ONE more injury or one more call-up to the Wales squad this week and Cardiff Blues would have found themselves travelling to Dublin for this evening’s RaboDirect Pro12 encounter without the services of a full starting 15.

GREAT Heineken Cup results for Leinster and Ulster with Munster left drawing crumbs of comfort from another losing bonus point on the road.

AFTER only a few minutes of Saturday’s Heineken Cup contest at the Madejski Stadium, it became abundantly clear just why we love this tournament so much.

Former Leicester Tiger Johne Murphy is set to make his debut for Munster on Friday night as the Reds take on old foes Gloucester at Musgrave Park (KO 7pm).

Openside Will Skinner will captain Harlequins for their pre-season fixture against Connacht at The Sportsground in Galway this evening (K.O. 6.30pm).

IT may sound strange in a week bookended by games against Munster and Clermont Auvergne, but London Irish have been dominating Shane Jennings’s thoughts of late.

THIS is a big week for Geordan Murphy but he hides it well.

A WEEK ago today, Donncha O’Callaghan’s prospects of being considered for a starting place on the Irish team against England at Twickenham appeared remote at best.

IF you can cast your mind back over the initial weekend of Six Nations action in recent years, the opening fare is always somewhat disappointing, with everyone paralysed by the prospect of losing that all- important first outing.

GOOD enough for the Springboks when they beat the Lions and ran away with the Tri-Nations… now not good enough for Munster.

Former Leinster and Leicester Tiger hooker Gavin Hickie will start in the middle of the front row as St Mary's College go about maintaining their 100% start to the AIB League on the road to UL-Bohemian in round five on Saturday.

Brive 13 Leinster 36

PADDY WALLACE has not given up hope of featuring as out-half again for Ireland or Ulster.

Former Leinster and Munster centre/wing Kieran Lewis has signed for AIB League Division Two club Lansdowne.

Ulster 14 Newport Gwent Dragons 16

Former Leinster prop Juan Francisco Gomez has been ruled out of Argentina's one-off international against South Africa due to a knee injury.

Ulster out-half Niall O'Connor has been called into the Ireland training squad as cover due to an injury to Geordan Murphy.

ARGENTINA’S World Cup star Felipe Contepomi is ready to launch another team towards tournament glory this weekend.

Leinster-bound Leicester Tiger Shane Jennings and former Munster coach Alan Gaffney have been nominated as the Guinness Premiership Player and Coach of the season, respectively.

BRIAN ASHTON must feel that if he is never to see Dublin again, it would be too soon.

Leicester Tiger Shane Jennings will return to his native Leinster on a three-year contract in the summer.

THE British and Irish Lions are once again learning that southern hemisphere rugby is a lot different to their own brand of play.

Taranaki 14 Lions 36

AS always, Declan Kidney had a phrase to deal with a given situation.

Ireland 55 USA 6

Ireland full-back Geordan Murphy will be delighted if he is the Leicester Tiger buying his club-mates the drinks on Sunday night – because it will mean Ireland have beaten England to the Grand Slam.

A statement from Munster chief executive Garrett Fitzgerald has says that Munster will take its full ticket allocation for the Heineken Cup quarter final against Leicester.