Amid a distinct absence of trumpeting and fanfare, European Cup organisers yesterday made public the draw and fixture list for this year's competition and the European Shield. The recent shenanigans, culminating in the withdrawal of Cardiff and Swansea and the English clubs, contributed to the low-key, delayed draw.

As expected, it contains a mixed bag for the Irish provinces which is hardly in keeping with their supposed seedings. It hardly seems credible that Leinster, the top Irish seeds on the back of last season's interpro title success, have been drawn in Pool A. It contains two French sides - champions Stade Francais and another upwardly mobile club Begles/Bordeaux, and Llanelli.

Munster have a more favourable draw in pool B - Padova, Neath and Perpignan. Ulster have Toulouse, Edinburgh Reivers and Ebbw Vale for company in Pool C.

Connacht, for their part, cannot complain too much over the makeup of their seven-team pool in the European Shield. There was no avoiding three French sides; there are four in each of the other two pools, including a daunting quartet of Brive, Agen, Pau and Biarritz in Pool C.

They have been drawn at home to the newly promoted duo of Perigueux and Racing Club de France, as well as the more highly regarded Narbonne; they travel to Newport and Caerphilly in Wales, and to Italian side Rovigo.

"It's got to be a distinct advantage having the three French clubs at home," enthused Glenn Ross yesterday. "They're not renowned travellers and may not like a wild, wet and windy Sportsground."

Leinster kick off their campaign in Stradey Park, where they lost to Llanelli by 34-17 two years ago. Leinster have arguably improved since then, whereas like so many Welsh clubs Llanelli have over-stretched themselves financially and have been bailed out by the Welsh RFU.

Munster won handily there this season, Frano Botica has now gone, and so much hinges on the young and talented out-half Craig Warlow. Not even last season's 10th SWALEC Cup triumph could disguise an abysmal league campaign of five wins in 14 matches which left them in sixth place.

Leinster will probably need to do the double over Llanelli (especially with a trip to Stade Francais looming ominously in week two) and most probably Begles/Bordeaux as well.

It was a feat achieved by Connacht last season, although a more realistic assessment of Begles probably came with their quarter-final finish in the French championship.

They have since buttressed their squad with a few new signings, although they remain an unproven quantity, all the more so after a shock opening day loss in the French Championship last weekend to unfashionable Auch.

The reshuffle of the Welsh seedings following the combined withdrawal of Cardiff and Swansea certainly seems to have helped Munster's cause: they are now drawn against cash-strapped Neath as opposed to Pontypridd, widely regarded as the top Welsh side.

Neath have been bought out by the Welsh RFU after accumulating debts of £600,000, and their squad was ravaged by a stream of summer departures. Perpignan were the French runners-up last season and have since supplemented a squad containing French number eight Thomas Lievremont with the acquisition of last season's French Grand Slam captain and hooker Raphael Ibanez.

Before running into them, Munster begin with successive home games against Padova and Neath. Declan Kidney welcomed this opportunity to hit the ground running with two wins, all the more so as they are sandwiched by home interpros against Connacht and Ulster. "That means we won't have to leave Munster for four weeks, which can't be bad."

The flip side of that coin is that Thomond Park (where Munster have never lost a European game) will not be available until mid-October due to the refurbishment of the pitch and ground, and so only Perpignan will be entertained there.

Recalling their opening loss at home to Glasgow last year which put them on the back foot for the rest of the competition, Ulster's opening pool tie at home to Edinburgh Reivers already looks like being a key contest in the chase to accompany Toulouse into the last eight as one of the two group qualifiers.

Edinburgh, a controversial amalgamation of Edinburgh and the Scottish Borders, have struggled even more than Glasgow Caledonians to justify the Scottish Union's new `super district' strategy.