The Heineken Champions Cup can still be the most unforgiving of tournaments — ask Ulster, riding high in the United Rugby Championship but crushed 39-0 by Sale Sharks in Europe.
Then there’s Racing 92, loaded with big names but wiped out 42-10 at home by Leinster.
Wales’ representatives the Ospreys had a chance to start on the right note against an under-strength Leicester Tigers team in Swansea. But a frustrating performance riddled with errors saw them come unstuck, leaving Toby Booth's men not so much with a mountain to climb over the rest of the pool stages as the entire Himalayas.
