Once derided by critics as a second-tier competition, the 2008/09 Magners League season gave more tangible proof of the massive improvement experienced by the league over the past few seasons.
Munster were utterly dominant, their consistency unmatched by any of their foes, while Edinburgh, so long capable of pulling out the odd shock result, finally found another gear and resisted their usual urge to wilt under the spotlight.
Defending champions Leinster were third, but went on to beat Leicester Tigers in the Heineken Cup final, while The Ospreys will be disappointed by their fourth-place finish – a sign of the expectation now filling Welsh regional rugby.
That, too, is reflected in Scotland, where better seasonal displays from Edinburgh and Glasgow have boosted morale.
Perhaps the best measure of all, however, is a quick glance at the Magners League Dream Team of the season. How many of those would have trouble finding alternative employment outside of Ireland, Wales and Scotland? I would venture that the reply is: None.
Magners League 'Dream Team': Lee Byrne (Ospreys); Tommy Bowe (Ospreys), Brian O'Driscoll (Leinster), Lifeimi Mafi (Munster), Leigh Halfpenny (Cardiff Blues); Ronan O'Gara (Munster), Mike Phillips (Ospreys); Gethin Jenkins (Cardiff Blues), Jerry Flannery (Munster), Adam Jones (Ospreys); Paul O'Connell (Munster), Alun Wyn Jones (Ospreys); Rocky Elsom (Leinster), Martyn Williams (Cardiff Blues), Jamie Heaslip (Leinster).
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