Brendan Gallagher looks at how the Challenge Cup has been the launching pad for some big names

Coming force: Harlequins triumph in 2011, the year before they lifted the Premiership

THE Challenge Cup can sometimes appear the ugly duckling of European Rugby – often under reported with some matches condemned to the Thursday night graveyard slot – but it has produced some belting rugby over the years and an invaluable vehicle for many clubs to build in advance on even sterner challenges.
After the inaugural Heineken Cup season (1995-96) the idea of a secondary European Cup compet...