COACH John Connolly has warned his players that wounded Ireland are in Perth looking for a Wallaby scalp on Saturday to finish the season in style.

WALLABIES coach John Connolly have named a 37-man squad for next month’s four-test tour of Italy, Britain and Ireland.

JOHN Hayes is a man of few words, so it may not have dawned on many people that he makes his 58th appearance for Ireland tomorrow and surpasses Phil Orr’s record as the most capped Irish prop.

Lions lock Paul O’Connell has stoked up Saturday’s RBS 6 Nations Championship showdown with France by warning Ireland they must start realising their potential.

FRANCE captain Fabien Pelous has vowed to address the problems which led to his side crashing to a shock defeat against Scotland in their RBS 6 Nations Championship opener.

FRANCE captain Fabien Pelous is determined to put his lengthy ban behind him and concentrate on success with his country ahead of their RBS 6 Nations opener with Scotland at Murrayfield on Sunday.

FREDERIC MICHALAK has been named in France’s team to play Scotland in Sunday’s RBS 6 Nations clash at Murrayfield.

Frederic Michalak has been named in France’s team to play Scotland in this weekend’s RBS 6 Nations clash at Murrayfield.

FRANCE have recalled skipper Fabien Pelous for their Six Nations opener against Scotland at Murrayfield on February 5.

Wales great Jonathan Davies believes banned Grand Slam star Gavin Henson has received too harsh a punishment after being found guilty of elbowing an opponent.

EUROPEAN Rugby Cup has confirmed that Ospreys have made an official appeal against Wales centre Gavin Henson’s 10 weeks and two days ban.

Wales head coach Mike Ruddock today urged the Ospreys management to strongly consider appealing against Gavin Henson’s 10-week suspension.

OSPREYS officials look likely to appeal against the 10-week ban that has left Wales Grand Slam star Gavin Henson’s season in ruins.

Ospreys officials look likely to appeal against the 10-week ban that has left Wales Grand Slam star Gavin Henson’s season in ruins.

Gavin Henson will go into today’s disciplinary hearing in Glasgow already feeling glum after the Ospreys were last night hammered 28-9 at home by Cardiff in the Celtic League.

THE Ospreys are ready to mount a vigorous defence of their Wales Grand Slam star Gavin Henson when he faces a potential season-defining disciplinary hearing today.

France captain Fabien Pelous will not play again this year after being handed a nine-week ban by an International Rugby Board disciplinary committee.

France captain Fabien Pelous has been cited for allegedly elbowing Australia hooker Brendan Cannon during his side’s 26-16 win.

France 26 Australia 16

Australia will be without experienced hooker Jeremy Paul for their tour of Europe.

NEW ZEALAND coach Graham Henry believes the All Blacks still have a long way to go if they want to win the 2007 World Cup despite confirming their place as the world’s number one team.

Australia coach Eddie Jones is upbeat about his team’s chances of ending a 42-year hoodoo at Ellis Park in Johannesburg in a fortnight’s time.

Jim Cook

AUSTRALIA hooker Brendan Cannon has become the first player to join new Super 14 team Perth after agreeing a two-year contract with Rugby WA.

SCHALK BURGER, the International Rugby Board’s Player of the Year, will line up for the Barbarians against New Zealand at Twickenham on Saturday.

Schalk Burger, the International Rugby Board’s player of the year, will line up for the Barbarians against New Zealand at Twickenham on Saturday.

Kiwis Reuben Thorne and Justin Marshall were among eight players included in the Barbarians squad to face New Zealand at Twickenham next month.

Australia coach Eddie Jones has made three changes up front for Saturday’s autumn international against Scotland at Murrayfield.

Hooker Brendan Cannon will return from suspension to be the only change in personnel for Australia’s assignment at home to New Zealand on Saturday.

AUSTRALIA coach Eddie Jones accepted the two-week ban on hooker Brendan Cannon yesterday for punching but believes All Black players should also have been in the dock.

New Zealand retained the Bledisloe Cup with victory over Australia in wet and windy Wellington today.

Morgan Turinui, a try-scorer in yesterday’s 34-13 victory over Scotland, has been dropped from the Australia squad to take on England in next Saturday’s World Cup final rematch.

International rugby latest:

Australia have included five new players in their squad for the forthcoming Tests against Scotland and England – and they are all from the Super 12-winning ACT Brumbies team.

Prop Al Baxter and his front-row colleagues have vowed to win the World Cup on Saturday for their injured Wallaby team-mate Ben Darwin, whose rugby career hangs in the balance after he suffered a neck injury in Australia’s semi-final victory over New Zealand.

New Zealand hooker Keven Mealamu refused to underestimate Australia’s much-criticised forward pack ahead of Saturday’s World Cup semi-final.

WALLABIES flanker George Smith is on course to make Australia’s World Cup semi-final against New Zealand as his shoulder injury continued to improve yesterday.

Wallabies flanker George Smith is on course to make Australia’s World Cup semi-final against New Zealand after his chances of recovering from a shoulder injury improved to better than even today.

Australia edged brave Ireland by just one point in a sensational World Cup clash in Melbourne. That the game was the finest of the World Cup so far will be of little consolation to Ireland, who must now tackle France in next weekend’s quarter-final.

Nothing was going to keep Keith Wood out of tomorrow’s crunch Pool A showdown with World Cup rivals Australia.

ALL in all, it was quite an impressive performance from Eddie Jones yesterday.

Australia know just how dangerous Brian ‘Waltzing’ O’Driscoll can be after a devastating Lions tour Down Under two years ago but, for those in the murky world of the Wallabies front row, no Irishman is held in higher esteem than Keith Wood.

Australia scored 13 tries and they equalled their biggest ever Test win as they overcame some poor handling early on to destroy Romania 90-8 at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium.

SOUTH AFRICA bad-boy Bakkies Botha has been named in the Springboks side to face Uruguay in their opening World Cup match on Saturday as skipper Corne Krige was rested.