FORMER LEINSTER head coach Michael Cheika has warned French authorities to make changes or risk seeing Celtic teams dominate Europe’s top competition for the foreseeable future.

The man who led the defending Heineken Cup champions to their first European title believes Clermont Auvergne paid for the punishing schedule that French clubs have faced this season.

“Clermont were too tired to win,” Cheika told French rugby newspaper Midi Olympique, after watching his old side hold on to win Sunday’s Heineken Cup semi-final in Bordeaux.

“Between the Top 14, the European Cup, the Six Nations and the World Cup, it’s unmanageable. The schedule is too heavy for French clubs. With more freshness, Clermont would have without doubt won this semi-final.”

Leinster fans would point out that Clermont were comfortably able to rotate their expensively-assembled squad in advance of Sunday’s game. However, Cheika is not alone in France in believing that changes are required in order for French clubs to consistently compete in the latter stages of European competition.

“If the French governing body don’t review the organisation of the calendar, they risk seeing the Celts winning every year.”

The Stade Francais coach also feels the current system of qualification for the Heineken Cup is unfair on French clubs.

“The method of qualification has to change. Edinburgh are second last in the Celtic League but they’re assured of playing in the Heineken Cup next season. In those conditions, it’s obviously easier to manage the amount of time players play.”

Cheika’s comments are probably motivated by two challenging years working in the Top 14. This season his side’s attempt to qualify for the French play-offs – and with it book a place in next season’s Heineken Cup – is likely to go down to the wire. With two games left and Stade Francais in seventh place, much will depend on this weekend’s Paris derby against sixth-placed Racing Métro.

Speaking from experience, however, Cheika also had some words of encouragement for Clermont following their painful defeat against Leinster.

“To win the European Cup, you have to have the taste of defeat in your mouth. Next year all of Europe will be afraid of Clermont and they’ll finish by winning the Heineken Cup.”

In his column in sports daily L’Equipe, meanwhile, Fabien Galthié suggested Leinster’s victory proved that Irish rugby had got its organisation right.

“In the end, the all-Irish final validates the provincial system in the country,” the Montpellier coach said. “After the domination of Munster, we’re now experiencing that of Leinster and the rise in power of Ulster, although that province is organised a little differently with a strong South African influence.

“But it should be noted that the Irish national team hasn’t seemed to have profited from the success of its provinces, which is a little bit strange.”

Many observers think Leinster will now win the Heineken Cup again, but the player who almost denied them in the semi-final, Wesley Fofana, does not agree that they are strong favourites.

“Not necessarily,” the Clermont centre said. “In fact I don’t really know.

“We played Ulster twice this season in pool matches in the European Cup. We lost in Belfast and we had a lot of trouble beating them at our place. So it’ll be quite an open match.”

Reflecting on the try that was ruled out two minutes from time against Leinster, the French international said he was convinced that he had won the game for Clermont.

“I stretched out my arm and I thought I had scored. I didn’t think there was a knock on at that moment. When the referee ruled out the try it was hugely frustrating because I really felt like I’d touched it down. I hadn’t controlled the ball well but that’s the way it is. Everything happened very quickly.”

L’Equipe spoke of the “cruel centimetres” that stopped Clermont from qualifying for the final, while Midi Olympique’s editorial noted that Vern Cotter’s side, so often a runner-up in France, had once again become a “glorious” loser.

The players, though, are determined to bounce back to win the French championship, just as they did two years ago when they also lost to Leinster in a similarly demoralising fashion.

“In a month, we’ll play a Top 14 semi-final in Toulouse,” Julien Bonnaire said.

“As cruel as it might be, we have time to digest this disappointment.”