If the Heineken Cup draw is made on a geographical basis, rather than on strict rugby-playing merit, then there will inevitably be a “pool of death” and next season, London Wasps are up to their necks in it. Wasps, holders after their superbly-plotted win over Leicester last month, were given the worst of all possible rewards today.

It is even worse than in 2004, when they were European champions for the first time. The following season they found themselves in a pool with Leicester and Biarritz and duly failed to qualify for the knockout phase but at least, on that occasion, Calvisano offered a chink of light and two banker wins.

Now they do not even have that luxury. They must play Munster, the 2005 champions, Clermont-Auvergne, the European Challenge Cup holders and rising power in France, and Llanelli Scarlets.

They must do so, moreover, without knowing until mid-August which members of their squad they will have available for the start of the season; Wasps could lose 14 players to various World Cup squads and find their way through the early stages of the Guinness Premiership with a squad of 26.

What shape their most experienced players will be in after the World Cup is over remains to be seen but they will have little more than a fortnight to sort themselves out before the 2007-08 Heineken Cup begins. It will be cold comfort that their perennial rivals, Leicester, are little better off while pool three offers a good competition too.

Clearly Stade Francais, the French champions, will be favourites but the runners-up could come from any one of Bristol, Harlequins or Cardiff Blues which could be significant. Pools five and six, involving Leicester and Wasps, will be so closely contested, with bonus points at a premium, that the two clubs qualifying for the knockout phase as runners-up are more than likely to come from the other four pools.