France number eight Imanol Harinordoquy has been dropped from the squad for next weekend’s Test with Australia.

Sebastien Chabal has been recalled to the France XV for Saturday’s Test against Argentina in Montpellier.

Biarritz Olympique have made two changes for their Heineken Cup clash at home to Ulster on Sunday.

IF rugby matches were played on paper, few would give the Irish team much of a chance against the Barbarians in tonight’s game at Thomond Park.

Ireland internationals Alan Quinlan and Malcolm O’Kelly will face their countrymen as part of the Barbarians line-up for Friday’s non-cap international at Thomond Park in Limerick.

HEINEKEN CUP FINAL: Biarritz v Toulouse (Stade de France, 5pm)

THE Irish dream of yet another Heineken Cup perished yesterday at the Estadio Anoeta, San Sebastian, when, just like their neighbours Toulouse against holders Leinster on Saturday, Biarritz proved too good on the day for Munster, the 2006 and 2008 champions.

Ronan O’Gara insists the vast experience of Munster’s grizzled veterans ensures their love affair with the Heineken Cup will continue.

BIARRITZ and France international No.8 Imanol Harinordoquy is fit for Sunday’s Heineken Cup semi-final with Munster at San Sebastian.

BACK in the early spring of 2001, Brian McGoey, a keen member of the Red Army and proprietor of a Limerick restaurant, promised to provide any member of the Munster team that scored three tries in a Heineken Cup tie with a lifetime supply of pizzas.

ANDY ROBINSON has plumped for the players in form for Scotland’s Six Nations opener against France.

FRANCE head coach Marc Lievremont admits his team could be embarrassed by Italy on Saturday if they fail to improve on the “mediocrity” they have shown so far in the RBS 6 Nations Championship.

France have made four changes in personnel to their team for Saturday’s RBS 6 Nations match against Italy in Rome.

France will go with an unchanged squad for their last match in the RBS 6 Nations Championship, against Italy in Rome on Saturday.

SEBASTIEN CHABAL will be under orders to smash some holes in England’s much-vaunted defence when he reverts to France’s back row for ‘Le Crunch’ at Twickenham on Sunday.

Sebastien Chabal will return to France’s back row for Sunday’s RBS 6 Nations Championship match against England at Twickenham.

ENGLAND boss Martin Johnson yesterday warned his ill-disciplined players he is ready to wield the axe ahead of next week’s RBS 6 Nations clash with France.

France have made four changes in personnel to their 23-man squad for the RBS 6 Nations Championship match against England at Twickenham on Sunday week.

FRANCE go into their opening RBS Six Nations match against Ireland on Saturday week with little experience at half-back after Jean-Baptiste Elissalde was surprisingly omitted from their trimmed-down 23-man squad.

Imanol Harinordoquy has been named in France’s 23-man squad for their opening two matches of the RBS 6 Nations Championship, against Ireland and Scotland.

Biarritz 24 Gloucester 10

France head coach Marc Lievremont has named just one recognised fly-half in his provisional 30-man squad for a three-day training camp ahead of the RBS 6 Nations Championship.

Gloucester 22 Biarritz 10

EDDIE O’SULLIVAN is reportedly being lined up to become the next coach of struggling French Top 14 club Biarritz Olympique.

FRANCE head coach Marc Lievremont’s revolving door policy continued yesterday when he named three uncapped players in his starting XV for Sunday’s RBS Six Nations Championship clash with Italy.

France have named three uncapped players in their starting XV for Sunday’s RBS 6 Nations clash with Italy in Paris.

Jerome Thion is set to be available for France when they face Italy at the Stade de France this weekend after he came through training unscathed.

MARC LIEVREMONT didn’t take long to usher in a new dawn in French rugby yesterday by naming six uncapped players in a much-changed squad for the Six Nations Championship opener against Scotland.

New France coach Marc Lievremont has made sweeping changes in his first squad selection ahead of the RBS 6 Nations Championship clash against Scotland at Murrayfield on February 3.

FRANCE captain Raphael Ibanez insists the stakes remain high going into his side’s World Cup bronze-medal match against Argentina today.

France coach Bernard Laporte has rung the changes for Friday night’s World Cup bronze medal match against Argentina in Paris.

FRANCE captain Raphael Ibanez believes this Saturday’s World Cup semi-final against England is “a bigger challenge” than their last-eight clash with the tournament favourites New Zealand.

France are set to have a fully-fit squad available for their World Cup semi-final against England this weekend.

France have retained Lionel Beauxis at fly-half for Saturday’s World Cup quarter-final against New Zealand in Cardiff.

ALL THINGS considered, it’s been a pretty fraught few days in France for Ireland. Early in the week, there were allegations in the French press about Ronan O’Gara, not to mention the rumours of Geordan Murphy’s wish to leave the camp.

YOU were forewarned by Bernard Laporte himself. Last week, quizzed on his selection of Sebastian Chabal at lock, the French coach simply said Chabal could offer his team certain things that Jerome Thion and Fabien Pelous couldn’t. Certainly neither Thion nor Pelous could have scored Chabal’s rampaging second try last Sunday night against Namibia, but then there’s hardly a second-row in the world who could.

EDDIE O’SULLIVAN’S neck — not to mention his job — is not necessarily on the line at the Stade de France tonight. But his stature as Ireland’s most successful coach will take a battering if his team fails to hugely improve on recent performances, all the more so should the gamble of pairing the untried Eoin Reddan with an out of sorts Ronan O’Gara at half-back prove a failure.

Sebastien Chabal is adamant his iconic status off the pitch will not affect his performance on it when he lines up for France in the make-or-break World Cup clash against Ireland in Paris.

FRANCE coach Bernard Laporte named his side yesterday to face Ireland in tomorrow’s crunch Rugby World Cup clash in the Stade de France, and there were a number of surprises.

French coach Bernard Laporte has named his team to face Ireland this Friday in their crucial World Cup pool game.

France winger Vincent Clerc believes Ireland will be looking to exact revenge when they take on Les Bleus in the pivotal World Cup Pool D showdown at the Stade de France on Friday.

GARETH JENKINS admitted Wales were taught a lesson in finishing by France as they signed off ahead of the World Cup with a 34-7 defeat at the Millennium Stadium.

FRANCE have made wholesale changes to their starting line-up for today’s Test against England as they look to complete a cross-channel double over the world champions in the space of a week.

Frederic Michalak and Jean-Baptiste Elissalde will form the half-back partnership combination for France when they take on England in a World Cup warm-up match in Marseille tomorrow.