Away sides and Irish kickers could be the beneficiaries if teams ever get back on the road to Marseille, where the final should have been this weekend
This should have been one of the grand weekends of the rugby year. The Champions Cup final was due to be staged in Marseille on Saturday and a quick check of the weather forecast is a reminder of just how grievously it will be missed. Unless, that is, you don’t much care for clear blue skies, temperatures of 25C and a glass of something chilled overlooking the Vieux Port.
With party-loving fans from right across Europe all gathering beside the Mediterranean it had the potential to make the Monaco Grand Prix feel like a garden fete. As in Newcastle 12 months ago, it would also have offered a tantalising glimpse of what rugby might become if it were ever consistently smart and united enough. Instead we will just have to make do with sitting at home, staring at the now-familiar kitchen wall and speaking French to the cat.
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