Money not the only thing that accounts for Leicester's failure

The Heineken Cup has seen English clubs struggle again but the French have not exactly been value for money
Leicester's defeat in Belfast was a worrying one for a side that used to be dominant in Europe. Photograph: Paul Faith/PA

Cap in hand

Richard Cockerill said this week that the salary cap in England was a prime reason why Premiership clubs were struggling to compete in the Heineken Cup. With the final round of group matches starting this Friday, only Saracens and Harlequins are likely English contenders for the quarter-finals.

"I do not think you have the financial clout to compete at the top end, especially if you have injuries," said Cockerill. "You do not have the money to have the depth of squad. That is not a criticism of anybody: that is the fact of it. In England, by and large, you have to be successful in Europe. If you do well in Europe, it is a bonus."

The £4.2m cap did not explain the manner of Leicester's defeat to Ulster at Ravenhill last Friday. The Tigers were short of a few of their internationals, but to lose 41-7 on a night that, in terms of the weather, was kind for Belfast in January, no rain or howling wind, suggested something that went beyond how many caps you had sitting on the bench.

Leicester were overrun at the breakdown. Teams get away in the Premiership, in the main, with committing a minimum number of players to a ruck with most of the forwards fanning out behind. There is more variety in the Heineken Cup and boundaries are pushed further. Leicester failed to adapt and there are too many teams in England who can be distinguished only by the jerseys they wear.

Harlequins and Gloucester are the exceptions and they showed far more resourcefulness in their meeting at The Stoop. They were both innovative in attack and watchful in defence. If the bounce of the ball ultimately proved kinder to Quins, they look well equipped for the latter stages of Europe. They have a fifth gear, never mind a sixth.

Quins may need to win with a bonus point in Connacht on Friday night to secure their place in the last eight. A simple victory would do if Toulouse get no more than a point from their trip to Gloucester, but if Quins finish second in their group with 20 points would not be enough if Edinburgh and Cardiff Blues both win on Sunday and Ulster secured two bonus points at Clermont Auvergne.

Saracens need a point at Treviso to progress, but they will be looking for a home draw in the quarter-finals, which would mean taking the game away from Watford. Treviso question Cockerill's theory because they are not handicapped by a salary cap and match French clubs when it comes to money lavished on a squad. It is not just how much you are able to spend, but how you do so.

Top 14 sides enjoy a far higher salary cap than their English counterparts, some £7m, yet two of their six Heineken Cup teams this season languish at the bottom of their groups, Castres and Racing Métro, while Bath are the only English side to bring up the rear.

It is highly improbable that France will end up without a qualifier, even if Clermont and Toulouse both lose this weekend. With Toulouse already on 18 points, they would vie with Biarritz for the eight sport should the Basque club, who are on 13 points, five behind Saracens, beat Ospreys with a bonus point on Sunday.

Toulouse are the only French club heading a group, the same number as the Premiership with Saracens top of their pool. Ireland have three leaders, Munster, Ulster and Leinster, who have lost one match between them, and Scotland one, Edinburgh, although their race with Cardiff Blues for the Pool Two title may be decided by a bonus point. If they both make home advantage count on Sunday, the runner-up will very likely qualify with a four-point victory; definitely if five are banked.

If the French challenge Cockerill's theory, do the Welsh encourage it? The four regions may not be introducing a salary cap until next season, but they are all struggling financially and having failed to provide a quarter-finalist last season, only Cardiff Blues can realistically progress this year. Ospreys and the Scarlets can both finish second in their pools, but the latter do not have enough points and five points in Biarritz for the French club would very likely leave them short.

The pair have summed up their national side, both losing narrowly in their major double headers this season. The Scarlets failed to beat Munster home and away, despite putting themselves in good positions, and Ospreys lost twice narrowly to Saracens. Wales have in recent seasons come out on the wrong side in tight matches against the top countries.

Munster and Leinster have learned in Europe how to win away. Even when not at their best, they find various ways not to lose. Munster have topped one of the toughest pools with a round to go while Leinster are on course to emerge as the top seeds. Is it down to money? Their respective benches would not suggest so.

They have a hard core of European experience and, unlike their English and French rivals, are virtually guaranteed an annual pass in the Heineken Cup. Premiership and Top 14 players have greater demands because they are required for more matches, but if England do provide two quarter-finalists, is that a poor return for having seven of the 24 teams starting the tournament?

The percentages are not far apart (25 to 29). May it be that the Premiership, for all the exciting finishes it produces and the unwavering commitment from players that it demands, is too one-dimensional, exposing sides in Europe. Harlequins have been different and have taken that approach into the Heineken Cup but, with all respect to Connacht, having been drawn with another English club, only Toulouse have demanded a step be climbed.

It is the time of year when reasons are sought in countries deemed to have failed in Europe. If every team in the Heineken Cup spent the same amount of money on players, there would still only be eight quarter-finalists. It is about making the most of your resources. Can Leicester say they have?

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