The buzz and crackle about the Heineken Cup's little brother marks its coming of age, according to Wasps coach Shaun Edwards in The Guardian.
"I'm not pretending I wouldn't rather be elsewhere this weekend – say Toulouse or San Sebastián – but in its 14th season the Challenge Cup seems to have acquired the buzz and crackle that worthwhile competitions need.
"Now I can hear the voices out there saying: "He would say that, wouldn't he? He's got seats to sell", but Wasps have been here before and I can tell you the level of interest is up more than a notch or two. Perhaps it's the semi-final fixtures, but I suspect the Challenge Cup, now the Amlin, was growing last season when the French started to take a real interest and then got a huge lift when Toulon beat the then English league leaders, Saracens, at Stade Mayol in October. With Toulon marching towards the top of the French league, it gave the competition street cred."
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