DANNY CIPRIANI and Josh Lewsey produced a neat one-two combination punch to floor Castres as Wasps opened their Heineken Cup campaign with an emphatic home victory yesterday.

Wasps 25 Castres 11

James Haskell was happy to see team-mates Danny Cipriani and Josh Lewsey clash in training this week – because it means that Wasps are coming to the boil nicely ahead of Sunday’s Heineken Cup game against Castres.

WASPS head coach Shaun Edwards insisted the bust-up between Danny Cipriani and Josh Lewsey was nothing out of the ordinary and declared: “We always have a fight in Heineken Cup week.”

Wasps today confirmed there was an incident between Danny Cipriani and Josh Lewsey – but insisted it was nothing more than a regular training-ground spat.

SARACENS’ director of rugby Alan Gaffney admitted his players’ faces were as pink as their shirts after the 40-29 defeat to Wasps that kept Ian McGeechan’s men on track for the Premiership play-offs.

EUROPEAN champions Wasps will be without Josh Lewsey for their Heineken Cup match against Llanelli tomorrow in Munster’s Pool Five.

Wasps 25 Leeds Carnegie 17

LAWRENCE Dallaglio admits European champions Wasps “have to do the business” on Saturday after suffering their biggest Heineken Cup defeat for almost six years.

Mark Cueto will replace the injured Josh Lewsey in England’s team to play South Africa in the World Cup final on Saturday.

Leicester centre Dan Hipkiss could today be handed a place in England’s World Cup final team – barely two months after making his Test debut.

BATH full-back Nick Abendanon has been called into England’s World Cup squad as a replacement for the injured Josh Lewsey.

Bath full-back Nick Abendanon has been called into England's World Cup squad as a replacement for the injured Josh Lewsey.

England winger Josh Lewsey has been ruled out of the Rugby World Cup final with a hamstring strain.

ROB ANDREW admitted England had “rewritten the rules” after reaching the World Cup final despite three years of upheaval and just 10 months of dedicated planning.

England 14 France 9

ENGLAND today move into World Cup semi-final mode, with head coach Brian Ashton claiming: “We have a team to trouble the French.”

Andy Farrell has been recalled to the England side for Saturday’s World Cup quarter-final against Australia at Stade Velodrome in Marseille.

ALL week England coach Brian Ashton claimed that confidence was rising, that it was getting better. That soon we would see the real England.

England head coach Brian Ashton, buoyed by last Saturday's encouraging 44-22 victory over Samoa, makes two changes for tonight's clash with Samoa, with lock Steve Borthwick and flanker Lewis Moody both called up.

MARTIN CORRY has predicted “direct and physical” early exchanges when England and Samoa fight for their World Cup lives in Nantes this afternoon (3pm, Setanta Sports, ITV).

MARTIN CORRY has declared England’s record World Cup defeat against South Africa must not be a “a terminal hammer blow” for the struggling Webb Ellis Trophy holders.

ENGLAND star Jonny Wilkinson’s World Cup campaign could be over before it has even started after his injury jinx struck again to deal the defending champions a potentially shattering blow.

LAWRENCE DALLAGLIO emerged from the ruins left by England’s latest calamitous away day collapse — a 22-9 loss to France — and conceded: “This has given us a bit of a reality check.”

THE agonising waiting game for England’s World Cup hopefuls could be over sooner than expected.

WASPS captain Lawrence Dallaglio last night hailed the Londoners’ Heineken Cup final victory over Leicester as the greatest Twickenham final of his glittering career.

Raphael Ibanez has declared Wasps’ Heineken Cup semi-final clash against Northampton tomorrow as a “time to deliver” in the pursuit of another European title.

TEN minutes of madness cost Leinster a Heineken Cup lifeline and allowed London Wasps to romp to victory at Adams Park on Saturday.

London Irish 16 Wasps 13

ENGLAND coach Brian Ashton has ignored struggling Wales’ miserable RBS 6 Nations season and predicted possibly his team’s “toughest game of the tournament” on Saturday.

World Cup winner Josh Lewsey has been left out of the England team for Saturday’s Six Nations finalé against Wales in Cardiff.

ENGLAND full-back Olly Morgan has been ruled out for the rest of the season after being told he requires shoulder surgery.

ENGLAND, based on this display, will be handing over the William Webb Ellis trophy early in the autumn.

Will Carling believes Andy Farrell should be dropped for England’s next RBS 6 Nations clash with France at Twickenham.

JOSH LEWSEY has warned a try-hungry Twickenham crowd not to expect sevens rugby when England tackle RBS 6 Nations strugglers and wooden-spoon favourites Italy today.

JASON ROBINSON believes there are “signs of something special” after England’s World Cup heroes reunited to launch the Brian Ashton era in trophy-winning fashion at Twickenham.

ROB ANDREW has hailed England World Cup hero Jonny Wilkinson as “an extraordinary individual” ahead of his logic-defying return to the Test match arena.

WORLD Cup winner Steve Thompson has been ruled out of England’s entire RBS Six Nations Championship campaign due to a neck injury.

Jonny Wilkinson has won a shock England recall for next Saturday’s RBS 6 Nations Championship opener against Scotland at Twickenham.

Wasps 55 Treviso 0

England’s troubled autumn Test series has continued after Iain Balshaw was ruled out of Saturday’s clash against South Africa at Twickenham.

England boss Andy Robinson has made just one change for Englands' clash against Argentina at Twickenham on Saturday.

IAIN BALSHAW has urged England to show “no fear” when they face the most daunting prospect in world rugby – stopping New Zealand.

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.