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.

THOMOND PARK officials last night expressed disappointment with the ERC decision to schedule their crucial Heineken Cup clash with Sale Sharks on Friday, January 16.

MONTAUBAN captain Marc Renaud has thrown down the gauntlet to Heineken Cup champions Munster ahead of their final round game at Stade de Sapiac next month.

Montauban 16 Sale Sharks 12

PHILIPPE SAINT-ANDRE is hoping his Sale Sharks players will be on cloud nine after their Heineken Cup double-header against Montauban, which kicks-off at Edgeley Park tonight.

THIS time last year Shaun Payne was a key member of the Munster team battling through the qualifying rounds of the Heineken Cup.

CLERMONT-AUVERGNE sent a clear message to Munster yesterday — they still intend to be in the mix in Pool Six with a potentially crucial away victory over French rivals Montauban.

PHILIPPE Saint Andre has urged Sale Sharks not to undermine the “massive achievement” of beating French giants Clermont Auvergne, by losing their Heineken Cup showdown against holders Munster.

MONTAUBAN, who came so close to upsetting Munster in last Friday’s Heineken Cup opener, face investigation by French rugby authorities, as they are €1.3 million short of balancing their books after last season, despite declaring otherwise to the French rugby authorities.

I SHOULD have been surprised, but I’m not. In the wake of Munster’s narrow win over Montauban on Friday night in Thomond Park, a complaint I heard over and over again in the meditation centres I occasionally frequent was that Tony McGahan should never have mentioned the plan to collect five points.

SPEAKING to friends during the week about the appeal of the Heineken Cup, one of our party offered the opinion that the tournament had become a bit predictable and could do with a few surprises in the early rounds.

THE recession was given a rest in Limerick last night as thousands of Irish and French rugby fans saturated the city for Munster’s first Heineken Cup game at the new €40 million Thomond Park.

Munster required a 78th-minute penalty from Ronan O’Gara to end Montauban’s stubborn resistance and avoid what would have been one of the biggest shocks in Heineken Cup history.

Munster coach Tony McGahan has chosen Peter Stringer and Alan Quinlan for the opening Heineken Cup game against French side Montauban in Thomond Park on Friday evening (8pm).

LAURENT Labit sits comfortably into a seat outside an auditorium at France Televisions, minutes after the Paris launch of the Heineken Cup.

The fixtures, dates and kick-off times the first four Rounds of the 2008/09 Heineken Cup tournament were today announced by ERC with a record 10 matches being televised on each of the opening two weekends in October.

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.

Scotland head coach Frank Hadden will today unveil his squad for the RBS 6 Nations Championship – with the potential for several surprises.

Connacht’s hopes of some play-off action ended six weeks ago, but they sent Montpellier packing with a four-try 26-13 win in a wet European Challenge Cup encounter tonight.

Australian fly-half Chris Malone clinched a dramatic injury-time European Challenge Cup victory for Bath over Connacht at the Rec today.