Winding down to Beckham days

Trevor Brennanbids farewell to the European Cup and perhaps he's not alone in that

The Madejski Stadium was the venue for our game against London Irish last Saturday. I forecast last week it could be BaaBaas-style rugby and, as it turned out, it was: 26-24 with both teams scoring four tries. It was a very enjoyable game to be part of. Neither team was playing under the usual pressure of qualification for the next round or even domestically.

Some lads have their pre-match energy drinks, or different rituals, like putting on their left boot before their right foot, not going to the pitch beforehand for the walkabout, or whatever. While conducting my own pre-match ritual poo in the away dressingroom toilet I wondered who else might have got their thoughts together in the same location.

The names who came to mind were the likes of Michael Owen, Steven Gerrard, Ryan Giggs and Jose Mourinho, who would all have used the away dressingroom when they played Reading here, and it also dawned on me while reading the match programme that this could be my last Heineken European Cup game to start in. I know we still have to play Ulster next Saturday, and I think I might be in the 22, but the coach could change the team, as is the system in Toulouse. I thought of the first time I played in the Cup, for Leinster against Toulouse, ten years and 55 appearances ago.

When I rejoined the lads in the dressingroom the atmosphere was quiet. The reality of my situation having struck me, I got fairly fired up even though there was nothing at stake. Despite this, I told the lads it wasn't just another game. We should show everybody that we should have been playing for a quarter-final spot. The only ones that put us out of this competition were ourselves.

I suppose I'm in my David Beckham days now, winding down, looking to spread the rugby gospel to America. It's not about the money, but, for a couple of million, I'd wear a sarong, shave my chest, get my ears pierced and even wear the wife's Bridget Jones knickers. Any offers?

We won the game and afterwards it was great to meet up with Bob Casey, Aidan McCullen, Barry Everitt and Benny Willis for a quick meal, chat and a drink. We had a flight from Gatwick and, needless to say, I was the last to get on the bus. Bob was captain on the day, Aidan came on from the bench and I thought personally did very well and there didn't seem to be a massive difference between Barry and Shane Geraghty, the lad called into the English squad.

I had the chance to watch Munster against Bourgoin, who have been accused of throwing away a few games over the years. But on Sunday they threw everything bar the kitchen sink at Munster who, I thought, were a little lucky to win. Leinster looked very impressive and look like a team who are really enjoying their rugby and their backs have a massive amount of talent.

From what I've seen so far, it's quite possible that both sides can earn a home quarter-final.

We play Ulster again this week, and they were well beaten by Llanelli last week. After their 33-0 win over us on the opening weekend, some people would have thought they would have finished top of the group. But Llanelli showed how good they are by going over to Belfast and giving them a lesson in wet-weather rugby. Perhaps it helped them that they come from the valleys.

Still, there aren't too many teams that go to Ravenhill and get a win.

Hopefully we can finish off our campaign with a win and maybe play some more dry-weather, BaaBaas rugby.

Unfortunately, there might be a lot more French-based players who'll be playing their last European Cup game this season after Serge Blanco, president of the French clubs, broke the news yesterday that the French clubs will be boycotting the tournament next season. It reads and sounds like a power battle to me.

The hub of the problem seems to be a clash of dates between the French League and the World Cup.

Also, money and television rights are at issue, with Canal+ negotiation a new deal for televising the French championship, and the clubs say there are too many games in the international calendar as well. And if the fixture schedule continues as is, Blanco reckons the French Championship will be dead by 2009. Against that, members of the French press have said on radio that the decision would be crazy.

In the Top 14 last season there were some thrilling games on the last day, because there were clubs vying for the sixth and seventh European Cup places as well as trying to avoid relegation. There wouldn't have been anything like the same drama had there not been European qualification at stake.

I'm sure all the players would think a boycott of the European Cup would be terrible. Obviously we're playing too much rugby and the only way clubs like Toulouse can operate is with a squad of at least 35 players and using a rotational system. This, to me, is the biggest competition in Europe outside the Six Nations and the players love it.

I'll give you an example. At the end of our game in London Irish they played The Fields of Athenry. Thierry Dusautoir said to me: "Trevor, what is this song called? You must get the words for me." Why? Because one of his abiding memories of the European Cup was of the Biarritz team standing in a circle on the pitch and a full house of 80,000, red jerseys everywhere, singing The Fields.

So I had to get the words for him and have them printed out for Thierry, because that is one of his memories of the final in Cardiff where he played for Biarritz. The Cup is full of these unique memories and it would be terrible to think that the players could miss out on them. Financially and commercially too, it's worth so much to the clubs.

But I suppose that shows you how unhappy they are with the itinerary for next season that they're willing to sacrifice those games.

(In an interview with Gerry Thornley)

(Trevor Brennan's Heineken Cup diary can also be read on the ERC website, www. ercrugby.com)