With Gordon D’Arcy ruled out through injury, Joe Schmidt has opted to play Ian Madigan at inside centre for tomorrows Amlin Challenge Cup semi-final against Biarritz Olympique in the RDS (2.30pm).

AMLIN CHALLENGE CUP SEMI-FINAL

Joe Schmidt will have close to a full strength squad to choose from for Saturday’s Amlin Challenge Cup semi final against Biarritz Olympique in the RDS (2.30pm).

Biarritz Olympique 17 Connacht 0

Leinster back rower Rhys Ruddock has been drafted into the Ireland squad ahead of their final November Test series match against Argentina on Saturday (2pm).

Make no mistake, Brian O’Driscoll plans on going to Australia next year — but it appears he has no plans to stay too long.

Ireland Under-20s 18 France Under-20s 7

IT MUST have been a rather chastened English contingent that arrived for their first get together under Stuart Lancaster at West Park rugby club in Leeds on Monday morning in preparation for the Six Nations championship after a calamitous weekend for their clubs in the Heineken Cup.

CONOR MURRAY has admitted there is no room for sentiment when it comes to the starting Munster scrum-half position.

IRELAND referee Alain Rolland can expect a red-hot reception when he takes charge of the Heineken Cup clash between Scarlets and Northampton Saints next month.

IRISH rugby referee Peter Fitzgibbon found himself officiating a bizarre encounter on Tuesday night when the father of Biarritz and French star Imanol Harinordoquy raced onto the pitch and attempted to punch players in a stormy Basque derby.

IRISH rugby referee Peter Fitzgibbon found himself officiating a bizarre encounter on Tuesday night when the father of Biarritz and French star Imanol Harinordoquy raced onto the pitch and attempted to punch players in a stormy Basque derby.

FRANCE coach Marc Lièvremont has thrown down the gauntlet to his players ahead of Saturday’s World Cup warm-up with Ireland in Bordeaux by declaring that Les Bleus are now in “competition mode”.

LEINSTER and Munster will again be among the top seeds for next week’s Heineken Cup draw, after European Rugby Cup (ERC) yesterday confirmed the tiers for the 2011/12 tournament.

Heineken Cup champions Leinster will be joined as top seeds in next season’s competition by Toulouse, Munster, Cardiff Blues, Biarritz and Leicester.

ROD KAFER and Doug Howlett are the only members of the elite north-south double winners club — but now Pedrie Wannenburg, Scott Hamilton, George Smith and Campbell Johnstone are in with the chance of adding their names to that shortest of short honours boards.

Ireland’s Geordan Murphy misses tomorrow’s trip to the Aviva, but plenty of his Leicester colleagues have a difficult experience at the new stadium to call on. Simon Lewis reports

LEINSTER will have Welsh referee Nigel Owens in charge of their Heineken Cup quarter-final clash with Leicester, following the latest round of appointments for next month’s European Rugby Cup matches.

LEINSTER rugby chiefs have welcomed confirmation their Heineken Cup quarter-final with Leicester Tigers at the Aviva Stadium is fixed for a 6pm start on Saturday, April 9.

ULSTER haven’t escaped the Heineken Cup pool stages in 11 years — but they have a real chance to break that unwanted record this weekend.

MUNSTER will be hoping an early Christmas present arrives when Paul O’Connell’s appeal against a four-week ban is heard today.

THE Ospreys’ troubled preparations for Sunday’s Heineken Cup tie at Munster took a new twist yesterday after they were hit with yet another fine by rugby officials.

Full-back David McIlwaine will make his Heineken Cup debut for Ulster against Biarritz Olympique in France on Sunday.

Biarritz Olympique have made two changes for their Heineken Cup clash at home to Ulster on Sunday.

Ospreys may be serial under-achievers in Europe, but they’re still not a team anybody wants in their pool, says Simon Lewis.

Fluent French speaker Alain Rolland has lost out on the Heineken Cup final to Englishman Wayne Barnes.

France number eight Imanol Hirinordoquy has recovered from a broken nose to take his place for Biarritz against Munster in the Heineken Cup semi-final in San Sebastian on Sunday.

John Kelly provides a fascinating insight into the Munster mindset ahead of the 2006 Heineken Cup final – and warns that their Basque opponents are the ones with a score to settle

They’ve been one of France’s most successful club sides over the last decade yet what Biarritz Olympique truly crave is some European silverware, argues Ian Moriarty in Biarritz

BACK in the early spring of 2001, Brian McGoey, a keen member of the Red Army and proprietor of a Limerick restaurant, promised to provide any member of the Munster team that scored three tries in a Heineken Cup tie with a lifetime supply of pizzas.

MUNSTER’S Heineken Cup opponents Biarritz Olympique suffered a serious blow on Saturday with an injury to influential centre and veteran French international Damien Traille, who has now been ruled out for next Sunday’s Heineken Cup quarter-final with the Irish province.

PROBABLY not the week to invoke the atmosphere, even in jest, but here we like to mix it up a little.

MUNSTER and Leinster have commenced their ticket sales for next month’s glamour Heineken Cup ties.

DESPITE the recession, up to 10,000 Munster supporters are expected to travel to San Sebastian in northern Spain for the Heineken Cup semi-final clash with French side Biarritz Olympique.

THOMOND PARK holds no fears for Neil Best – and the Irish international is adamant his Northampton Saints team-mates can draw strength from their recent experiences there for Saturday’s Heineken Cup quarter-final.

WELSHMAN Nigel Owens renews his close relationship with Munster in the competition when he takes charge of the Heineken Cup quarter-final clash with Northampton Saints at Thomond Park on Saturday, April 10.

MUNSTER Rugby chiefs are ‘extremely disappointed’ at the scheduling of their crucial Heineken Cup Pool One game against Northampton Saints at Thomond Park for Friday, January 22 (8pm).

Biarritz 42 Gloucester 15

Heineken Cup champions Leinster will start their bid to retain their title against London Irish on the evening of Friday 9, October 2009 at the RDS in Dublin, it has been announced.

LEINSTER have earned Tier One status in the ERC ranking, joining Munster as one of the six teams heading the pools for the 2009/10 tournament.

THOMOND PARK officials last night expressed disappointment with the ERC decision to schedule their crucial Heineken Cup clash with Sale Sharks on Friday, January 16.

EDDIE O’SULLIVAN is reportedly being lined up to become the next coach of struggling French Top 14 club Biarritz Olympique.

The fixtures, dates and kick-off times the first four Rounds of the 2008/09 Heineken Cup tournament were today announced by ERC with a record 10 matches being televised on each of the opening two weekends in October.

TOBY FLOOD openly admits he is enduring a week from hell as England prepare to complete their failed RBS 6 Nations campaign.