ON THE eve of his reappointment as Munster captain, Paul O’Connell has welcomed the decision to provide a guaranteed competitive climax to the Magners League campaign this season.

TOBY FLOOD believes Leicester’s presence at the business end of the Heineken Cup has more than justified his move from his beloved Newcastle Falcons.

Shane Jennings accepts “the whole of Ireland” will probably rank Leinster as underdogs in tomorrow’s Heineken Cup semi-final showdown against holders Munster.

Warren Gatland has delivered a blunt verdict on Ryan Jones’ omission from the Lions squad, declaring: “There is no favouritism.”

THE Ospreys may be drinking in the last chance saloon, but captain Ryan Jones refuses to call time on their season until last orders are served at Thomond Park tomorrow.

SHANE WILLIAMS has won almost every major honour in the game over the last 12 months but the wing wizard still has one burning ambition left to achieve in club rugby — to join idol Doug Howlett and win the Heineken Cup.

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.

ANYONE questioning the hunger of Munster’s returning Grand Slam heroes for further silverware could rest easy on leaving Thomond Park last Saturday night after another comprehensive win over great rivals Leinster. Suffice to say that Munster coach Tony McGahan must have slept more soundly in his bed afterwards than his Leinster counterpart Michael Cheika.

Edinburgh 16 Cardiff 3

Wales star Gavin Henson believes it would be “a pretty brave decision” by the Lions to select him for this summer’s South Africa tour.

GAVIN HENSON believes he could be “too much of a liability” for Ian McGeechan to consider taking on this summer’s &Lions tour to South Africa. The double Grand Slam winning Welsh centre, pictured, has been ruled out for at least another six weeks after damaging ankle ligaments in the Ospreys’ EDF Energy Cup semi-final defeat last weekend.

GAVIN HENSON’S chances of touring with the Lions this summer could be over after he was ruled out for up to six weeks with ankle ligament damage.

TOMMY BOWE admits he will have to mend the hearts of his Ospreys team-mates after dashing Wales‘ Six Nations hopes.

OSPREYS star Lee Byrne is rated doubtful for the Welsh region’s Heineken Cup quarter-final clash with Munster in Thomond Park on April 12.

Ireland Grand Slam hero Tommy Bowe will be back at work on Tuesday – with many of the players whose RBS 6 Nations title dream he helped destroy.

Heineken Cup quarter-finalists the Ospreys have signed Samoa captain Filipo Levi.

FORMER Ireland A prop Peter Bracken is hopeful that his career can be relaunched by a mid-season move from Bristol to Harlequins.

OSPREYS say Wales star Shane Williams may be available for Friday’s table-topping Magners League clash with Munster.

CLERMONT AUVERGNE lock Jamie Cudmore has received a five-week ban after being sent off in last weekend’s Heineken Cup clash against Munster at Thomond Park.

PHILIPPE SAINT-ANDRE is hoping his Sale Sharks players will be on cloud nine after their Heineken Cup double-header against Montauban, which kicks-off at Edgeley Park tonight.

Cardiff Blues pair Leigh Halfpenny and Andy Powell make their Wales debuts in Saturday’s Millennium Stadium clash against world champions South Africa.

MUNSTER fly-half Ronan O’Gara was last night named Guinness Rugby Writers of Ireland Player of the Year.

WALES coach Warren Gatland has committed himself to the job until the end of the 2011 World Cup despite his feelings on the club-versus-country row over the release of players.

England manager Martin Johnson appeared to provide an early glimpse into his thinking ahead of a demanding autumn Test campaign by making eight players available for EDF Energy Cup action this weekend.

Steve Borthwick could be confirmed later today as England captain for their demanding autumn Test schedule.

Welsh rugby chiefs are claiming what they term “a major and significant legal victory” in the battle over international player release.

Harlequins wing Ugo Monye has been drafted into England’s elite player squad as replacement for the injured James Simpson-Daniel.

This time last year, Scott Gray was turning out for Doncaster in England's National League One.

WARREN GATLAND has thrown a hand grenade into Welsh rugby’s ongoing turmoil by admitting he has questioned his position as national coach.

Suspended forward Scott MacLeod was an expected omission from the Scotland squad announced today for the autumn internationals against New Zealand, South Africa and Canada.

Gavin Henson has been named in Wales’ squad for the autumn Tests, despite his chronic lack of match practice.

Wales coach Warren Gatland last night hit out in the player release row between the Welsh Rugby Union and the regional sides and insisted five days’ preparation for the opening November Test would be “insufficient”.

The Scottish Rugby Union today defended the decision to take their row with English clubs over player release to the International Rugby Board – despite claims they were forced into an embarrassing u-turn over the matter.

The Scottish Rugby Union appear to have been forced into an embarrassing climbdown in their row with English clubs over player release for next month’s autumn internationals.

A contrite Gavin Henson claims he "fully accepts" the two-match Heineken Cup ban imposed on him by the Ospreys.

BANNED Wales star Gavin Henson looks to have fallen foul of the Ospreys’ stringent player conduct code.

Banned Wales star Gavin Henson looks to have fallen foul of the Ospreys’ stringent player conduct code.

Wales star Gavin Henson has been dramatically axed from the Ospreys' opening Heineken Cup games against Leicester and Perpignan.

Ireland flanker Neil Best has failed in an appeal against his 18-week suspension for eye-gouging.

FORMER Ulster wing Tommy Bowe helped defending champions Ospreys out of jail as they squeezed past Harlequins 24-23 in the EDF Energy Cup first round at Liberty Stadium.

Ireland rugby international Neil Best has been banned for 18 weeks by the Rugby Football Union after admitting illegally making contact with the eye or eye area of Wasps’ James Haskell with his hand during a Guinness Premiership game.

Leinster 19 Ospreys 13

Former World Cup-winning South Africa coach Jake White is the most high-profile name on a list of contenders to take over at Leicester after the departure of head coach Marcelo Loffreda.

LEICESTER have parted company with head coach Marcelo Loffreda – and raised the possibility of South Africa’s World Cup-winning supremo Jake White replacing him at Welford Road.