"A glance beneath the bonnet of what should be the Rolls Royce of club rugby tournaments reveals an increasing number of misfiring parts, not all triggered by the expansion of Europe to accommodate South Africa's leading sides."
"The South African side of the equation has undoubtedly been a factor, if not exactly in the way everybody expected. They want to be part of the fun but travelling north with weakened teams was not part of the deal and is undermining the entire event."
"When the vast majority of pool matches are either routine or uncompetitive, there is a major problem brewing... Only four out of twenty-four games were settled by seven points or fewer."
"Fail to fix them as a matter of urgency and a once fantastic tournament will end up as little more than a wistful memory."
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