CHRIS HEWETT
GUEST COLUMNIST

ENGLAND’S elite clubs barely saw the French for dust in the early years of the European Challenge Cup. The first four finals were the exclusive preserve of teams from the far side of the water (some of whom – Agen, Bourgoin, Colomiers – have long since fallen from grace) and when a side as ambitious as Sale conceded 53 points to Pau on home soil and then leaked another 46 in Perpignan, we wondered whether the Premiership should be sponsored by Allez Oops rather than Allied Dunbar.
Nowadays, the English contingent don’t see their cross-Channel rivals for ...