WASPS director of rugby Tony Hanks was delighted with the pay-off for the hard work which ensured yesterday’s Heineken Cup clash with Newport Gwent Dragons went ahead.

THE SNOW may still be thick on the ground but the fog is at last beginning to clear as far as the Heineken Cup Pool Three qualification picture is concerned.

REWIND, replay, repeat. Aside from Paul O’Connell’s momentary lapse in judgement at Thomond Park last Sunday, the manner of that home win over Ospreys will be precisely what Munster coach Tony McGahan will be looking for when he sends the same starting XV out at the Liberty Stadium today (3.30pm).

MUNSTER appear set to appeal Paul O’Connell’s four-week ban handed out by Heineken Cup chiefs yesterday.

Paul O'Connell has been handed a four-week ban by the ERC independent disciplinary committee for his strike on Johnathan Thomas during last week's 22-16 win over the Ospreys at Thomond Park.

PAUL O’CONNELL faces an ERC Independent Disciplinary hearing in Dublin today to account for his sending off in Thomond Park last Sunday, but Munster coach Tony McGahan must have some hope he can avoid a ban after naming him in Munster’s 28 man group (the match-day squad will be narrowed to 23) to feature in Saturday’s Heineken Cup away game to the Ospreys at the Liberty stadium.

Paul O’Connell has been included in Munster’s squad for Saturday’s crunch Heineken Cup match with the Ospreys at the Liberty Stadium in Swansea. (kick-off 3.30pm)

FRENCH referee Christophe Berdos cited the use of an elbow by Paul O’Connell in the incident that led to his red card against Ospreys on Sunday.

PAUL O’CONNELL will face disciplinary chiefs on Thursday in the wake of his dismissal in the second half of Munster’s Heineken Cup win over Ospreys at Thomond Park.

ON ONE hand, writing about Munster playing at home in the Heineken Cup is the simplest assignment in the world.

TONY McGahan has branded as unjust Sky Sports’ analysis of Munster’s operations at attacking breakdown play.

PAUL O’CONNELL faces an ERC disciplinary hearing following his second Heineken Cup sending-off in Munster’s victory over the Ospreys yesterday.

JOB done for Munster with an essential home win over Ospreys in Heineken Cup Pool Three.

Munster coach Tony McGahan was left to rue a bittersweet 22-16 victory at Thomond Park as Paul O’Connell was red-carded 10 minutes into his Heineken Cup comeback.

Munster 22 Ospreys 16

Saracens rugby director Brendan Venter has been hit with a misconduct charge following comments he made after his team’s Heineken Cup defeat against Leinster at Wembley earlier this month.

DID a strange sense of foreboding strike anyone as the final whistle blew on Saturday to deliver a well-earned Heineken Cup victory on the road for Leinster?

Brendan Venter has warned the International Rugby Board that the game will be harmed if they do not address the current problems at the breakdown.

Saracens 23 Leinster 25

London Irish 23 Munster 17

Argentina 9 Scotland 13

Ospreys 27 Scarlets 19

MARTIN JOHNSON admitted he was relieved to escape Rome with a victory after watching England battle to an unconvincing win against Nick Mallett’s Italy yesterday at the Stadio Flaminio.

Newport Gwent Dragons 23 Gloucester 32

ULSTER came out of cold storage to strangle the life out of Edinburgh and take their outside chances of reaching the knockout stages a step further.

Glasgow Warriors 33 Gloucester 11

THREE Irish referees are among the 13 officials who will oversee the 2010 RBS Six Nations next spring.

MUNSTER skipper Paul O’Connell insists “the morale of the team is the same as it ever was” despite back-to-back defeats against Leinster and Northampton.

TO borrow a phrase from one of Heineken’s rivals, last weekend’s opening round of the European Cup was probably the best we have seen for some time. Intense action, high-quality performances, buckets of tries, contentious refereeing interpretation and games that went to the wire. An outstanding medley of issues to launch the 15th year of the Heineken Cup.

ANOTHER great night for European rugby at Franklin’s Gardens saw Northampton deservedly claim the Heineken Cup points but only after French referee Christophe Berdos came up with a highly controversial decision at the death that clearly irked Munster veterans Paul O’Connell and Ronan O’Gara.

NOT a single member of the Munster squad or management was prepared to say a derogatory word about French referee Christophe Berdos or criticise the IRFU for keeping their key players in cotton wool almost up to the eve of Saturday’s crucial Heineken Cup tie against Northampton Saints.

ALAIN ROLLAND will become just the second referee to take charge of 50 Heineken Cup matches when he oversees next month’s round two clash between Harlequins and Toulouse at The Stoop.

NEW ZEALAND referees boss Lyndon Bray is backing Bryce Lawrence after his actions as assistant referee in the second British and Irish Lions Test against South Africa saw him savaged in the British and Irish media.

British and Irish Lions assistant coach Graham Rowntree has backed Brian O’Driscoll’s condemnation of comments made by South Africa boss Peter de Villiers that he appeared to condone eye gouging.

CONTROVERSIAL South Africa coach Peter de Villiers has condemned foul play in rugby – but refused to criticise banned Springboks flanker Schalk Burger.

South Africa coach Peter de Villiers has defended flanker Schalk Burger following his eight-week ban.

South Africa flanker Schalk Burger has been suspended for eight weeks after being cited for gouging the eyes of British and Irish Lions wing Luke Fitzgerald.

Mike Phillips has slammed the “punching and gouging” Springboks as the British and Irish Lions painfully licked their wounds today following one of Test rugby’s most ferocious matches.

SPRINGBOK coach Peter de Villiers is developing a reputation for putting his foot in it, and he did little to diminish that view by effectively condoning the eye gouging of Ireland’s Luke Fitzgerald by Springbok flanker Schalk Burger on Saturday.

MIKE PHILLIPS has slammed the “punching and gouging” Springboks as the British and Irish Lions painfully licked their wounds yesterday following one of Test rugby’s most ferocious matches.

IT COULD have been one of the greatest Lions victories of all time, in fact even a draw would have offered something tangible to play for in Johannesburg next Saturday. To lose that opportunity and the series as a whole to a last ditch penalty converted from five metres inside the opposition half makes the second Lions test defeat even more harrowing.

Ian McGeechan has voiced his displeasure over alleged eye-gouging by South Africa flanker Schalk Burger on British and Irish Lions wing Luke Fitzgerald.