But thanks to the bravery of all concerned we’ve been given a glimpse of an exciting future

But, thanks to the bravery of all concerned, we’ve been given a glimpse of an exciting future. If, as we all pray, there is to be a British League next season the presence of the two Welsh clubs among the Allied Dunbar teams will have already made a big contribution to ensuring its success.
Considering the difficulties English clubs have had in fitting in the fixtures and other problems such as finding referees, the games have been generally much better than I expected, while the results have been a great boost to Welsh rugby.If you dismiss them, you had better explain why Saracens were so excited last week when they won an excellent match at Swansea. After salvaging a 38-38 draw in Ulster with a last-gasp drop goal and disposing of Ebbw Vale 41-17 last time out, the Reivers are at least confident for the clash with the powerful and pacey French outfit.The game will be particularly significant for the centre Graham Shiel, a late addition to the Scotland squad’s first get- together of the season last weekend. The Newcastle coach Steve Bates said: “We have had the hardest start of the big teams.”Up in Scotland, the Edinburgh Reivers have the toughest of European Cup tasks, when they face the tournament favourites, Toulouse, at Easter Road. Last season only Saracens, Wasps and Richmond beat them, but already this term Richmond and London Irish have done the trick as the champions have struggled to find their form. It has been frustrating, because I am still a player first and a coach next.”Today’s other big match in the Premiership is at Gates- head, where the champions, Newcastle, host the team they succeeded, Wasps Newcastle did not lose until March in their title campaign.

We have this rule that form and fitness are the only criteria, and the younger players would expect me to be subject to that. It will be some time before I start equalling the speed of the others. They have had a month’s start and I have been recovering from this knee operation It would not have been fair to choose myself now. But we are hitting a class act now and if we can come away with the points we will really rate ourselves.”
The Tigers have three key forwards – Neil Back, Graham Rowntree and Fritz van Heerden – facing fitness tests, while Saracens will still lack Francois Pienaar, their player-coach, from their starting line-up, although he is on the bench after surviving his first action of the season in a second- team midweek match.Pienaar said: “It was tough coming through that and I cannot claim to be as fit and as fast as the rest. “Our four wins have all been against teams in the bottom half of the League,” he said.

“If we had already beaten the likes of Wasps, Newcastle and Bath we would be ecstatic. Swansea kept Welsh heads high, though, by overcoming Severnside rivals Gloucester 27-16.. MARTIN JOHNSON is expecting the stuttering rugby season to swing into full gear when he takes his Leicester side to Saracens in a meeting of the only two unbeaten Allied Dunbar Premiership teams. They trailed only 12-9 at half-time but Richmond pulled away in the later stages. The Argentinian scrum-half Agustin Pichot, full-back Lee Best and Welsh back rower Scott Quinnell scored two tries each with Nick Walne grabbing the other.Cardiff’s previously smooth progress in their Anglo-Welsh friendly series seems to have hit a few bumps of late and Sale gave them another painful lesson on the road by sending them to a 34-25 defeat. 10 Didier Camberabero kicked three conversions and a penalty to supplement his side’s six tries.Glasgow Caledonians can all but wave goodbye to the competition after falling to a 34-16 defeat at Colomiers.

They faced a pretty tough challenge in Pool D beforehand but with Italian side Treviso winning at Pontypridd on Friday it now looks like a three-cornered fight to reach the next round.West Hartlepool remain rooted to the bottom of the Allied Dunbar Premiership after going down 41-23 at Richmond. The Irish side, taking heart from their fellow countrymen Leinster, who beat Begles-Bordeaux on Friday night, scored three tries but found the French just too strong. Outside- half Barry Everitt, captain and Irish international lock Mick Galwey and outside half Killian Keane got the tries, with Keane adding three conversions and a penalty The French international No. 8 Mark Jones, who will know next week the length of his ban after being sent off for a punch against Pontypridd.Munster put up a fierce fight before falling to group favourites Perpignan 41-24 in Pool B. Simon Mason led the rout for Ulster, kicking 26 points as his side romped home for their first European win this season.