Just when we were getting to know and appreciate the Munster coach, he’s leaving. So who is Rob Penney and what has shaped him as a coach and a person?

HERE’S a scenario that I imagine that Joe Schmidt was not asked to address during his interview yesterday for the job as new Irish rugby coach.

Having played his first senior Munster game since October on Saturday night, lock Paul O’Connell is confident his fitness will be up to standard for the Heineken Cup quarter-final against Harlequins in two weeks.

England 23 France 13

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.

Matt Stevens’ return from the ignominy of a drugs ban continued today when he was confirmed in England’s 45-man Rugby World Cup training squad.

Jamie Roberts has braced Wales for “one of the biggest challenges any team could face” against Marc Lievremont’s battered and bewildered French flops in Paris next Saturday.

MARK EVANS has revealed Harlequins have received “quite a few approaches” to succeed the disgraced Dean Richards as their director of rugby.

BRIAN O’DRISCOLL is eagerly anticipating the prospect of facing South Africa again later this year.

NEW ZEALAND great Sean Fitzpatrick has entered the debate over the future of the British and Irish Lions by claiming their tours should be expanded not abandoned.

THE dust has hardly settled on the 2009 British and Irish Lions tour to South Africa, but already plans are being drawn up for Australia 2013.

NUMBERS were down for big GAA championship games over the weekend, with just over 15,000 in Thurles for the Limerick-Waterford Munster SHC replay and Galway-Kilkenny failing to fill Tullamore’s O’Connor Park for an eagerly-anticipated clash.

The British and Irish Lions have been forced into a late double change for the opening match of their tour of South Africa after forwards Andy Powell and Stephen Ferris were ruled out by injury.

Peter de Villiers feels that South Africa’s political history is still hampering the national team’s development in the country.

FORMER Ireland coach Eddie O’Sullivan has launched a stinging attack on the Southern hemisphere’s Super 14 describing it as a dud and, due to the glut of free kicks, admits he can’t be bothered watching it.

Scot Gordon Bulloch has played down a training ground clash with Irishman John Hayes as the British and Irish Lions continue their build up to the three-Test series against the All Blacks.

Justin Marshall has re-affirmed his commitment to the All Blacks and wants to be involved in the three Tests against the British and Irish Lions.