Jonny Wilkinson could make his first appearance since the World Cup final next weekend.

SYLVAIN MARCONNET is “working like a donkey” to be fit for the World Cup, according to France team-mate Imanol Harinordoquy.

Scotland head coach Frank Hadden claims next month’s World Cup could suffer and his own squad could be left threadbare because of the rule allowing each country to take just 30 players to the tournament.

Scotland head coach Frank Hadden believes his World Cup squad is the “most competitive” he could have selected.

FRANK HADDEN has challenged Chris Paterson to prove he deserves to be Scotland’s World Cup stand-off when the former stand-in captain lines up against Ireland on Saturday.

Frank Hadden believes Scotland will feed off the pain caused by their shock defeat to Italy when they take on Triple Crown hopefuls Ireland this weekend.

Scotland coach Frank Hadden has refused to rule out the possibility that Chris Paterson may be deployed as a stand-off at some point in the future.

WASPS coach Ian McGeechan believes his side are learning how to “win ugly” after they hung on for victory in their opening Heineken Cup game against Castres at Adams Park.

Wasps 19 Castres 13

Scotland head coach Frank Hadden has called up seven uncapped players for his training squad for the autumn Test series.

South Africa 29 Scotland 15

Italy 10 Scotland 13

COLIN CHARVIS has been dropped by Wales coach Scott Johnson as one of three personnel changes for the final RBS Six Nations Championship clash against France on Saturday.

Scotland coach Frank Hadden has made three changes to his line-up as his team sign off from this season’s RBS Six Nations Championship against Italy in Rome.

EXACTLY 128 years ago, Ireland and England played the first international rugby match at Lansdowne Road.

Scotland 18 England 12

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

Scotland coach Frank Hadden has named two uncapped players in a 32-strong squad for training at Murrayfield next week as the Scots intensify their preparations for the forthcoming RBS 6 Nations Championship.

MUNSTER’s Heineken Cup game against Castres next month will not be televised live.

Scotland head coach Frank Hadden has warned his team to be wary of the threat of all three opponents in the autumn Test series, rather than concentrating on New Zealand.

Former England star Mike Catt took the spotlight away from big-name Premiership newcomer Justin Marshall by creating the first three tries as London Irish opened their season with victory over Leeds in the second match of today’s Twickenham double-header.

Grand Final-winning rugby league coach Tony Smith has hailed Leeds Tykes’ surprise Powergen Cup final triumph over Bath as a “great day for the city”.

Josh Lewsey is convinced England will reflect on last weekend’s RBS 6 Nations victory over Italy as the dawn of a new era for English rugby.

Former Scotland captain David Sole has heavily criticised coach Matt Williams following his side’s record 46-22 defeat to Wales on Sunday.

Scotland’s plans for the RBS Six Nations Championship went from bad to worse today with the news Allan Jacobsen and Ross Beattie have been ruled out of the France opener.

London Irish 12 Leeds 16

Australia 35 Scotland 15

Hugo Southwell completed a remarkable rise to prominence today when he was named as Scotland’s starting full-back to take on Australia, the World Cup finalists, in Melbourne on Sunday.

Head coach Matt Williams today admitted Scotland face a “massive task” in Sunday’s first Test against Australia in Melbourne but backed his players to rise to the challenge.

NEW ZEALAND coach Graham Henry was true to his word yesterday when he named his team to face England in Dunedin on Saturday.

Matt Williams today described Scotland’s performance in their 33-15 defeat to a shadow NSW Waratahs side as the most disappointing of his time in charge.

NSW Waratahs 33 Scotland 15

Matt Williams ended the most important week of his eight months in charge of Scotland with a headache – and that is just the way he wants it.

MATT WILLIAMS has challenged fly-half Gordon Ross to prove he is worthy of a Test start against Australia with a dominant display in Scotland’s final midweek tour match, against the NSW Waratahs tomorrow.

Scotland captain Scott Murray believes his players can atone for last year’s World Cup quarter-final defeat with an historic victory over Australia next weekend.

Samoa 3 Scotland 11

Scotland arrived in windy Wellington today chasing their first Test win of the year as they take on Samoa.

Instead of preparing for Friday’s Test match against Samoa and a sixth Scotland cap, Tom Philip was today left to contemplate knee reconstruction surgery and nine months of intense rehabilitation after a seemingly innocuous accident on the beach left him with a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament.

Glasgow winger Sean Lamont will make his Scotland Test debut against Samoa in Wellington on Friday.

Craig Joiner has been named in the Scotland squad for a two-day training camp this week – four years after winning his last cap.

Scottish international prop Gavin Kerr has agreed a new two-year contract with Leeds.

Wasps 46 Calvisano 13