As kids they played together in the same high school soccer and rugby teams in their native Cardiff.

Eric Elwood has named uncapped scrum-half Kieran Marmion in his starting XV for the visit of the Cardiff Blues in the opening round of the RaboDirect PRO12 tomorrow at the Sportsground (5pm).

The Olympic torch received a rapturous reception from thousands of well-wishers who rose early to mark its arrival in the Games’ host city of London today.

A Royal Marine Commando today abseiled with the Olympic flame into the Tower of London.

A British Royal Marine Commando will abseil with the Olympic flame into the Tower of London today.

Gethin Jenkins is hoping his Welsh team-mates will have learned the harsh lessons of the second Test against the Wallabies in Melbourne when they try to salvage something in Sydney in Saturday’s third and final game.

Wales 30 Barbarians 21

Cardiff Blues 38 Edinburgh 13

Leinster 34 Cardiff Blues 3

1 MENTAL BAGGAGE

It’s been one hell of a ride for Leinster around the continent this past four seasons and there is nothing to suggest that it won’t continue through to the semi-final stages, where they would face a trip to either Twickenham or Bordeaux.

Benetton Treviso 13 Cardiff Blues 20

Munster enjoyed the time of their lives for 40 minutes in last night’s Rabo Direct Pro12 clash with the Cardiff Blues at Thomond Park.

High hopes of Connacht repeating their famous victory of 10 years ago in Cardiff Arms Park were dashed last night when the Blues claimed victory on home soil.

Cardiff Blues 22 Connacht 15

Major winners Darren Clarke and Rory McIlroy are both recognised in the New Year Honours List in the UK.

ONE more injury or one more call-up to the Wales squad this week and Cardiff Blues would have found themselves travelling to Dublin for this evening’s RaboDirect Pro12 encounter without the services of a full starting 15.

ADAM JONES may be a pivotal part of Wales’ bid to make history this morning (9am Irish time) by reaching their first World Cup final.

Wales flanker Dan Lydiate is battling around the clock to recover from injury and put himself back in World Cup contention.

Wales are set to reassess their injury situation after next Monday’s World Cup Pool D clash against Namibia in New Plymouth.

Edinburgh 15 Cardiff 38

THE DULL pain of rejection experienced by a number of quality Irish players on Monday was replicated throughout the rugby world yesterday when the cut-off point for announcing the respective World Cup squads arrived.

Sam Warburton will become Wales’ youngest World Cup captain when he skippers the squad in New Zealand next month.

JASON LEONARD has warned England they must perfect the art of winning close games if they are to stand any chance of regaining the World Cup.

Wales boss Warren Gatland is braced to lose a third British and Irish Lions Test player for the World Cup opener against South Africa next month.

Gavin Henson will return to Test rugby on Saturday after an absence of more than two years when Wales play the Barbarians in Cardiff.

Scarlets 38 Cardiff Blues 23

MUNSTER coach Tony McGahan bids to end a run of five defeats on Welsh soil when his side face Cardiff Blues in the Magners League at Cardiff City Stadium on Friday night (TG4, 7.05pm).

Martyn Williams will end his career at Cardiff Blues after signing a one-year contract extension with the Welsh region.

The Tactics

Edinburgh 11 Cardiff 16

SAM WARBURTON believes Wales are turning around their RBS 6 Nations campaign after the “doom and gloom” of an opening day defeat against Grand Slam-chasing England.

LEINSTER coach Joe Schmidt has admitted that the next fortnight will be crucial to his team’s hopes of reaching the Magners League play-offs.

Cardiff Blues 11 Leinster 3

SHANE WILLIAMS has declared himself fit and raring to go for his probable swansong year as an international rugby player. Ospreys star Williams is poised to win his 76th cap when Wales launch their RBS 6 Nations campaign against England in Cardiff on February 4.

Wales star Martyn Williams was today facing up to the possible end of his illustrious international career.

Martyn Williams has been left out of Wales’ RBS 6 Nations squad in a shock omission by head coach Warren Gatland.

THE high cost of Heineken Cup failure was brought into sharp focus in Wales last night as Cardiff Blues cut loose two of its biggest stars and prepared to make others available for transfer.

Barbarians 26 South Africa 20

SOUTH AFRICAN rugby has reversed its policy of refusing to play against the New Zealand Maori, paving the way for match-ups between the two sides.

Ryan Jones has kept his Wales place despite losing the captaincy for Saturday’s Millennium Stadium clash against New Zealand.

WINGER Bryan Habana’s fractured a bone in his hand during training and will take no further part in South Africa’s tour of Britain and Ireland.

Ryan Jones has regained the Wales captaincy and will take charge of a much-changed team against Fiji at the Millennium Stadium on Friday night.

Wales will target their first win of the autumn internationals against Fiji next Friday night, and flanker Martyn Williams admits: “It is a massive game”.