Writing in The Guardian, Paul Rees previews the start of this season's Heineken Cup.
"Steve Borthwick's absence from the British leg of the Heineken Cup launch in Cardiff last week was fittingly symbolic: the English went missing in Europe last season, failing to provide a semi-finalist for only the second time in the 13 years they had taken part in the tournament.
England do not have a team in the top three of the European rankings and only two, Leicester and Wasps, are in the leading 10. The Premiership clubs are envious of the spending power of their French rivals, as well as the regions in Wales and the provinces in Ireland, while Italy's two teams in the Magners League, Treviso and Aironi, have playing budgets of €8m (£6.9m).
Leicester's opening game this Saturday is in Treviso. "A few years ago you would have expected to win there comfortably, but they are no longer the poor relations," Richard Cockerill, the Tigers' director of rugby, says. "They have already beaten Scarlets and Leinster at home in the league and you have to treat them with a huge amount of respect. When you first looked at the pool you thought it was better than others, but it will come down to form."
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