Hi °C | Lo °C It was a case of deja-vu for Ulster last weekend as once again they surrendered a first half lead to lose to their Heineken Cup rivals Edinburgh.
I genuinely believed that they could gain that vital away victory, and, given the first half performance, it was not false hope or optimism.
They were not alone, however, in allowing an opposing team to snatch crucial victory, when in a winning position. Bath and Harlequins both suffered a similar fate and how ironic that the two teams that made all the headlines for the wrong reasons during the summer, both look effectively out of the competition.
Two defeats in two games leaves you with nowhere to go. The Ospreys could easily have met the same fate as they flirted with complete disaster. For the second weekend on the bounce, they almost surrendered the healthiest of leads, nineteen points, to Clermont.
The incentive of a Heineken Cup final in Paris seems to be firing the French teams into action. Toulouse, Biarritz and Stade Francais all are in the driving seats in their respective groups.
Their inherent Frenchness seems still to be the main reason that French rugby might not fulfil its potential. Clermont and Toulouse were subdued at best in the opening forty minutes of their matches, but when stung into life, all the teams mentioned played powerful, fast and tasty rugby.
Unlike Bath or Quins, at least Ulster are still in there fighting, or more realistically, for the moment they are still in there.
Clearly, the team is up against it now in terms of topping Group Four. Nonetheless, I, and I am sure, they cannot wait for the arrival of Stade at Ravenhill.
