On the occasion of the Heineken Cup clash between Stade Francais and Harlequins at the 80,000 capacity Stade de France and Quins' Premiership clash with Leicester at Twickenham later this month, Chris Hewitt offers a special report on the booming club game. Read his thoughts in the Independent
"There is a new numbers game in town – or, to be more precise, in two cities. Before this month is behind us, events in Paris and London will prove that union at club level is booming in inverse proportion to fortunes in the Test arena.
"...Meanwhile, the game's so-called "custodians" – the council members of the Rugby Football Union and their peers in Wales and Scotland, Ireland and France, New Zealand and South Africa and Australia – look on in amazement and, increasingly, alarm. As the two major domestic leagues in world rugby, the English Premiership and French Top 14, move onwards and upwards, they fear a decisive shift in the balance of power, away from the international game."
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