ON AN unusually if suitably grim and foreboding May weekend in the south of France and northern Spain, the clouds emptied, the sun hardly came out and it was even quite chilly.

One of the weekend’s Kodak Moments was the sight of two short-sleeved Munstermen in shorts and sandals marching defiantly across the road toward the beach in Biarritz with surf boards tucked under their arms. But ultimately all three Irish teams’ defiance against French opposition proved futile.

Not since 2003 was the dream of an all-Irish final just two games away, but once again both lost. Then the disappointment was possibly more acute as Leinster had a Lansdowne Road route through the whole of the knockout stages to the trophy before losing to Perpignan a day after Munster went down 13-12 in Toulouse.

If there is the same sense of disappointment now, it’s perhaps because opportunities such as these won’t knock as often in the future for the golden generation. Otherwise, the disappointment is simply due to us being royally spoiled in the last few years.

The Irish teams have always punched above their financial weight and for Munster and Leinster to win three of the last four Heineken Cups has been remarkable.

But it would seem as if France are well-placed to remain the dominant force in European rugby for the next while.

However, for all the current dominance of French rugby, we can jump too readily to wild conclusions on the basis of one season. It was only last season, after all, that no French team even reached the semi-finals of the Heineken Cup, as was also the case three years ago (when England provided three).

To put their achievement of reaching the Heineken Cup semi-finals in context this season, Leinster and Munster have gone farther than all of the Premiership or any of the Welsh sides, not to mention Clermont, Stade Francais and other richer clubs. They are also only two of three teams in Europe who have remained in contention into May for both their Euro and domestic trophies.

Watching the celebrations unfold in Biarritz on Sunday night, the thought occurred that this was the equivalent of a slightly larger version of Baltimore or Schull reaching the Heineken Cup final.

Sunday’s attendance was only just shy of the population of Biarritz. Of course it helps when you have the presence of Serge Blanco and the backing of Capgemini owner Serge Kampf, and that your league demands much bigger television revenue than its European rivals. It helps, too, when you’re drawn at home in the semi-finals.

No doubt the semi-final draw – amateurishly conducted though it looked – was entirely above board, but it gave Toulouse and Biarritz a massive advantage. “Home” teams have won 18 of the 30 semi-finals to date.

Admittedly, since the sides drawn at home no longer had to play them outside of their city, this was only the second time in six seasons that both semi-finals were won by the home teams – and in this the tally stands at six-six.

Even so, it still sticks in the craw that either Toulouse or Biarritz will win the Heineken Cup by dint of playing six of their nine games in France (and each lost one of their three away games).

In reaching the quarter-finals 12 years in a row, Munster have reached the semi-finals nine times. The ERC have been fortunate indeed that the team with the best travelling fans has then ended up playing seven of their nine semi-finals away – six of them in France – while Toulouse have played six of their nine semi-finals at home.

It would be both fairer and more interesting if, like the Champions League, the Heineken Cup semi-finals were conducted over two legs.

No doubt there isn’t another free weekend in the calendar, but, failing that, pretty soon the Heineken Cup is going to have to regard itself as big enough to have semi-finals in neutral venues.

The Biarritz win, coupled with Toulouse the day before, also ensures them of Heineken Cup qualification next season by dint of finishing seventh in the Top 14. And typical of their ill-luck, Connacht cannot now qualify through the back door via a Leinster or Munster win, as would have happened in three of the last four years.

It didn’t help Connacht’s cause one iota that Toulon were given the additional carrot of a “home” final at the Stade Velodrome in Marseilles in the Challenge Cup prior to the semi-finals, whereas if Connacht had won they would have been sent to Gloucester.

Whatever about the apparent fascination with Kingsholm, what is with the ERC’s fawning attitude to the French? Toulon are scarcely passing through the Challenge Cup en route to greener pastures yet were fawningly rewarded for being one of the few French sides to take the secondary European competition somewhat seriously.

Clearly this was a commercially-driven decision, as the sponsors have bigger markets in France and England, but it was grossly unfair on Connacht who, lest we forget, had finished the pool stages as top seeds. It might well not have made any difference, but by rights they should have had the carrot of an Irish final in Thomond Park. It could have been a sell-out.

And speaking of daftly arranged finals, what is the IRFU’s fascination with Dubarry Park? Fine venue though it is, what is the point in sending Saturday’s AIB League finalists, Cork Constitution and St Mary’s, to Athlone?

It may be neutral, but it won’t benefit the attendance or the day’s takings. Why not, henceforth, have the team that finishes top of Division 1A, or has the higher league ranking of the two finalists, hosting the game, as with the Magners League or Super 14? In that scenario, the team that finishes top of the league is actually rewarded, and it would ensure a bigger “take” on the day and probably a better occasion.

The IRFU could certainly apply a bit more wit and imagination to the club game.