Euro vision lacking as Cup is on slide

COMPETITION'S DECLINE COULD HURT IRELAND MOST

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CHARLTON Heston closes the original Planet of the Apes movie with an iconic quote after coming upon the half-submerged, crocked, Statue of Liberty on the beach.

Having realised he has been on 40th century earth and figured out the humans have destroyed themselves, he wails: “You maniacs! You blew it up! Ah, damn you! God damn you all to hell!”

‘A touch of populist drama perhaps but that's little harm after two weekends of the competition formerly known as the Heineken Cup’ dive towards obscurity and irrelevancy continues apace.

Essentially, the English and French games earn better money from their domestic league TV deals, so they are quite happy to keep their eyes on their own bigger prizes.

This is a complicated coalition as the two countries have similar but different motivations — French rugby is so awash with cash they want their Top 14 even more glitzy/competitive, their PROD? to step up, get more money, lose the semipro units — and it looks like they can afford it.

The English clubs are losing money hand over fist — Wasps, London Irish, Worcester all going bust in recent times — and want to regulate their own house, salary caps, ring-fencing promotion/relegation; so much so that they see those outside the ‘Prem’ in other jurisdictions as threats as much on the pitch as to their egos.