WE have lift-off. Thomond Park, Donnybrook, Ravenhill, Kingsholm, Welford Road, Rodney Parade, Stadium Municipal, the Parc des Sports Marcel, all the way across to Viadana's 2,500-capacity Via Learco Guerra. Clashes of cultures, full houses and full-on rugby. Gerry Thornley reports

In truth, the Heineken European Cup reaches parts of Europe and stirs the soul like no other northern hemisphere competition does - the increasingly stale Six Nations included.

Somehow, it's a purer and altogether less predictable or traditional rugby experience, enchanting and enriching the game, for players, coaches and spectators alike as it goes.

It's still not without its teething problems, as travel-weary Munster fans will be the first to testify. At least, though, the ERC have moved to rectify that problem by decreeing that the draw for the semi-finals, to be played at "home" neutral venues, will be conducted after the conclusion of the pool stages and prior to the quarter-finals actually taking place.

In part, the ERC had little option after also deciding to move the quarter-finals back to after the Six Nations. This is eminently preferable to having the quarter-finals played within a week of the pools having finished in January. Not alone should the last eight have more time to bask in their achievement of reaching that stage, but it also grants more time for those games to be organised properly and sustains the interest.

The net result, though, is the semi-finals will be held a fortnight after the quarter-finals next April, so there simply won't have been time to conduct a semi-final draw and start looking at potential venues at that juncture. This may still leave the ERC with only two weeks to ratify a choice of venue but at least now they can examine their options and narrow them down well in advance.

In already decreeing that good old Lansdowne Road (albeit with the emphasis on old) will host the final the ERC have to be commended for putting the essence of the European Cup ahead of the greater financial windfall that would assuredly have accrued had they chosen soulless Twickenham.

In the modern day, that was quite a decision. By ignoring Murrayfield and the fair-weather Scottish fans again, they're clearly fearful of the Scots once more not making much of an impact. In other words, buck up or shut up.

Alas, in other respects, the same old format remains, and aside from the six pool winners only the two best placed runners-up (based on match points accrued and then tries scored) will progress to the quarter-finals.

This clearly is imbalanced, and gives an advantage to those placed in pools with the two Italian sides.

Even an additional play-off round giving all the runners-up a second chance, as happened five seasons ago, would redress the imbalance.

In their defence, the ERC say that even this proposal would be knocked down by the English and French, and that they only have a window of nine weeks in the season. But as long as this system remains, it does not ensure that the best eight necessarily make the last eight. It's a recurring flaw.

Coupled with one or two bad breaks, the vagaries of the draw can put paid to real contenders before the knock-out stages, though this does contribute to its openness.

Leicester, seeking a three-timer, are obvious contenders, as are Gloucester and Northampton, Montferrand and Biarritz, and (you'd like to think) Munster and Leinster, as well, perhaps, as Llanelli and Neath. But the 12/1 about Toulouse looks particularly good value.