarritz are in trouble - both off and on the field apparently - but Parc des Sports Aguilera, high above the windy Atlantic, is never a comfortable place to be in midwinter.
All three venues could throw up surprises; it's the nature of the tournament and its format. This weekend is the second leg of the back-to-back games which make up rounds four and five and which often show what sides are made of. And there are three gems. At Thomond Park Munster have to turn around last weekend's defeat in Clermont-Ferrand if they are to keep their title defence on track. Last year Clermont did Munster a huge favour by sending almost a second XV to Limerick, but their coach Vern Cotter is unlikely to be so generous this time. He described last Sunday's win as Clermont's best performance of the season and needs a decent Heineken campaign to make amends for some erratic domestic performances.
At Perpignan Leicester have to face Carter, probably the best player in the world, and a side which knows it can't afford to lose. Some French clubs have been ambivalent about Europe. Not Perpignan. Only two Heineken teams have ever silenced the Catalan crowd at the Stade Aimé Giral - Leicester and Wasps, and we both did it in years when we went on to win the cup.
And in London we'll see just how far Harlequins have come in the 2½ seasons since they came back into the Premiership. For a Wasps man it's not easy to say this, but I take my hat off to Harlequins and what they have done since relegation in 2005. Against a background of debt, Mark Evans has built a good stadium that looks after the punter: I know, because I go there to watch the rugby league. It's a nice place to be and the fan base has grown and grown with success on the field.
Last year Dean Richards' side were beaten home and away by Stade Français in a scruffy Heineken campaign which threw up only a home draw with the Blues. Last week they became the first English side to beat Stade in Paris, ending a home undefeated run of 17 games with a side short on big names, but one that stuck together as a team, particularly during a second half when they rarely seemed to be doing anything other than tackle. The stats show that Harlequins are the best side in the Premiership at scoring off first-phase play but last Saturday it was the work of their defence, coached by Tony Diprose, which got them through.
I don't know how much coaching Dean Richards does these days, but as director of rugby he has presence and has an eye for finding talented players. Shrewd buys include taking David Strettle from the first division and Will Skinner from Leicester as well as forking out for Carter's All Black understudy, Nick Evans. Last season Harlequins seemed happy to set up base camp in mid-table. Today they are three points off the top, but the next step is the hardest, turning a good side into one which wins silverware, and tomorrow, when Stade come to London steaming for revenge, is the acid test.
Finally I'd like to send condolences to the Dallaglio family after the death of Eileen, one of life's battlers, whether it was getting justice for her daughter Francesca or supporting Lawrence in his rugby career.
