In his Rolling Maul blog forThe Times, Stephen Jones has more than a little sympathy for the French sides in the Heineken Cup.
"If I were a French rugby club I would seriously consider whether it is worth contesting the rest of the Heineken Cup. The odds are so stacked against them that the concept of fair play has been lost.
"One old Harlequins grandee took me to task yesterday for saying that Harlequins were outrageously fortunate to be awarded at least half the points of their famous win over Stade Francais in Paris last weekend. I had to gently point out that if I were Quins, and the beneficiary of such largesse, I’d stop complaining about the messenger and take the win and move on.
"But for goodness sake, don’t let anyone tell you that Stade Francais were not crucified by officialdom, because they were. Or that both Biarritz, who lost to Cardiff, and Perpignan, who lost at Leicester, had anything but the worst of the refereeing, and a total lack of what they were due from officials in this so-called professional sport. French rugby is always stuffed by refereeing. It is one of the first laws of the sport. Sad, but true."
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