16 Jan: Toulouse v Bath.GROUP CBOURGOINLLANELLIULSTERWASPSAnother wonderfully potent grouping, one which the reigning champions from the north of Ireland will do extremely well to survive. Fifty-odd internationals are sardined into the Bath, Swansea and Toulouse squads, bringing a combustible mix of talent, ego and naked ambition to a fascinating equation. Only this is certain: a home defeat for any of the contenders will be calamitous, because few sides play catch-up rugby at the Rec, St Helen’s or Sept- Deniers and get away with it.Tomorrow: Swansea v Padova (2.30); Bath v Toulouse (3pm) 27 Nov: Padova v Bath (2.30); Toulouse v Swansea 10 Dec: Swansea v Bath 11 Dec: Padova v Toulouse 19 Dec: Bath v Swansea; Toulouse v Padova 7 Jan: Swansea v Toulouse 8 Jan: Bath v Padova 15 Jan: Padova v Swansea. At least one side with realistic title ambitions will fail to make the last eight and, if results elsewhere go the wrong way, a second big hitter will get an early taste of canvas.

With due respect to Michael Cheika’s outsiders from Italy, the fun and games will centre around the six matches involving the sharpest, most imaginative and most extravagantly gifted outfits in England, Wales and France The group of death? For sure. 15 Jan: Leicester v Leinster.GROUP BBATHPADOVASWANSEATOULOUSECrikey, what a quartet Or rather, what a trio. Hold on to your hats.FIXTURES: Today: Leinster v Leicester (7.30) Sunday: Stade Francais v Glasgow Caledonians (3pm) 26 Nov: Glasgow v Leinster 27 Nov: Leicester v Stade F 12 Dec: Glasgow v Leicester; Stade F v Leinster 17 Dec: Leinster v Stade F; 18 Dec: Leicester v Glasgow 7 Jan: Leinster v Glasgow 8 Jan: Stade F v Leicester 14 Jan: Glasgow v Stade F. But Leinster were badly exposed during the recent Irish Provincial Championship and, for all their recruitment, the Scots can boast only three Test first-choicers. The automatic quarter- final place lies between the big boys, both of whom feel they have under- achieved at European level.

If next weekend’s meeting in the East Midlands has “epic” stamped all over it, the return in France will be really serious. True, Leicester caught a cold in Dublin two years ago; true, Glasgow are far stronger and more assertive now than in 1997- 98, when they reached the last eight. They have learned from that bitter experience and do not intend to be mugged a second time.HOW THEY LINE UP FOR THE EUROPEAN CUPGROUP AGLASGOW CALEDONIANSLEICESTERLEINSTERSTADE FRANcAISIt will boil down to two elemental scraps, one at Welford Road and the other at Stade Jean Bouin, the blood-soaked Parisian rugby bullring situated only a long Richard Cockerill line-out throw from the peace and quiet of the Bois de Boulogne. Of these, the Stade look particularly well equipped, especially as a number of leading players – Franck Comba, Thomas Lombard, Arthur Gomes and Sylvain Marconnet among them – feel they have something to prove to the Tricolore selectors.The Parisians should have won the title last year, but were blown away by a force-10 gale of Belfast sound and fury. And the French? Look no further than the big three: Toulouse, Montferrand and Stade Francais. Bath could win this competition, just as they did in ‘98, but a poor finish in the Allied Dunbar Premiership could cost them a place next time.” Strange, but true.No English side will win the title without a superhuman effort and an ocean of luck – precisely the ingredients behind Bath’s success two seasons ago.Northampton probably have the best run into the knock-out stage, but Leicester and Bath look better equipped in terms of character and know- how.Saracens will be dangerous, but may find the unique demands of the competition beyond them at the first time of asking. “But as things stand, the national unions decide who represents them in the main competition.

Neither is there any plan to include the winners of the second-tier European Shield, which needs the carrot of Heineken Cup entry to justify its existence. “It’s an argument that is likely to run and run,” said a tournament spokesman yesterday. Where would that leave Graham Henry and his super-club strategy, under which the national union gives all sorts of incentives and dispensations to a quartet of leading teams?Astonishingly, there is no guarantee that this season’s champions will compete next time round. With England and France guaranteed four places each and the other competing nations two apiece, the remaining slots will be filled on the basis of the previous season’s semi-finalists.If, for example, no Welsh side makes the last four this time, the principality’s representation in 2000-2001 will be down to the bare minimum of two. The plan to restrict next year’s entry to 20, rather than the current 24, puts enormous pressure on both Wales and Ireland, who are used to enjoying a major presence in the elite competition. If the badged and blazered committee wallahs sitting on Fran Cotton’s Club England recoil in horror from such parish-pump sedition, they should remember that New Zealand and South Africa geared everything towards winning the Webb Ellis Trophy in Cardiff a fortnight ago and went home with nothing more valuable than their dirty laundry.Which is not to suggest that the Heineken Cup is free of serious issues. Give the average Recreation Grounder or Welford Roader the choice between a red rose victory in the World Cup and a local triumph in Europe, and he or she will opt for the latter every time.

Does the Heineken Cup really bridge the gap between club and international rugby? Does it do enough to develop young talent? What about the superannuated foreign legion, earning their retirement pay while ambitious youngsters kick their heels on the bench? Will it help England rise above the mediocre and play hard- ball with the best? These are legitimate inquiries, but nowhere near as relevant as those who work from an international agenda like to think.Unlike Australia, where the Wallabies are all that matter, England is a broad rugby church in which the Test side does not come first, second and third. The same goes for Leinster-Leicester in Dublin where, for one evening only, the Irishmen have the English champions exactly where they want them – at Donnybrook, under lights, in front of a steaming full house There is nothing routine or so-so about these matches They are the real deal. Edinburgh Reivers complete the line-up against Grenoble.Of course, the Clive Woodwards of this world will raise more questions than the tournament can possibly answer. In a workaday British league scenario, familiarity would inevitably breed contempt; in the Heineken Cup context, Cardiff- Quins has the shock of the new about it, the delicious edginess of the unpredictable. In other words, give this particular peace a chance before we redraw the map yet again.Tonight’s opening altercation between Cardiff and Harlequins at the Arms Park captures the imagination precisely because the combatants do not meet umpteen times a season. “From our perspective, we hope to bring some stability and continuity to the club game in these islands by providing the financial bedrock that will allow all parties – European Rugby Cup Ltd, the unions and the clubs – to work together,” he said.