CONNACHT coach Eric Elwood has vowed that a heartbreaking late loss to English Premiership side Gloucester will not break his side’s spirit.

Gloucester coach Bryan Redpath was relieved but not impressed by his side’s narrow 23-19 Heineken Cup victory over Connacht at Kingsholm.

AN improved set piece is essential if Connacht are to have any hopes of overcoming Gloucester on the second of the back-to-back Heineken Cup fixtures and grab that elusive win.

GLOUCESTER head coach Bryan Redpath was delighted with the performance of under-fire centre Mike Tindall as he ended a difficult week with a resolute performance in a tense 21-17 defeat at Toulouse .

MUNSTER’S backroom reshuffle for next season continued yesterday with the appointment of Ian Costello as both skills and A team coach.

Gloucester head coach Bryan Redpath has signed a new contract with the Aviva Premiership title challengers.

Conor O’Shea believes his Harlequins team will face the standard-bearers for English club rugby tomorrow.

GLOUCESTER romped to an emphatic 60-7 victory over Agen but it was not enough to keep their Amlin Challenge Cup hopes alive.

Northampton will be prepared for the “different problems” posed by Heineken Cup opponents when they switch their attention from domestic to European business tomorrow night.

Chris Paterson today revealed he was targeting far more than 100 caps as he prepared to make yet another bit of history in a Scotland jersey.

Sale Sharks boss Kingsley Jones is ready for “a massive game” against French giants Toulouse tomorrow when his team pursue a European consolation prize.

Paul O’Connell believes Munster answered their critics in the best possible way with a stunning 37-14 bonus-point victory against Perpignan yesterday.

Munster can push reigning French champions Perpignan to the brink of Heineken Cup elimination tomorrow – and underline their own credentials for a possible third European title.

Glasgow Warriors 33 Gloucester 11

London Irish headed home from Dublin today confirmed as major contenders to win this season’s Heineken Cup.

Gloucester 19 Newport Gwent Dragons 17

GLOUCESTER boss Bryan Redpath has put his team on red alert tonight for their Heineken Cup clash against a Newport Gwent Dragons side he believes will show “no fear”.

Bryan Redpath has been confirmed as Gloucester’s new head coach following the departure of Dean Ryan.

Gloucester have confirmed the signing of Scotland star Chris Paterson on a three-year contract.

Bourgoin's former Munster scrum-half Mike Prendergast will join Gloucester at the end of the English domestic season on a two-year deal from Bourgoin.

London Irish look poised to make a major swoop in the transfer market by signing England scrum-half Peter Richards.

No longer are rugby’s tyro talents waiting until their 20s to make a mark. Barry Coughlan looks at the explosive talents of five bright young things ready to make their marks in the Heineken Cup.

Ireland’s Johnny O’Connor has been named in the Barbarians squad for this month’s two-match tour of Britain.

Sale 59 Connacht 9

Sale Sharks have identified veteran Irish international Eric Elwood as a potential threat to their European Challenge Cup ambitions.

Clive Woodward has spent the last seven months whittling down his list of over 100 players to just 44 names, who will be announced on Monday as the British and Irish Lions squad for the 2005 tour of New Zealand.

Sale Sharks bagged a Challenge Cup semi-final first leg lead as England winger Mark Cueto scored two late tries in their defeat of Connacht.

Jason Robinson and 10 other full internationals will make up the majority of the Sale Sharks side that will be hot favourites to overturn Connacht in the first-leg of the European Challenge Cup semi-final the Sportsground on Saturday.

Lawrence Dallaglio has predicted a few dark horses will be included in the British and Irish Lions squad to play New Zealand – and the former England captain remains hopeful he will be one of them.

Sale Sharks scrum-half Bryan Redpath could be sidelined for three months after he suffered a fractured cheekbone during his team’s European Challenge Cup victory against Narbonne.

PETER STRINGER has welcomed the availability of rival scrum-halves Rob Howley and Bryan Redpath for next summer’s Lions tour.

Ireland’s Peter Stringer has welcomed the availability of rival scrum-halves Rob Howley and Bryan Redpath for next summer’s Lions tour.

Martin Johnson has refused to rule himself out of next summer’s Lions tour to New Zealand, admitting “anything is possible”.

Clive Woodward has opened the door to Martin Johnson for a glorious return to the Test arena with the 2005 Lions.

Sale Sharks scrum-half and former Scotland captain Bryan Redpath will miss the rest of this season due to a shoulder injury.

Sale 0 Biarritz 15

IN THE modern era, international rugby operates in four-year cycles, coinciding with the Rugby World Cup. It is inevitable therefore that its conclusion signals the end of many international careers.

Leinster 22 Sale Sharks 23

Man-of-the-match Bryan Redpath toasted his forwards after Sale Sharks’ bruising 23-22 win over Leinster.

THERE had to be a scapegoat when Leinster lost to Perpignan in the semi-final of last year’s Heineken Cup at Lansdowne Road.

Gregor Townsend has told Scotland coach Matt Williams he is willing to pass on his experience and knowledge to those youngsters who have forced his early international retirement.

EX-LEINSTER coach Matt Williams has outlined a controversial plan entitled “Fortress Scotland” which will eventually see the international side being made up of home-based players only.

Scotland international Bryan Redpath has been ruled out of Sale’s Heineken Cup trip to Biarritz on Saturday after injuring his shoulder in last week’s victory over Cardiff Blues in the same competition.

Ian McGeechan is determined to remove the barriers which saw him end his second stint as Scotland coach seething with frustration.