THREE days before England should have been opening their Rugby World Cup campaign in Christchurch, Martin Johnson led a red rose delegation on a goodwill visit to the earthquake-torn city.

Joe Worsley is set to miss out on playing in his fourth Rugby World Cup after being cut from England's training squad.

Matt Stevens’ return from the ignominy of a drugs ban continued today when he was confirmed in England’s 45-man Rugby World Cup training squad.

Louis Deacon has been recalled to the England squad for the RBS 6 Nations as a replacement for banned Gloucester lock Dave Attwood.

ULSTER head coach Brian McLaughlin has warned his side must not lose focus ahead of their Pool Four showdown with Biarritz next month after their epic 26-22 Heineken Cup weekend victory at Bath.

Bath 22 Ulster 26

Johann Muller will captain Ulster for Saturday’s Heineken Cup game with Bath at Ravenhill (kick-off 1.30pm).

Springbok Luke Watson has been immediately installed as Bath captain for their pre-season match against Heineken Cup group rivals Ulster at Ravenhill this evening (K.O. 7.30pm).

Jonny Wilkinson today shrugged off the critics and vowed to keep his cool in the face of mounting criticism.

Jonny Wilkinson has been retained in an unchanged England team for Saturday’s RBS 6 Nations showdown with Ireland at Twickenham, despite concerns over his form and fitness.

ENGLAND international Matt Stevens, pictured, is set to relaunch his rugby career with Saracens in 2011.

England international Matt Stevens is set to relaunch his rugby career with Saracens in 2011.

Coach Steve Meehan has gone for his strongest side at home to Ulster in the final round Heineken Cup Pool on Saturday.

Bath 16 Edinburgh 9

MARTIN JOHNSON finds himself in the rare position of being an England coach finalising his Test selection without having to fret over the fitness of Jonny Wilkinson.

England have been dealt another major injury setback with the loss of World Cup winner Phil Vickery from their autumn Tests.

MUNSTER’S bid to get their Magners League defence back on the track against Edinburgh at Murrayfield on Friday night next is not helped by the fact that they will definitely be without Doug Howlett, Marcus Horan and Tony Buckley, all of whom left the field prematurely during last Saturday’s Heineken Cup victory over Treviso.

Bath 27 Stade Francais 29

Dylan Hartley insists Northampton will step into the unknown without any fear at Perpignan tomorrow night, after their momentous victory over two-time European champions Munster.

Coach Steve Meehan and captain Michael Claassens will plot the way forward for Bath against Ulster in the Heineken Cup at Ravenhill tomorrow night.

BY MAKING five changes to the starting lineup for tomorrow’s second test, the Lionsmanagement have put their hands up andaccepted they got it wrong last weekend. Nowhere is this more striking than in the make-up of the front five who were pummelled in Durban.

LUKE Fitzgerald was handed the biggest Test experience of his life when selected to play for the Lions against South Africa in Pretoria tomorrow, adding another amazing Irish chapter in the history of the touring side.

BRITISH AND IRISH Lions defence coach Shaun Edwards yesterday hinted that Ireland’s Luke Fitzgerald might have won a starting place in Saturday’s second clash with South Africa in Pretoria, swelling Ireland’s representation on the Test team.

Ireland fly-half Ronan O’Gara will captain the British and Irish Lions in tomorrow night’s clash against the Emerging Springboks at Newlands.

BRITISH and Irish Lions forwards coach Graham Rowntree has admitted that the number of scrum penalties conceded in Saturday’s first Test with South Africa will force changes for the second Test.

South Africa 26 British and Irish Lions 21

Five Irish players, including captain Paul O'Connell, have been named by head coach Ian McGeechan on the British and Irish Lions team to face South Africa in the first Test match in Durban on Saturday.

DONNCHA O’Callaghan isn’t easily knocked for six, but British and Irish Lions coach Ian McGeechan managed to skittle him yesterday when he appointed him as captain of the team to meet the Southern Kings later today.

FORMER English and Lions prop Graham Rowntree yesterday spoke of the ‘immense’ loss of injured Irish hooker Jerry Flannery to the Lions tour of South Africa.

The 2009 British and Irish Lions have been described as “better organised and better managed” than their immediate predecessors four years ago in New Zealand.

IF THIS was supposed to be a step up in class, then the British & Irish Lions coped with it admirably. They met fire with fire, kept their try-line intact for the first time on tour and strode majestically forward towards next week’s first Test at the same venue.

Sharks 3 British and Irish Lions 39

Brian O’Driscoll and Jamie Roberts will reprise their destructive centre partnership when the Lions tackle the Sharks in Durban on Wednesday.

BRIAN O’DRISCOLL said earlier in the week that winning becomes a habit.

Brian O’Driscoll will captain the British and Irish Lions in their second tour match against the Golden Lions in Johannesburg on Wednesday.

Paul O'Connell will lead the British & Irish Lions into their opening match of the 2009 tour of South Africa against the Royal XV in Phokeng, near Rustenburg, on Saturday.

Ian McGeechan will today name his first team of the British and Irish Lions’ 2009 South Africa tour.

JERRY FLANNERY and Ronan O’Gara will be cheering on their biggest rivals in the Heineken Cup final, claiming that a Leinster victory would put the seal on a season when Irish rugby ranked alongside the best in the world.

IRELAND’s Bob Casey will lead London Irish into battle against Harlequins warning that defeat would conclude a season of failure at the Madejski Stadium.

IRELAND’S Grand Slam-winning Lions have already pocketed an extra €90,000 each from their remarkable on-field successes this year.

BERNARD JACKMAN believes his Leinster team-mate Gordon D’Arcy may still have a role to play in this summer’s Lions tour to South Africa, despite being overlooked yesterday by Ian McGeechan.

IAN McGEECHAN let the cat out of the bag the other week when he expressed a preference for a forward to captain the Lions in the forthcoming tour of South Africa.

Leicester 20 Bath 15

England 34 France 10