ON A night short on inspiration,a young New Zealand-born,Tralee-raised centre showed Thomond Park that blond-flecked hair aren’t the only highlights Danny Barnes can bring to the Munster cause.

TONY MCGAHAN could not have asked for better preparation for Munster’s Amlin Challenge Cup semi-final than this dramatic victory at the Ospreys.

TONY McGAHAN has made 14 changes to the Munster team for this evening’s Magners League clash with the Ospreys.

ANDREW TRIMBLE has not been released by Ireland for Ulster’s Magners League trip to face the Ospreys at Swansea tomorrow (5.10 pm).

Tomás O’Leary will partner Ronan O’Gara at half-back for Munster’s Heineken Cup game with the Ospreys at Thomond Parks on Sunday. (kick-off 1pm)

Ospreys 19 Leinster 15

CONNACHT were denied their second home victory of the Magners League season when the Ospreys struck for a match-winning try in the 78th minute at the Galway Sportsground last night.

NIALL O’CONNOR booted Ulster to victory as they downed the Ospreys in a tense Magners League opener at Ravenhill last night.

IRELAND wing Tommy Bowe broke the hearts of his former colleagues when he scored the Ospreys’ bonus-point fourth try near the end of a pulsating Magners League clash to deny Ulster a bonus point.

MICHAEL BRADLEY will hope his Connacht side can continue their successful European Amlin Challenge Cup form when they return to Magners League action against the Ospreys at Liberty Stadium tomorrow.

Ospreys 26 Cardiff Blues 0

OSPREYS coach Scott Johnson is keen for his side to get into a positive frame of mind ahead of a month that will shape their season.

MUNSTER coach Tony McGahan wasted no time in launching a staunch defence of Ronan O’Gara after his penalty misses proved costly against the Ospreys on Saturday night.

MIKE PHILLIPS handed Wales an injury scare during Ospreys 25-24 Heineken Cup Pool Three victory over Clermont Auvergne at the Liberty Stadium yesterday.

CONNACHT could not have wished for a tougher Magners League opening than the Ospreys when the two sides meet at the Galway Sportsground this evening (7pm).

WHEN sights were set on the highest peak, the substitute Magners League title might be construed as scant consolation after relinquishing a European crown; except somebody forgot to tell the loyal fans of Munster, close to 20,000 of them at Thomond Park last night.

THE Ospreys are considered the glamour boys of Welsh rugby but assistant coach Jonathan Humphreys admits he will take an ‘ugly’ win against Munster in the Heineken Cup on Sunday.

NIALL O’CONNOR gets a chance to redeem himself for Ulster after being named at fly-half in place of Ian Humphreys for tonight’s Magners League clash against the Ospreys at Ravenhill.

THE Magners League came down to a two-horse race as defending champions Leinster overtook Munster with a gutsy second-half display against the Ospreys.

The Ospreys will have their strength in depth tested to the limit for the visit of Magners League champions Leinster to The Liberty Stadium on Friday.

GORDON D’ARCY will again audition for a Six Nations starting berth this Friday when Leinster go to the Ospreys’ Liberty Stadium in search of a second successive Magners League win in Wales.

THE Ospreys maintained their pressure on Munster and Leinster at the top of the Magners League table with comfortable, victory over Connacht at Liberty Stadium yesterday.

The Ospreys will be without Ireland’s Tommy Bowe for their home tie against Munster at The Liberty Stadium on Friday night.

LEICESTER coach Heyneke Meyer hailed a “brilliant” performance by Toby Flood after Tigers launched their Heineken Cup campaign with victory over the Ospreys at Welford Road.

Ulster 8-16 Ospreys

CARETAKER coach Steve Williams has made six changes and one positional switch as Ulster attempt to gain some respectability from a wretched season in tonight’s Heineken Cup clash against the Ospreys at Ravenhill (8pm).

ULSTER’S Andrew Trimble links up again with Kiwi Paul Steinmetz for tonight’s Heineken Cup trip to the Liberty Stadium as caretaker coach Steve Williams makes two changes and a positional switch to face the big-spending Ospreys.

LEINSTER closed the gap on Magners League leaders Cardiff Blues with a victory over the depleted champions, the Ospreys in Swansea last night.

ROB ANDREW has hailed “an English solution for the English game” after the Twickenham unveiling of a new detailed agreement governing professional rugby in England.

NEW Zealand rugby selectors picked scrum-half Brendon Leonard and prop John Schwalger for the first time and omitted winger Rico Gear for the All Blacks’ final matches before the World Cup.

IF Munster’s pre-season form is anything to go by, then the team will improve on last year, according to centre Rob Henderson.

Luke McAlister is undaunted by the challenge of stepping into New Zealand hero Dan Carter’s boots for the final Test against the British and Irish Lions on Saturday.

New Zealand coach Graham Henry today named two new caps in the side to face Wales in Saturday’s Test at the Millennium Stadium.

New Zealand coach Graham Henry was true to his word today when he named his team to face England in Dunedin on Saturday.

Beaten semi-finalists New Zealand and France have taken vastly different approaches to Thursday’s World Cup third-place play-off.

Hosts and defending champions Australia take on the mighty All Blacks in the first of the World Cup semi-finals today in Sydney.

New Zealand’s coaching team John Mitchell and Robbie Deans today warned the All Blacks will need to up their game or be sent packing by Australia in Saturday’s World Cup semi-final.

New Zealand coach John Mitchell today named an unchanged starting line-up for Saturday’s World Cup semi-final against Australia.

Hard-hitting number eight Jerry Collins returned to the New Zealand starting line-up today as All Blacks coach John Mitchell named his strongest available side to face Wales on Sunday.

Lock Ali Williams has returned to the New Zealand camp and will face Tonga on Friday after recovering from a fractured foot suffered in the build-up to the World Cup.

New Zealand 68 Canada 6

Daniel Carter insisted the changes to the New Zealand line-up for tomorrow’s World Cup clash against Canada will have no effect on the All Blacks’ thrilling, attacking gameplan.

The continuing misfortunes of Andrew Mehrtens and Jonah Lomu continue to dominate the build-up to New Zealand’s Tri-Nations clash with Australia on Saturday.

John Mitchell returned to his strongest possible line-up for New Zealand’s twin assault on the Bledisloe Cup and the world number one ranking this weekend.

Brad Thorn will make his first Test start in New Zealand’s Tri-Nations clash with South Africa on Saturday in a line-up that features five changes from that which thumped Australia 10 days ago.

JOHN MITCHELL has dropped captain Anton Oliver from the All Black side to contest the annual Tri-Nations Series with Australia and South Africa.

New Zealand coach John Mitchell has wielded the axe after his side’s weekend defeat by England.

NEW ZEALAND have named five new caps in a side featuring 10 changes for Saturday’s clash with Wales at the Millennium Stadium.