On Sunday, Montpellier gave a lesson in defensive solidity and all-court attack that, at times, simply shredded Harlequins. If you go through the video of the first half, you can count on one hand the number of times Montpellier had only one, and sometimes no, defenders in rucks. 

This left Quins running at a full and set defence, whichever option they took. Devoid of space, Marcus Smith tried ever more intricate ploys to spark attacks, but the result was the same. To their credit, Quins battled in the second half, but the damage was done. 

I do not know whether Shaun Edwards’s defensive influence has been purposely passed down to French clubs, but nearly all of those competing last weekend have defences which are hard to break down. This was not an area in which most used to excel, but it is now a notable feature. 

This, more than anything, is the reason we do not see the flaky performances we used to see away from home. 

Leicester Tigers were the exception to this premise, as they built on a fantastic domestic season to take a very creditable win against Clermont Auvergne. Without minimising what it takes to win at the iconic and hostile Stade Marcel-Michelin, the current Clermont team do not contain one player in the 23-man French squad who beat England to win this year’s Grand Slam. It is also a surprisingly ageing squad. 

In contrast to most of their opponents, and in tune with the national team, the top French club sides appear to be able to shift momentum in an instant. When Toulon were dominating Europe the French club game featured huge forwards who bludgeoned their way up the field. Today, equally big forwards come on to the ball at pace and look to offload out of tackles. 

You can almost feel the surge of energy that enervates opponents when the French kick into a higher gear. It is as exciting to watch as it is demoralising to face. 

There are still a number of influential foreign players in French club rugby, but gone are the sides packed with southern-hemisphere players. In 2017-18, the top two French leagues introduced minimum quotas of domestic players in match-day squads, and the effects are now being seen. Academies are now featuring properly in providing first-team players. 

When you consider the quality that featured in the all-French ties, especially with La Rochelle and Racing 92, everywhere you look, the future looks bright.