The Champions and Challenge Cups were shoehorned back into the rugby calendar after a 10-week hiatus following the conclusion of the pool stages in January, a window of a fortnight to race through the first two knockout rounds that unearthed a jarring inconsistency in the attitude of some of the participants.
From an Irish perspective, it turned out to be a very positive weekend but that doesn’t and can’t gloss over the suggestion that the tournaments have been damaged and devalued. Since the new format was introduced, in part to accommodate the South African franchises that have yet to embrace Europe with the same gusto they have the United Rugby Championship (URC), the pool stages have been farcically underwhelming.
That…