On Rugby: Maybe teams are only getting into their stride, maybe it's the safety-first attitude of coaches and players fearful of avoiding defeat in the early skirmishes, and maybe it's just that the higher-profile games have been the most anti-climactic - but the opening salvos have not been vintage Heineken European Cup.

The Stade Français-Leicester and Wasps-Toulouse finals of four and two years ago were two of the best matches in the competition's 10-year history, and admittedly the pool rematches last weekend were never going to scale those heights. Still and all, they were dreadfully soporific affairs.

Indeed, there's a pattern at work here. Thinking back to Stade's fluky semi-final win over Biarritz last season and their performance in the final, the nouveau riche Parisians - with their galaxy of Latin stars and under the coaching of Fabien Galthie - are, frankly, a bore to watch. In all of those games, and again on Saturday, they've been content to maul and kick the leather off the ball all day long.

What few flashes of brilliance there were in either of the heavyweight collisions belonged almost exclusively to Toulouse. Brian Ashton, in the course of a lengthy diatribe about how modern rugby is becoming an overcoached, percentage-based, gym-obsessed, never-ending sequence of "collisions", observed that after last weekend's opening salvos a Martian would have deduced Toulouse were playing rugby from a different planet.

That, however, was against Llanelli at home. Away to Wasps was a different matter, although as one shrewd judge of my acquaintance noted, the French team's preference to kick for territory was so as to avoid being ensnared in their own half by Wasps' famed blitz defence. The end result was a form of chess and ultimately stalemate. That Wasps opted for a draw instead of a chance to win was understandable, but also in keeping with their limited ambitions throughout the game, although after Ian McGeechan's presence possibly motivated Edinburgh to beat them the previous week, they'll probably have to win away to Toulouse now.

Thomas Castaignede noted the previous week that the teams which had played more creatively had been beaten by conservative rugby, in particular highlighting the defeats of Munster and Leinster against the heavyweight Premiership outfits of Sale and Bath.

Admittedly, both the latter two expanded their horizons last weekend with bonus-point wins away to the Dragons and at home to Bourgoin. In the case of a very well-rounded Sale side, this was no surprise, all the more so as the Dragons only had a six-day turnaround from a bruising defeat in Castres, and they visibly tired in the last 10 minutes on Friday night.

Bath's ambit widened considerably with the introduction of Ryan Davis at centre and Olly Barkley's switch to his preferred outhalf role when Chris Malone was forced off in recording their sixth consecutive win. These English sides are now in pole position ahead of Munster and Leinster, it has to be said, and in the driving seats.

Sale may well prove to be the best side in England this season, but there are echoes of Gloucester three seasons ago when they were cutting a swathe through the Premiership and Munster's pool only to end up with nothing. Trophies aren't handed out in October or November, not even for Chelsea.

The Irish provinces are already left reflecting on a point or two that got away in potentially very tight pools. Like Munster in Sale, Ulster wouldn't have been remotely flattered by a bonus point in Biarritz on Saturday with a comeback founded on a brave, ball-in-hand game.

In their hour of need, as ever, Munster's support came up trumps on Saturday in Thomond Park. Munster were impressive in the way they went after the game from the start against Castres, and then kept their patience before securing the bonus point. In a welcome theme of the provinces' campaigns thus far, an indigenous young talent such as Jerry Flannery ably stepped up to replace the unlucky Frankie Sheahan, though it's worth bearing in mind he's been on the provincial scene (including one year with Connacht) for four seasons now.

For all the warts in Leinster's win in Glasgow, they're attempting to play a fluid brand of rugby, based on a mobile pack and game-breaking backs, which is enjoyed by players and fans alike and can only improve their skills. More than anyone, Leinster must still be ruing not obtaining more from their defeat at home to Bath, although Sunday's bonus point in some way makes up for failing to achieve a draw in the RDS a week before.

Whereas Bath and Biarritz meet the pointless pair of Glasgow and Treviso in December's pivotal back-to-back matches, Leinster and Ulster must go toe-to-toe with Bourgoin and Saracens (and for their part Connacht meet their main Challenge Cup pool five rivals, Worcester, over the same weekends).

Munster would seem to have easier back-to-back games in December against the Dragons, but the Welsh side won't be coming back from a bruiser in France six days earlier, Paul Turner will know plenty about Munster from Harlequins' games against them last season, and not only is the first of these meetings in Rodney Parade, but Tony Spreadbury - whose nine minutes of injury-time and late penalty decision infuriated Edinburgh in Llanelli on Saturday - will be the referee. And as we've been reminded, the referees' decisions can be crucial in tight games.

Furthermore, the provinces have had their best run at it now. They will have only one game and less than two weeks to prepare for rounds three and four after the autumn tests, and while their families mightn't agree, they'll be grateful for two rounds of interpros over the festive period prior to rounds five and six in January. Should any of them reach the quarter-finals, they'll again have less than a fortnight and only one preparatory game after an intensive Six Nations campaign.

Still, at least all three of them, along with Connacht, are alive anyway.