SOUTH AFRICA lock Victor Matfield was yesterday despairing at the way Irish referees Alan Lewis and Alain Rolland have policed the breakdown, following his side’s second successive Tri Nations defeat to New Zealand in Wellington on Saturday.

IRELAND and South Africa meet for the 19th time this afternoon and it promises to be a belter of a contest. How could it be otherwise given South Africa’s status as world and Tri-Nations champions against the host nation who captured the Six Nations Grand Slam for the first time in 61 years.

HARD man to second guess, is Declan Kidney.

FORMER Irish international Conor O’Shea believes coach Declan Kidney is the key to Irish success in the autumn’s internationals.

MUNSTER marquee signing, Jean de Villiers, is eligible to play for South Africa when he joins up with the two-time Heineken Cup champions next month.

PAUL O’CONNELL is backing Ronan O’Gara to bounce back from the shattering experience of conceding a last-gasp penalty to the Springboks in Pretoria last week.

Lions captain Paul O’Connell accused Bryce Lawrence of only refereeing one side after South Africa held off a late fightback to win the first Test 26-21 in Durban.

WHILE Ian McGeechan will officially announce the Lions side for the opening test in Durban at lunchtime tomorrow, this is the day that will make or break the aspirations and dreams of all within the Lions playing party.

THE Lions have every reason to remember Heinrich Brussow, the flanker South African coach Pieter de Villiers chose to ignore.

WITH THE crucial opening test against South Africa in Durban looming large on the horizon, the Lions management are ready to move into phase two of this tour.

THE autumn internationals, or the Guinness Series as they have become known in Ireland, had become a bit of a damp squib in recent seasons with nothing tangible at stake but pride.

THE Australian arrived at Leinster in the summer of 2005 armed with his three-year plan and intent on annexing world club rugby’s greatest prize.

LIONEL FAURE admits his call-up to the France squad for the RBS 6 Nations Championship allowed him to dodge the potentially painful dilemma of switching his allegiance to England.

He may not have been everybody’s choice to lead the France national team into a new era, particularly given the calibre of candidates running against him, but none could provide the continuity offered in the appointment of Lievremont.

MARC LIEVREMONT didn’t take long to usher in a new dawn in French rugby yesterday by naming six uncapped players in a much-changed squad for the Six Nations Championship opener against Scotland.

New France coach Marc Lievremont has made sweeping changes in his first squad selection ahead of the RBS 6 Nations Championship clash against Scotland at Murrayfield on February 3.

Lionel Nallet admitted it came as a “massive surprise” to be appointed the new captain of France.

FRANCE captain Raphael Ibanez insists the stakes remain high going into his side’s World Cup bronze-medal match against Argentina today.

France coach Bernard Laporte has rung the changes for Friday night’s World Cup bronze medal match against Argentina in Paris.

SEBASTIEN CHABAL believes the forthcoming World Cup semi-final between France and England has restored credibility to Six Nations rugby.

Pieter de Villiers has welcomed Saturday night’s quarter-final against New Zealand as a true test of France’s World Cup credentials.

EDDIE O’SULLIVAN’S neck — not to mention his job — is not necessarily on the line at the Stade de France tonight. But his stature as Ireland’s most successful coach will take a battering if his team fails to hugely improve on recent performances, all the more so should the gamble of pairing the untried Eoin Reddan with an out of sorts Ronan O’Gara at half-back prove a failure.

France 87 Namibia 10

FRENCH rugby coach Bernard Laporte has dropped 12 players from the side which lost to Argentina in the World Cup opener for his side’s next game against Namibia.

France coach Bernard Laporte has made wholesale changes for Les Bleus’ World Cup clash against Namibia in Toulouse on Sunday.

IMAGINE for one moment that Ireland were drawn to open their Pool D campaign against France at Stade de France this evening.

AUSTRALIA skipper Stirling Mortlock has promised the country’s fans that his team will do everything within their power to bring back the Webb Ellis Trophy for a record third time.

Pieter De Villiers will make his return to the France team on Sunday just a fortnight after fearing his World Cup dreams could be ruined for the second successive occasion.

France will give more of their squad players a chance to impress ahead of the World Cup when they take on Wales in Cardiff on Sunday.

Serge Betsen will captain France in their World Cup warm-up match against Wales in Cardiff on Sunday.

Fabien Pelous will make his return to international rugby tomorrow after being named in France’s team for the World Cup warm-up match against England at Twickenham.

FRANCE prop Sylvain Marconnet has been ruled out of the rest of the RBS 6 Nations Championship after suffering a serious injury while on a skiing holiday.

France prop Sylvain Marconnet has been ruled out of the rest of the RBS 6 Nations Championship after suffering a serious injury while on a skiing holiday.

GARETH JENKINS reacted to Wales’ 21-9 defeat to Scotland by making seven changes for Saturday’s RBS 6 Nations clash with France, including four in a revamped pack.

‘ONE swallow never made a summer’ ought to be the viewpoint of the Irish front-row forwards as they measure up to what could be a decisive element of Saturday’s Six Nations clash with England at Croke Park.

France's rotation policy continues for this weekend's RBS 6 Nations clash against Wales - and team manager Jo Maso has vowed it will be in full force until the end of the tournament.

France have made five changes to the 22-man squad that beat Ireland in the RBS 6 Nations Championship last Sunday for next weekend’s match against Wales.

IMANOL HARINORDOQUY believes adopting a more “mature” approach to the game has helped him reclaim his place in the France team.

France have made five changes to their team for Sunday’s RBS 6 Nations Championship clash with Ireland at Croke Park.

Clement Poitrenaud, Sebastien Chabal and David Skrela return to the France squad for next Saturday’s RBS 6 Nations Championship opener against Italy in Rome.

France have drafted flanker Serge Betsen and full-back Pepito Elhorga into their squad for next weekend’s second Test against New Zealand in Paris.

France 37 Italy 12

Thomas Castaignede admitted France will need to step up a gear if they are to beat England after toiling to beat Italy 37-12 at the Stade de France.

France 37 Italy 12