WillGreenwood

The Heineken Cup is an extremely difficult tournament to win which is why players and punters love it. Europe's premier rugby competition is the biggest stage outside the international game and offers teams the chance to test themselves against the best. I learned a hard lesson when I played in the final for Leicester against Brive in 1997. That Tigers side also featured Dean Richards, Martin Johnson and Austin Healy and, having beaten Toulouse in the semi, we ran out at Cardiff Arms Park full of momentum and confidence. But we got mauled by a fierce French side, I still have the footprint of Grzegorz Kacala, their monster number eight, printed on my chest. Not a good day but a great occasion and a formative experience. I've said before that teams that take the big prizes often have...