IT'S getting close to crunch time for Wales' leading clubs as the Heineken Cup draws near to be followed by the Celtic League quarter-finals.

The omens don't look good, for the performance of the Welsh clubs in the Celtic League is almost too bad to be true.

The Irish are having a field day, and their overwhelming victories can only stand them in good stead for the Heineken Cup.

So far it is the Irish and perhaps Glasgow who are benefiting most from the Celtic League, Welsh teams languishing far behind.

Wales coach Graham Henry may have a point when he says Welsh sides appear to be taking the new competition less than seriously.

The reason, he says, is that the Celtic League does not hold qualification for next season's Heineken Cup.

That remains down to finishing positions in the Welsh/Scottish League, so it could well be that some Welsh clubs are holding a bit back for those games.

If so that is a case of skating on thin ice because these Celtic League clashes are very much preparation for the Heineken Cup which starts in 10 days.

The record between Welsh and Irish teams in the Celtic League pool games stands at an incredible 16-2 in favour of the Irish.

As a result all four provinces have earned a home draw in the last eight, Leinster against Newport, Munster against Llanelli, Ulster against Neath and Connacht against Glasgow.

Irish eyes are smiling, and they will be positively gleaming if they win through to make it an all-Ireland final four.

It would be like the Irish inter-provincial championship all over again for them.

But there is a serious side to it for Welsh rugby. The ultimate aim is supposed to be a British League, something the English clubs are cool about, claiming they don't need it and that their own Zurich Premiership is sufficiently strong.

They had a point. Just how the Welsh clubs can expect to interest England in a British League on the basis of their performances in the Celtic League is beyond comprehension.

Henry, meanwhile, has rather more pressing business on his mind with tomorrow night's game against Romania.

Wales' record against the Eastern Europeans is less than impressive with two defeats from their five games.

But these days Romania are little more than cannon fodder and they are without four of their players, their current French clubs refusing to release them.

Anything other than a convincing victory would be unacceptable, and most interest will surround the performance of individuals like teenager Gavin Henson at outside half, Stephen Jones at inside centre, Chris Wyatt at lock and Gavin Thomas at openside flanker.