Pool D: France v Canada

Cian Healy is writing his way back to full match fitness but the Ireland prop recognises it will be bigger muscles than those in his hands that will define success over a mighty Romanian scrum on Sunday.

London’s Indian summer came to an abrupt end yesterday, but the slate skies and soft rain did little to dampen the sense of conviviality that permeated the mood around the French camp ahead of their second outing in Ireland’s Pool D tomorrow night.

Leinster head coach Matt O’Connor hailed his side’s collective performance at the RDS on Saturday evening as they kept alive their European Champions Cup hopes with a comprehensive 50-8 victory over Pool Two opponents Castres.

Leinster remain on course to qualify from European Champions Cup Pool Two following a 50-8 bonus point thrashing of Castres at the RDS.

Castres 16 Leinster 21

Castres 16 Leinster 21

Leinster coach Matt O’Connor spoke last weekend about the need to avoid an "ambush" in Castres in their European Rugby Champions Cup encounter this Sunday and Eoin Reddan knows all too well how best-laid plans can go awry in the Stade Pierre Antoine.

Castres 22 Leinster 29

Ronan O’Gara has poured cold water on the prospect of Munster, Ireland and Lions scrum-half Conor Murray joining him at Racing Metro.

LEINSTER V CASTRES

Tomorrow night’s Top 14 final sees Toulon aiming for a double after their win over Clermont in the Heineken Cup final a fortnight ago. Standing in their way are Castres, the underdogs.

Glasgow 6 Castres 9

Simon Lewis looks at the battle ahead

All the evidence may point to Castres running up the white flag in Limerick today but Munster have plenty of reasons to expect yet another tough challenge on a crucial afternoon of Heineken Cup rugby at Thomond Park.

STAND up BJ Botha, Isa Nacewa and Johann Muller, you and your foreign cohorts all have a point to prove this weekend as you bid to put your Irish provinces a step closer to the Heineken Cup quarter-finals.

DENIS LEAMY is a doubtful starter for Munster’s return to RaboDirect Pro12 action this weekend when the province faces Edinburgh at Thomond Park on Saturday night (8.30pm).

CASTRES out-half Pierre Bernard has paid tribute to his opposite number Ronan O’Gara following Munster’s last gasp win in Toulouse on Saturday.

MUNSTER’S hopes of continuing their winning start in Heineken Cup Pool 1 received an eve-of-game boost yesterday when Castres Olympique rang the changes to their starting line-up for today’s clash at Stade Ernest Wallon.

Scarlets 31 Castres 23

THREE key Leinster players, including Irish captain Brian O’Driscoll, are unlikely to play any part in the Magners League clash with Munster on Friday.

Mathieu Bastareaud will be on the bench when France continue their bid for an RBS 6 Nations grand slam against Italy on Sunday.

LUKE FITZGERALD isn’t giving much credence to reports that Brive will be concentrating on domestic duties to the detriment of their Heineken Cup campaign this season.

NORTHAMPTON staged the kind of second-half comeback at Wasps yesterday that their Heineken Cup opponents Munster could have done with in the RDS, but still came up short, losing 20-15.

FRANCE go into their opening RBS Six Nations match against Ireland on Saturday week with little experience at half-back after Jean-Baptiste Elissalde was surprisingly omitted from their trimmed-down 23-man squad.

THE sight of French opposition this week is likely to spark one or two conflicting memories for Brian Blaney as Castres arrive in Dublin to take on Leinster in Pool Two.

Wasps 25 Castres 11

Leeds Carnegie shrugged off their Premiership blues to take pole position in Pool Five of the European Challenge Cup at Headingley tonight with a 35-18 win over Castres Olympique, while Connacht lost away at Brive.

Wasps 55 Treviso 0

IN the sporting arena, the team that reacts best to pressure invariably comes out on top.

France fly-half Frederic Michalak is convinced he will soon be back in Bernard Laporte’s first XV – but the 22-year-old is in no rush.

Ireland international Ronan O’Gara became the Heineken Cup’s leading points scorer as Munster gained full revenge on Castres, scoring five tries in a 36-8 Pool Four triumph at Thomond Park.

Castres centre Laurent Marticorena ended Munster’s nine-game winning streak and dealt their Heineken Cup quarter-final hopes a blow, kicking four crucial penalties in a 19-12 Pool 4 win at Stade Pierre-Antoine.

RONAN O’GARA is not displaying many outward signs of the mauling he and several other Irish players received at the hands of the Argentineans last Saturday - the cut under his eye he received in that match having pretty much cleared up.

Argentinian legend Federico Mendez hopes to prove the theory that as with wine, front-row forwards improve with age when he leaves his vineyard to tackle Wales at Tucuman on Saturday.

Munster are through to the Heineken Cup final for the second time in three years after disposing of Castres at Beziers.

Castres have received a huge boost after their Ivory Coast forward Ismaela Lassissi won his appeal against a 12-month ban imposed by tournament disciplinary chiefs following a biting allegation.