Why England's elite Aviva Premiership clubs have found life so much tougher in the Heineken Cup Changing tempo is crucial All the top teams I have seen in this year's competition - Clermont Auvergne, Toulouse, Toulon and Leinster - can build momentum throughout a game and then change the pace at which they play. That is what the English teams have struggled with. Even when they have had the upper hand, they have not consistently been able to drive that advantage home. We saw that last weekend when Harlequins were 13-3 up against Clermont, but still ended up losing 16-13. Another score early in the second half might have ended Clermont's hopes, but sadly the away side were suddenly dictating the game. Sometimes the English sides just try to play too much to a pattern rather than using really direct and incisive running. The counter-attacking in general is just not sharp enough consistently; Quins" Mike Brown looked very capable in that match, but others were slow to react to his running, and ultimately it is that quick positioning of the support which creates the continuity and momentum. Those top teams have the ability to thread several good contacts together and to shut down oppositions in doing that. They can use the word "physicality" in both attack and defence, and their breakdown work is much more clinical and smart - Ulster are good in that respect, too - as opposed to the work of English clubs in that area, which can be almost brutish and often not smart at all. The key lies in controlling the defender, either by power in the contact or speed of the footwork when the attacker ends up on an arm rather than a shoulder, and consistently looking for the opportunity. Premiership rugby is not producing that on a consistent enough basis. Toulouse are the standout contenders This year's competition was a little slow to get going - it has been a little flat for some reason - but that does not mean that there have not been some memorable matches. There have been some outstanding games rather than the whole tournament being outstanding. But Toulouse v Saracens last weekend, when the French side won 21-11, was as good a match as any in recent years. I thought it was Toulouse at their very best. There was that alluring mixture of power in the contact and subtlety of play on the front foot. They have that ability to make power look easy and then to make space appear. I thought that in the tackle and at the breakdown Toulouse were superb. They did not allow Saracens to build the sort of tempo they have had in the Aviva Premiership this season. The first contact and the one-on-one tackles were always won by Toulouse. Saracens did not react quickly enough to alter their play, so that they adopted more of a kicking game to try to turn Toulouse or to put the home back three under pressure with high balls that could be contested. But any kicks seemed to allow Toulouse to counterattack, which they did superbly. One came from deep inside their own 22: it was especially impressive as it showed they had the confidence to use their ability to isolate the chasers, pass and support and ultimately take the attack 60 metres downfield, a huge psychological plus. Then what about Leinster's 40-7 victory at Northampton? Just like Toulouse last weekend, that was Leinster at their very best. The pace and tempo with which they played were extraordinary. Northampton's 18-9 win in Dublin the following weekend was undoubtedly memorable, too, with their work at the breakdown really, really good. I know they have not qualified, but to me Northampton have looked the best English team in this tournament. They just had a horrible pool, with Castres and Ospreys to add to Leinster. Munster are the kings of ugly wins You look at Munster as a team these days and they look pretty average compared to the other top teams in the competition, but they still know how to win in Europe. They are the kings at being able to collect points when it matters most. As I mentioned above, Leicester are pretty good at that too, but Munster are even better. Paul O'Connell is a favourite of mine - I would have picked him as captain of the British and Irish Lions again last summer - and he has yet again been an incredible rallying point for Munster this season. He was superb against Gloucester recently. You just saw in that game how good he is at making a team perform. That said, I cannot see Munster winning it this season, as they did in 2005-06 and 2007-08. I think the cup will be heading back over to France, as it did with Toulon last season. I just cannot see past that. As happened last year, the quarter-finalists will come from three countries - France, Ireland and England, with no Welsh, Scottish or Italian representation. Toulouse, Toulon and Clermont look the three strongest sides. If there is to be dark horse it might be Leinster because they have that ability to win away from home. George North is becoming a true great It might be slightly worrying for the English clubs that their star performer has been a Welshman, but there is little doubt that North has grown into his role with his new club and has put in some stellar performances in recent weeks. He is mighty form heading into the Six Nations. Other individuals who have impressed me? Well, I have already mentioned O'Connell and he is exactly the type of player who can make a difference in this competition. But I thought the whole Toulouse back row were outstanding last weekend against Saracens. Yannick Nyanga, Louis Picamoles and Thierry Dusautoir are some combination, and they showed it then. They were just so powerful. The back three of Maxime Médard, Yoann Huget and Hosea Gear were not too bad, either. Their ability to counter-attack was brilliant. And there have been some other full-backs who have also done that exceptionally well. Take Clermont's Jean-Marcel Buttin and Leinster's Rob Kearney who are both in excellent form. I was also impressed by Toulouse's fly-half Jean-Marc Doussain. In the very French way, he is another scrum-half who is playing fly-half, but he really looked the part last weekend. I would not be surprised if he is wearing France's No 10 jersey in their opening Six Nations match at home against England on Feb 1.