If the thigh muscle I injured against England yesterday permits, I'm going to think very seriously about hobbling down to the bookies and putting a few euros on Leicester to make it a hat-trick of European Cup wins next season. After Saturday, I don't think they have any equal in Europe, either for application in the way they play game, or for sheer good luck.
They haven't had an ideal end to the season. They may have won on Saturday, but it was tight and they have looked tired in the last few weeks. They are still the same old Leicester though. They aren't over-enterprising in their play, but they have players like Freddie Tuilagi and Austin Healey who can break down defences and bring the little touch of genius that gives them the edge.
Mostly, though, their strength is in their ability to stay concentrated, in knowing what to do at the right moment when it really matters - especially if you're called Neil Back. I'd put those defeats to Bristol down to the fact that it's been a long season, and you can't expect to win all the time, even if you are the best.
Leicester are not a team that is going to get weaker in the near future, so it's going to be up to the other teams to pull themselves up to their level. That's why I'd put money on them taking a third European Cup. All they have to do is to keep going as they are. They are calm, beautifully well organised on the pitch, and they have just the right balance between control and creative madness.
A few years ago, it seemed that the other teams had begun to catch up with them, but they've taken the lead again, and it's a big lead. There's no secret remedy for overtaking them either - hard work and a team which remains competitive for a whole season, without injuries to the key guys.
They have got the players, even the older ones like Back and Graham Rowntree are getting better as they age. And they have the strength in depth - Josh Kronfeld didn't even get a look-in as a substitute on Saturday, which can't have been funny for him. Every player in every position is among the best.
There are no areas that are crying out for improvement. You could argue that they need another prop, so if they do take Franck Tournaire, that will solve that one.
Healey had a magnificent game, particularly for a player who isn't a first-choice fly-half: a lion among the Tigers. He looked as if it was his regular position, his control was good, he made a few decent breaks, he was well-organised, and his kicking game was good, which surprised me as it isn't usually his strongest point. He was the key man, the detonator.
There will be a lot of talk about the "Hand of God" episode will, but I would just say: "bien joué" - well played, sir. There will be cries of "cheat", but he was simply cleverer than the others. It's not in the spirit of the game, but if you want to look at every small episode like that in every match, the inquests would be never-ending. The referee didn't see it, but from Munster's point of view, one day it might be them in that situation. Sometimes sport is not entirely just.
It was cheating, but there are three referees on the pitch and one of them should have seen it, or at least wondered how Leicester won the ball against the head. The manoeuvre does say something about Leicester to me: they are very well organised. There are times when being a good player is about having total understanding of the game and knowing just when to go over the dividing line. Anyone else in rugby would have done the same thing if the European Cup had been at stake. If I had been in the same position, I might well have done the same.
As for my weekend, I lasted about 20 minutes against England before coming off with a pulled muscle in my thigh. It's nothing serious, but after all that's happened, I don't want to take any risks. It's certain that I won't play on Wednesday against Wales, but I'll get some ultra-sound treatment and stay with the team to see if there's any chance of being fit for the weekend.
I think we were all surprised by England, considering that it was nothing like the usual team: there's clearly plenty of strength in depth there. The young players concentrated well, and showed a lot of precision with the ball in hand. James Simpson-Daniel stood out, because one move he made to get around Jonah Lomu was simply superb, but Phil Christophers and Dave Walder were impressive too. It's not just at Leicester that the future looks bright.
