RUGBY MATTERS
A weekly look at the game’s other talking points
BRENDAN GALLAGHER

This column has been warning about the decline of the Heineken Cup, sorry European Champions Cup, for some years and its stuttering start this season brings no pleasure. For a long time, this tournament was as good as it gets in rugby and it’s vital, right now, that it regains its former glamour and gloss.
This season’s version, after a clunky start, will hopefully catch fire come the business end of proceedings but it’s the indifference that has shocked me. There was little sense of buildup and anticipation –...