Weaknesses in the Guinness Premiership will give the Irish provinces a huge advantage in the race for the Cup according to Stephen Jones in the Sunday Times.
"This may appear perverse. My clear favourites for the Heineken Cup, which will burst out joyously all over Europe next weekend, from autumnal mists and mellow fruitfulness and through a thunderous rugby tournament, are Leinster and Munster, the two Irish provinces, in that order. Neither the Guinness Premiership nor the French Top 14 have a resoundingly convincing contender as yet to win it.
"But here’s the odd bit. Neither Leinster nor Munster would finish much above half-way in either league. They would have their tongues hanging out by November. In fact, it isn’t perverse. It’s true. The Irish teams, partly by default and partly by design, are set up for the Heineken Cup, not for any long-haul ordeal. The English and French clubs, entirely driven by imperatives, are essentially set up for success in their domestic events, however lofty their aspirations to European glory may be."
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