Cipriani statement: 'My last games in England are fast arriving'

If we're talking about the "juggernauts" of the Champions Cup, then based on current form... only the Blues and Hurricanes have a real chance. Crusaders are up in the air.

Also, no one is forcing them to simultaneously compete in two tournaments. It's a European competition, they shouldn't have to roll over just because South Africa find the current schedule problematic. The franchises seem to be coming to the realisation they have no political sway within Europe. During the Super days, they were able to demand things like additional franchises in exchange for allowing the Jaguares and Sunwolves into the competition.

You can't take a club or franchise's scores at face value, as internationals, coaching personnel etc all have a massive impact on how well a team performs. Let's not forget The Crusaders had a horrible season this year under Penney, after 7 consecutive years as champions under Robertson, and that was despite an injury crisis for the last two in which they were scraping the bottom of the barrel in some positions.

limiting the prem to 5 teams would have excluded bath, harlequins, and exeter from last years competition. Bath made the round of 16; exeter made the QF; harlequins made the SF.

on merit, the english teams deserve to be there far more than the teams finishing 6-8 in the URC and top 14 do.

your wilcard ideas remain terrible, but are also just incomprehensible. when did you learn to write?

So this is a question I've asked in the past as well, do you want to plan it properly, or be needing to make a knee jerk reaction when the above scenario happens (given nothing happens to turn things around)?

Yeah just watching the game now, his skills especially with those long balls are superb. Can he throw off his left just as well? He's certainly not at the level I was just talking about yet, just simple things like when he looked up with Moala on him and dropped the ball. Still too many of those moments but they're no reason not to give him gametime now for being right in 2027. More good league style play as well just threatens the D a bit more in which is so necessary in todays climate.

I don't think JD was in anyway demeaning Sam's ability was he?

The Anglo Welsh cup is long gone but in any case, the reason why England doesn't pick from overseas isn't because their players play in the European comps. They'd still play in those if they played for French clubs. It's because they want to access to their players and don't want to weaken their domestic comp.

The Blues were transformed this year because of Vern Cotter, not Harry Plummer.