THE SECRET PLAYER

"THE CHAMPIONS CUP IS A FARCE. SOME TEAMS DON'T EVEN BOTHER TRYING ANYMORE"

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WHO’S BEEN watching and enjoying Europe this year? I guess if your answer is yes to both of those questions, you live in Dublin or the South-West of France.

For most fans and most of us players, it’s all got a bit rubbish. Once the darling of club rugby in the northern hemisphere, the pinnacle, current proceedings have made the Champions Cup a sham. The glory days of the Heineken Cup are long gone.

Fundamentally, players are asking why we changed a system that worked so well and was popular with players, coaches, fans and pretty much everyone.

Back in the Heineken days, there was a huge sense of buy-in from fans because the format was simple. It was the best teams in Europe playing to be crowned champions.

You played a group stage against different clubs from different European countries home and away. If you topped that group, you were in the knockout stages and then it was winner-takes-all.