If you wanted to launch a vibrant new European club rugby tournament you would possibly not start from here. The spectre of Covid already stalks the 2021-22 Heineken Champions Cup and scheduling its entire pool stages in the deepest, darkest and dampest weeks of a northern winter is not the obvious catalyst for a dazzling cavalcade of festive sporting cheer.
Already the quarantine-affected Scarlets have had to forfeit their opening game, unable to raise a competitive side to face Bristol, with Cardiff and Munster also still without players who were marooned in red-listed South Africa last week. The ripple effects are likely to be swiftly apparent, with the misfortune of a few threatening to skew the entire competition and massively assist those clubs who kick off with a rush this weekend.
Because with 16 teams advancing and possibly only 21 realistic candidates on the start line, before we even mention those sides who are lagging domestically, there is less of the knife-edge pool jeopardy that has traditionally made Europe so compelling. If clubs can make it through even with two unadventurous home wins and a scruffy away victory over depleted opposition does the word “Champions” truly apply?
The finer print of the regulations also reveals that if, say, Leinster score a truckload of points home and away in Pool A against a toiling Bath, the Irish contenders already stand every chance of “gaming” the qualification system to their advantage in the spring. Finishing in the top four, which they should achieve standing on their heads, and seeing off moderate last-16 opposition over two legs could prove a giant step towards securing home advantage in the last eight and semi-finals as well.
It is something of a passion killer, even if Munster’s relish for backs-to-the-wall adversity clearly renders them not dead yet. But as Brian O’Driscoll, the former Leinster, Ireland and Lions captain, makes clear it also makes a fast start imperative. “We’ve created more knockout rugby, which is exciting, to try and get rid of the dead rubbers we were sometimes finding in rounds five and six,” says O’Driscoll, a pivotal cog in Leinster’s golden era of three titles in four years between 2009 and 2012.
Toulouse
I know Bordeaux are ahead of them in the Top 14 and beat them 17-7 last weekend but you’ve also got to think about history in Europe. Along with Leinster, I think Toulouse will be right in the mix again. Ugo Mola has got them really humming and they are providing many of France’s starters.
Leinster
There’s no doubt there’s a ruthlessness to them. They’ve got a very impressive squad with people able to fit in seamlessly. Johnny Sexton won’t be playing this weekend but Harry Byrne is now breaking on to the scene. They’re equipped to start well and go from strength to strength.
Harlequins
I really like Quins. They play with massive confidence; there’s no going into their shells and no tightening up. They’ve been given the licence to play heads up and it’s always suited Quins to be a bit loose and free. I don’t necessarily think they’ll win it but they might go a distance.
Leicester
They might come into the mix, with their new-found confidence, if they can win against Bordeaux this weekend. They’re also very strong at Welford Road. Anyone else? Racing 92 could stand a chance if they can get their front five sorted. They have such firepower in their backline.
“I totally get that but it does seem that if you get away early you can find yourself reaching a final having barely played away from home. I don’t know if it’s going to be here to stay or a Covid stopgap but everyone’s in the same boat. The big thing is starting well. You don’t want to be on the back foot in week one. If you’re at home it’s a must-win, even more so in this format.”
Which makes it even harder to look past Leinster or the holders Toulouse, who will take an immediate grip on their respective destinies if, as expected, they brush past Bath and Cardiff respectively this weekend. O’Driscoll is already backing them for the final in Marseille come May – “I just can’t see away from those two” – with the caveat that big underdogs can be problematic. “In rugby playing scared is a serious weapon,” says O’Driscoll. “I played scared a few times and sometimes it can really work in your favour. If you’re looking at a potential hiding and an embarrassment it sharpens the mind and pulls people together.”
The great centre also reckons Stade Français should watch themselves in Connacht on Sunday – “I hope they bring their thermals” – and remains a firm believer that a good Six Nations campaign can make a significant difference when that country’s players subsequently return to their clubs for Europe’s later stages. “When we won our first European title at Leinster we’d just come off the back of winning a Six Nations grand slam. There’s nothing like the injection of positivity from a national setup when you get back into your club setup. Leinster had 12 starters against the All Blacks. You’d have to imagine that if the national side have some success that should translate back into their setup.”
And while O’Driscoll is not anticipating miracles from the majority of this year’s field – “there aren’t many outstanding sides” – he is in little personal doubt as to where the tournament should go from here. For him a World Club challenge, featuring the best clubs and/or provinces from the north and south, is the logical next step. “I do feel it would be very exciting. We think we’ve got a very competitive tournament up here in Europe so there would be no better chance to pit yourself against the best teams in the world.
“It does feel like there’s less focus on the defensive side of things in Super Rugby. It’s that Kevin Keegan ethos … we’ll score four, you score three. But if you can create a competition where we can finally say: ‘Well, the winners of Super Rugby are better than the Saracens, the Leinsters or the Munsters’ you’d hold your hand up.
“I do think there’s merit in it. And if you can package it the right way the world will think so too. Certainly as a player it would appeal. For those players who don’t get to play internationally it’s a chance to play against the best in the southern hemisphere. To pit yourself against the likes of Sam Cane, Ardie Savea or Samu Kerevi is a pretty exciting prospect.” Can they hack it on a wet, windy night in Galway? One day we might just find out.
BT Sport is the home of the European Rugby Champions Cup. The 2021-22 season kicks off with a weekend full of games, including Leinster v Bath live on BT Sport 2 at 3.15pm on Saturday. Find more information on how to watch at bt.com/sport
