Three reasons to relish the return

Top clubs in England and France have served notice of their intention to quit the Heineken Cup and organise a rival competition as they believe the current format is weighted too heavily in favour of the Celtic nations.

Twenty-one-year-old Ospreys winger Hanno Dirksen is relishing the challenge of locking horns with European champions Leinster in Sunday’s RaboDirect PRO12 final at the RDS (4pm).

Tony McGahan welcomed Ronan O’Gara back to Munster squad for the first time in a month ahead of tomorrow night’s RaboDirect Pro12 semi-final at Ospreys but revealed Damien Varley’s injury may be worse than first feared.

Connacht signed off with a best place finish in this season’s RaboDirect Pro12 League but Eric Elwood won’t be happy with this performance.

Glowing tributes have been paid to David Wallace, the iconic Munster, Ireland and British and Irish Lions flanker who has called time on a glittering professional career that spanned 16 seasons.

From Kenya to Connacht, Tom Sears’ career move is as ambitious as the province he will serve from next season, charged with leading the westerners into the next stage of their impressive progression.

Undeserving may be, but Connacht’s late steal at the death against Aironi on Saturday provided the Irish province with their first three-in-a-row of victories since 2002.

Connacht 19 Aironi 16

The inclusion of prop Denis Buckley, who joins the front-row in place of the injured Brett Wilkinson, is the only change Eric Elwood has made for his side’s PRO12 meeting with Aironi in the Sportsground tomorrow (5pm).

A calf injury sustained against Ulster has ruled Brett Wilkinson out of Connacht's RaboDirect PRO12 clash with Aironi in The Sportsground on Saturday (5pm).

When the Heineken Cup celebrated its 15th birthday two years ago, fans were asked to select their most memorable games from the tournament’s history.

Tommy Bowe could miss Ireland’s tour to New Zealand this summer.

The Federazione Italiana Rugby (FIR) has today announced that is has revoked the Aironi licence to participate the RaboDirect Pro12, due to financial pressure.

Concrete updates on Stephen Ferris’ ankle injury were thin on the ground in Belfast yesterday but all the indications are that the Ireland flanker will be named in the Ulster team to face Munster in Sunday’s Heineken Cup quarter-final.

Brian McLaughlin has included Stephen Ferris in his provisional squad for Sunday’s Heineken Cup quarter final against Munster at Thomond Park (1.45pm).

Ulster captain Johann Muller is anticipating a war of attrition between both sets of forwards when his team travel to Thomond Park for their Heineken Cup quarter-final on Sunday (1.45pm).

Ulster 45 Aironi 7

Ulster coach Brian McLaughlin has once again made several changes to his starting XV for their RaboDirect PRO12 fixture against Aironi at Ravenhill (kick off 7.05pm).

James Coughlan has promised Munster will not lack aggression at the breakdown as they aim to avenge Leinster for their RaboDirect Pro12 defeat at the Aviva Stadium last November.

Ulster have named Ireland trio Rory Best, Andrew Trimble and Stephen Ferris in their squad to face Aironi in Friday’s RaboDirect Pro12 clash at Ravenhill (kick-off 7.05pm).

Glasgow 29 Aironi 6

Tony McGahan has made eight changes to the Munster starting line-up for the trip to Galway tomorrow and the RaboDirect PRO12 clash with Connacht (7.45pm).

Aironi 21 Munster 17

Wales are optimistic captain Sam Warburton will be fit to lead his team’s RBS 6 Nations title bid against France next Saturday.

David Wallace has been named on the Munster bench for their RaboDirect PRO12 encounter with Aironi in Italy on Sunday (3pm).

Centre Ian Whitten will part ways with his Ulster teammates at the end of this season having signed a two year deal with Aviva Premiership outfit Exeter Chiefs.

Captain Ross Ford believes a Scotland win in Saturday’s RBS 6 Nations clash with Ireland in Dublin is necessary for the squad to retain belief that they are moving in the right direction.

Ireland and Munster suffered a huge blow yesterday when both captain Paul O’Connell and scrum-half Conor Murray were ruled out of action for between three and six weeks.

Munster double centurion Mick O’Driscoll reckons Saturday’s victory over Newport Gwent Dragons was crucial to Red Army’s Pro12 hopes.

Luke Fitzgerald’s badly-timed absence through injury will finally end this evening when he lines out at full-back for Leinster’s RaboDirect Pro12 encounter with Aironi at the Stadio Zaffanella.

Luke Fitzgerald returns to the Leinster team for their RaboDirect PRO12 meeting with Aironi in the Stadio Luigi Zaffanella tomorrow (6pm).

Richardt Strauss tried hisbest to stay on message and turn the attention to Aironi yesterday but even the tight-lipped South African couldn’t prevent the conversation from zeroing in on his imminent eligibility for Ireland.

With Sunday’s re-scheduled Six Nations clash away to France set to rule out a large number of Ireland players, Leinster at least look likely to be able to call upon Luke Fitzgerald after his return to full training last week.

Ospreys 23 Aironi 7

A new date has been set for RaboDirect PRO12 match between Aironi and Munster.

The RaboDirect PRO12 round 14 game between Aironi and Munster originally scheduled for Sunday, February 12 has been postponed due to adverse weather conditions.

Munster’s hopes of holding a camp in Italy on Sunday have gone by the wayside after their game against Aironi was called off yesterday because of the freezing weather.

There might well be a new broom brushing away the cobwebs of the Marc Lièvremont era but looking at Philippe Saint-André’s first XV as France coach, it’s not immediately clear if all that much has changed.

Felix Jones, the Munster and Ireland full-back out of action since last August, is set to return to competitive rugby later this month.

Stephen Ferris takes questions with a look of calm, if not outright satisfaction.

THIS was meant to be the game that topped the bill this weekend: a revitalised Ulster side against one of the French powerhouses with both sides gunning for the win required to take them through to the next round and leave the other scratching for a slot in the Amlin Challenge.

ULSTER coach Brian McLaughlin has branded Declan Kidney’s latest Irish squads as “conservative” and lamented the absence of a number of his players from both the senior and Wolfhound panels yesterday.

IRISH provinces will be chasing a financial jackpot this weekend as they look to secure a Heineken Cup quarter-final home draw, with local economies benefiting by up to €10.5 million, according to figures released by the tournament organisers.