DOUBTING the quality of the players lining out for Toulon in this afternoon’s Heineken Cup game against Munster at Thomond Park would serve no useful purpose.

Ireland 23 Barbarians 29

MARTIN JOHNSON admitted England must become smarter after suffering a second-half collapse in yesterday’s 35-26 victory over the Barbarians.

CARDIFF BLUES stunned French glamour boys Toulon to win the Amlin Challenge Cup and become the first Welsh side to lift a European title.

CLERMONT AUVERGNE saw their faint Heineken Cup hopes extinguished despite a comprehensive bonus point victory against Montauban in the all-French Pool One clash at Stade Marcel Michelin last night.

Munster have secured a bonus point in a 26-19 loss to Clermont Auvergne that almost certainly sends the French side out of the 2007/8 Heineken Cup.

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

France 64 Georgia 7

WORLD Cup hosts France took out nine days of pent-up frustration on Namibia with a resounding victory that will have drawn nervous glances from Ireland last night.

France launched the 2007 Rugby World Cup tonight amid huge expectancy levels in coach Bernard Laporte’s final assignment before he takes up a French ministerial post.

ARGENTINA’S forward power has forced France head coach Bernard Laporte into making some “painful” decisions in selecting his starting line-up for Friday’s World Cup opener at the Stade de France.

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.

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.

RAPHAEL IBANEZ went through the whole range of emotions in the final heart-stopping minutes of France’s dramatic 46-19 success over Scotland, which clinched yet another RBS 6 Nations Championship title.

England face a France side gunning for the Grand Slam, after they followed up away victories over Italy and Ireland with a come-from-behind 32-21 win over Wales at the Stade de France on Saturday.

Wales were looking to upset the form book in their RBS 6 Nations Championship clash with France tonight.

PIERRE MIGNONI will start his third match in a row for France when Wales go to Paris on Saturday, but he does not feel the scrum-half jersey is his for keeps just yet.

Pierre Mignoni will start his third match in a row for France when Wales come to Paris on Saturday – but he does not feel the scrum-half jersey is his for keeps just yet.

France stand-off David Skrela is expecting a battle royal against Ireland’s half-backs in Sunday’s RBS 6 Nations match at Croke Park.

A LOT has been made of Bernard Laporte’s insistence on experimentation for this year’s RBS 6 Nations Championship, but it will be interesting to see if France’s head coach sticks to his word following the comprehensive opening day rout of beleaguered Italy.

France head coach Bernard Laporte found it difficult to pick out a star performer in his side’s 39-3 win over Italy in the RBS 6 Nations Championship opener at the Stadio Flaminio today.

Stand-in captain Raphael Ibanez believes France will need “character” if they are to get their RBS 6 Nations Championship campaign off to a winning start in Italy this weekend.

France head coach Bernard Laporte insisted form and injuries had dictated his decision to select an experimental line-up for Saturday’s Six Nations Championship opener against Italy in Rome.

France have chosen a new-look half-back partnership of Pierre Mignoni and David Skrela for their RBS 6 Nations Championship opener against Italy in Rome’s Stadio Flaminio on Saturday.

JONNY WILKINSON has been declared “ready and available” to make a startling England comeback in the RBS 6 Nations Championship opener against Scotland at Twickenham.

Clermont Auvergne 27 Leicester 40

Italy 13 France 56

Pirate Irwin, Paris

France coach Bernard Laporte has made five changes in his squad ahead of their second RBS 6 Nations match against England at Twickenham on Sunday.

WHILE passion, excitement and drama were very much in evidence at all three Six Nations venues last weekend, the quality of rugby was somewhat disappointing.

France 16 Scotland 9

Scrum-half Pierre Mignoni concedes France’s woeful performance against Scotland in the RBS 6 Nations has presented them with a confidence crisis ahead of next weekend’s game against England.

Teams for this afternoon's Six Nations clash between France and Scotland.

WALES have been given a major boost ahead of their opening Six Nations clash against world champions England with former skipper Martyn Williams declared fit to start.

Harlequins 27 Montferrand 26

Montferrand v Harlequins teams

Montferrand 38 Bath 22

Heineken Cup latest:

Heineken Cup latest:

Heineken Cup latest:

Heineken Cup latest: