The domestic game in Scotland is now more like Italy than Ireland

FOUR French clubs, two English and two Irish. The quarter-finalists are a fair reflection of the strength and popularity of professional club rugby in the Six Nations.

The only surprises might be that Munster failed to reach the knock-out stage, while Ulster qualified for the first time since they won the Cup in 1999 - a season when English clubs declined to participate. Munster were in a tough pool, with Toulon, Ospreys and London Irish, while Ulster had the advantage of being in a pool with Aironi Rugby and Bath, who are struggling in the English Premiership. Those ready to conclude that the great Munster side is now in decline would do well to remember that they are top of the Magners League.

Northampton were the only club to win all six matches, although they should probably have lost to Edinburgh at Murrayfield. Ulster and Toulouse each won five games yet find that they are both away in the quarter-finals. Leinster also won five times and played more adventurous and exciting rugby than anyone else. Their reward is a home tie against Leicester and it would be a surprise if they don't win it, providing that their star backs come through the Six Nations safely. Toulouse must go to Biarritz. On paper they are the better side, but, led by Imanol Hardinordoquy and with Dimitri Yachvili orchestrating the game at scum-half, Biarritz, though regularly the target for criticism from Sky Sports presenters and the press, are a fascinating side to watch.

We would call the record of the Scottish clubs disappointing if we weren't inured to disappointment. Glasgow, however, won three matches, which is something. Edinburgh won only once, yet picked up four losing bonus points. Take away their 37-0 drubbing at Northampton and, in the other five matches, they scored 98 points and conceded 113. Infuriating.

How relevant are these Heineken results to the Six Nations? Do they suggest that France, England and Ireland are way out ahead of the other three countries? The answer is "probably not". In rugby, as in football, success at club level more and more tends to go to those with the bigger budgets. They not only have larger squads but more cosmopolitan ones. The English Midlands have always been famed for producing hard front-row forwards, but the Northampton props are the Tongan Soane Tonga'uiba and the Zimbabwean Springbok international Brian Mujati. Leicester's are Italy's outstanding tight-head Martin Castrogiovanni and the Argentinian Marose Ayerza. Ulster's revival owes much to their trio of Springboks, Rudi Pienaar, B J Botha and Johann Muller. Leinster's front five includes South Africans, Richardt Strauss and Heinke van der Merwe, at hooker and prop, and our own Australian Nathan Hines at lock. Without this front-five strength, their brilliant backs might exist on short rations.Meanwhile, New Zealander Isa Nacewa has been playing so well at full-back that Rob Kearney hasn't been missed. Likewise, all four French clubs who qualified are stuffed to the gills with stars who are not available for selection by Marc Livremont - Toulon in particular.

In contrast, not only are Edinburgh and Glasgow short of imports of comparable class, but up to half of the Scotland XV likely to start against France in Paris next week play their club rugby out of Scotland. The match-day squad may well include Hugo Southwell, both Lamonts, Joe Ansbro, Nikki Walker (or Simon Danielli), Dan Parks, Rory Lawson, Euan Murray, Nathan Hines, Kelly Brown and Scott Lawson.

Accordingly, just as the clubs which have qualified for the Heineken quarter-finals don't accurately reflect the strength of their national teams, so the failure of Edinburgh and Glasgow to progress doesn't indicate that Scotland will be comparably weak. Martin Johnson may have had his tongue a bit in his cheek when he said that Scotland could win every game in the tournament, but his remark certainly supports the opinion that the Heineken and the Six Nations are very different things. Likewise, Italy may well at last be poised to win more than the occasional match (sadly, usually against us), even though Treviso and Aironi won only one Heineken match between them. The core of their XV plays for successful clubs, and their pack may be at least the equal of any other, especially if captain Sergio Parisse, who missed the whole of the 2010 Six Nations, is back to his best.

Yet we do have cause for anxiety in the long run. The success of the Heineken as a competition has undoubtedly contributed to the growth in the popularity of rugby in almost every participating country except Scotland. Leinster will play their quarter-final at the new Lansdowne Road and may well fill the stadium. Does anyone suppose that if Edinburgh had qualified Murrayfield would be even half-full? Yet until our two clubs are drawing crowds at least comparable to those their rivals attract, they are going to remain poor relations, both financially and in terms of playing success. The SRU seem content to regard the two pro clubs as having primarily a development role, responsible for nurturing players, many of whom will move elsewhere when their market value makes them worth bigger salaries than their home union can afford to pay. Financially, this may make sense in the short term. In the long term it surely doesn't.

Our position now is more like Italy's than Ireland's. Like Italy we export players, while Ireland imports them. This is because rugby is more popular in Ireland than it is here, and therefore more profitable.

The question is whether, in view of this disparity, we can continue to hold our ground.