Innovation in rugby tends to divide people into two camps. The purists prefer their game to remain gloriously unchanged while casual fans are more open to proactive experimentation. Rare indeed are those “unicorn” moments when both tribes are happy and something feels so immediately right it should have happened years ago.
European club rugby, either way, is entering a new era. This weekend will bring the introduction of a two-leg “round of 16” in the Champions Cup and, as yet, there is barely a dissenting voice to be heard. Because if you are, for example, a Munster fan, the best of both worlds awaits: a tantalising away trip to England followed by the thunderous hum of a major Thomond Park rematch a week later. Looking forward to it? Of course you are.
