Brian O'Driscoll shows his disappointment at Leinster's Heineken Cup exit
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As the Irish club season reaches its conclusion, Tony Ward laments the growing gap between the amateur game and the successful regions in The Irish Independent.
"The introduction of the Heineken Cup has provided the biggest plus from the game going open. Losing out on Grand Slam and Triple Crown - my, haven't we come a long way - was disappointing, yes, but the gloom hanging over Irish rugby since last weekend's double Heineken Cup defeat sums up where priorities now lie and just what the premier European competition means to rugby folk and, indeed, to folk generally on this island.
"The flip side of the Heineken coin is, of course, the All-Ireland League. As the provincial competition goes from strength to strength, the club game erodes ever further.
"Today the club season reaches its climax with the Division 2 and 3 finals in Anglesea Road and the main event, the Division 1 final in Athlone's Dubarry Park."
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