We are at the business end of the season and time to pay tribute to top performances wherever they are in our rugby world. It has always been the case that the European Finals occur somewhat before the end of the regular season and for good reasons. Remember the leagues run this tournament and they manage the players and the purse strings.

I was Chair of EPCR when we broke traditional boundaries for the first time and went to Bilbao. Back then, a supremely dramatic Challenge Cup saw Cardiff edge past Gloucester in a thriller – not easy being seated between the two club owners Peter Thomas and Martin St Quinton as the emotions surged. Only one team can win! On the bigger stage, Leinster were also finalists and winners then against a rather subdued Racing 92 who encountered the Irishmen in their prime, as number one country in World Rugby.

This time round in 2026, they had to yield to the mercurial Frenchmen of Bordeaux who brought their A game when their B game would have been sufficient. In stifling heat, they were probably more suited given those conditions often exist just up the road in wine country. I was particularly impressed with Moefana who was everywhere in attack and defence, and when you throw the ‘others’ into the mix, they are unstoppable. A grand Final in Paris between Toulouse and Bordeaux would top off their season. Nice also to see Montpellier back (they won the Challenge Cup in Lyon in 2016) and Mohed Altrad looked happy alongside Bernard Laporte. Ulster needed their four International stars on board to make it happen for them – a long season with less resource than they would have liked, but the Irish have had a fine season overall. Anyone notice the progress being made by Connacht under the leadership of Stuart Lancaster – more than a breeze blowing in Galway (well isn’t there always!).

Back in London, the season was hotting up in a different way. In similar conditions to Northern Spain, the oldest club in the world Blackheath went to West London for the ‘Accession Final’ into the Champ from National 1 against London Scottish. It was ultimately a surprisingly comfortable victory, and if they are pinching themselves a little, the “Club” is a wonderful addition to the competition alongside Rotherham. I have a soft spot for them, as they were my first opponents in first class rugby. I was recruited for Guys Hospital (who also claim oldest club status by the way) at a medics party the night before because they were one short. As a fresh faced University student I thought why not, although a 60 point thumping later I was licking my wounds in their infamous plunge bath which has mercifully been long out of action, as has the Brewery Field, their old ground.

Also in West London, my club Ealing Trailfinders failed to progress to the Play-Off Finals in a scarcely believable end to end contest culminating in a Worcester triumph with the last play of the game, having conceded themselves at the other end the minute before. It is worth a watch on Clubber TV, one of the most remarkable finishes I have ever seen. It is hard to take, when Ealing finished the regular season 40 points ahead of their opposition but that is play offs for you. Ealing remain super ambitious but to know what you are playing for is at the heart of all sport and that is what lies deep inside you as a player and drives you on.

The winner of the Finals will be the Champions. As for the profile and the narrative for the competition in general, the value of the clubs and the league have shone forth and is now emerging in a tangible way. For all our clubs this was never in doubt, the only surprised and red faces lie elsewhere.

Finally, while the three European leagues start to produce their own end of season dramas, I am already thinking about Johannesburg in July. England can approach that game as they did the France match, nothing to lose and the likes of George Martin back in harness when the Boks seem to have no fit second rows…… the interest builds!