This evening the quest to see who will win the 24/25 Champions Cup begins as Bath welcome La Rochelle to The Rec in Bath with an 8pm kick off. Ireland’s 3 sides in the Champions Cup won’t start out until tomorrow at 5.30pm with Munster taking on Stade Francais.
Ulster and Leinster are away in round 1 with both sides playing on Sunday, Ulster go to Toulouse and Leinster play Bristol. Connacht are in Challenge Cup action facing Zebre in Galway. I have seen it written that yet again it’s been a low key build up to European action and most people may not realise that European rugby’s flagship club competitions are about to start.
The stake holders have downgraded a once great tournament to a near foot note, the competition has been revised and restructured on more than one occasion and has lost two rounds in the Pool phase with a last 16 round in its place.
A once great tournament, is most defiantly a shadow of its former self. I know players will scoff at the very thought of this particular opinion but all of rugby has changed beyond recognition over the past 15 years in particular. Yes there are varied reasons for this and I won’t bog people down with the ins and outs as I will be here all day if I do so.
Sufficient to say, it is not the same as when I was kid into my mid-twenties. The powers that be have made sure of that and of course money and TV will always dictate things and to that end, Premier Sport will have full coverage of this year’s fare.
This company has been under various names over the years and have brought some new blood into the fold for the new campaign with the likes of Matt Banahan ex England winger one of the new names we will see over the next few months.
Let’s hope the product on field is what we are speaking of at the end of the opening weekend and not the product off field of coverage issues etc.
For Ireland’s Champions Cup participants namely Leinster, Ulster and Munster it will be important for them to start with wins on week 1, Munster drew on the opening weekend last year and will feel they will need to do much better this time around.
Ulster play defending champions Toulouse who are fully armed and raring to go in front of their home crowd. Leinster face Bristol in what could be the tie of round 1 given the recent form of both sides.
Connacht will want to kick start there Challenge Cup campaign with a win over Zebre and that could set them up for a real crack at the title this year.
The 30th season of European rugby is about to kick start so sit back and enjoy it….